The Sun.
London, England, 1870-05-25 00:00:00

THE ROYAL PATRIOTIC FUND.

A paper has been issued from the War Office in the
form of a return to the li.onse of Commons, giving
particulars of the formation and distribution of the
Royal Patriotic Fund. At the conclusion of
the Russian War it was resolved that the widows
and orphans of soldiers, seamen, and marines, who lost
'their hves in the war, should be provided for to a certain
degree by the State. The Fund was accordingly
established, and allowances for the educa,tion of
the children of deceased officers and men, and
annuities to their widow have been annually granted
ever since. The orphans entitled to the ordinary relief
from the fund were those born after marriages contracted
prior to the Ist of January, 1858. It was decided, however,
that other orphans who fathers had served in the Russian
war, who were not eligible for the ordinary relief from
certain circumstances connected with the death of the
father, or the date of marriage, should, nevertheless, be
assisted in their education by the Executive Committee.
At a meeting of the Fund Commissioners, in March
last, it was decided that a portion of the surplus,
which was expected to have arisen from
the moneys invested on behalf of the Fund,
should be' appli in the relief of the orphans of
other wars than the Rnssian. It had been found,
however, that the matter must be considered somewhat
further before positive help from the fund -can be
given to such orphans. Meantime it has beenthought
necessary to issue a statement explanatory of
the original agreements under which and to
meet which the money was raised, as well as
of the manner in which it has been and will be applied.
The following is the- chief paragraph of the statement
which the Commissioners have addressed to the Queen :
There appears to be a widely prevalent opinion that
all widows and orphans of men who served in the Russian
War are entitled to allowances from the Patriotic Fund,
irrespective of other renditions, such as the
date of marriage; service subsequent to the war;
whether or not the - husband Was wounded, or
suffered serious injury whilst engaged en aCtiVe
service, or the date and cause of his death, Not
only is the foregoing opinion held as respects those whose
husbands or fathers served in the Russian War, but, though
to a less extent, a belief prevails that the widows of any
other war, or even that the widows of any men who
may have died in the service of the Crown, have
a claim on, the fund. In the hope of
removing these erroneous impressions, we request your
Majesty's attention to the following extracts from the
original commission, defining the. persons for whom the
fund was intended ••" Wheres.s. amidst the glorious suc-
cesses which, through the ppwer of Almighty prod, have
attended our arms dining the prasent war? many soldiers
sailors, and marines serving in enr arralea and
fleets, have gallantly fallen in battle, or by other
casualties." " And whereas it hath been repre-
sented to us, that many of our loving subjects
throughout our kingdom and dominions, are anxiously
desirous of testifying their loyalty and love to us and to
out Throne, by a just and generous benevolence towards
the widows and orphans of those of our soldiers, sailors,
and marines who have been' killed, or may hereafter die
amidst the ravages or casualties of war. and also by their
gifts and subscriptions to contribute a por-
tion of these Means with which our na.
tion has been blessed, towards the succouring,
educating, and relieving those who, by the loss of their
husbands and parents in battle, or by death on active
service in the present war, are unable to maintain or sup-
port themselves." There can be no doubt that these pas-
sages apply only to those who became widows or orphans
by the igrs of their husbands or fathers in service during
the rpresent' Russian War, and did not contemplate those
women Who pifo4 of tear the termination of that war marry
soldiers or sailers who iiad been engaged therein. In
order, however, that the benetitS pf the ftmd might be ex-
tended as widely as possible, the powers entrnsted to the
commissioners have been interpreted liberally. Relief has
been granted to widows and orphans not only of men who
were married at the time of the war, and whose deaths
did not ,opeur until long after it had ceased, bu
also in some cases .to the widows and orphans
of men who did not ?parry 44til after the war had
endeo and, fOr several -years, the only condition requi-
site to establish a claim for an allowanae was that the
death of the imbgrid or father was connected with his
previous service pi the p. 4 the 18th of March, 1865,
however, after the lapse of nine yetirs, and after much
consideration, the committee cleinned it necessary to
establish a regulation as to the date of mar-
riage ; and a rule was made that no widow could be re-
cognised as a widow of the war unless married prior to
the tat pf January 1858, The regulation was approved of
by the fOrping commissioners, as reported in their Sixth
Report to ydur 11fatesty, But even now, though 13 years
have elapsed isiiabe- 'the' temlination of the Russian war,
allow 's are given to the' widoWs and orphans of men
Whos§'4e-athS'cq,ne traced to their service in that war, if
not ezwlude4 by th r*. as to the' date 'of Marriage. And
further, assistance `is tvye4 in the edhcation of, and in
providing outfits for, orphans of inky who have served in
that war, but who are, ;by tho existing rides, excluded
from the ordinary allowances.
Having received the present.condition, habilities, and
prospects of the fund, the commissioners add :—The
presea9Li;ependiture for allowances to widows and for the
maintenance and education of orphans, is in excess of the
income, and so for two or three years. Sup-
posing no further liabilities tlia4 those alrpady known are in-
curred, there would ultimately remain t iii ins of pabably
not less than £llO,OOO, nor more than £1.70,000. -1-*0
plica4o4 of this surplus towards the relief of orphans of
other wars r:4114 be reserved for consideration when the
necessary data Shall have been received. Meanwhile
the present financial condition of the fund renders it im-
.ol9' Orollans whose fathers
have
lost their lives in the ordinary service bf the Crown.

The clothes of a female, saturated with blood,
have been found by a passer-by in a wood near Sheffield.
It is feared that a murder h44been committed. The police
are investigating the matter,
M. Paul du Chaillu, the African explorer of gorilla
celebrity, is now in New York, and has been presented
with a Wye" medal at a meeting of the American Geo-
graphical 'Society. The medal was awarded by the
Imperial
,GeograsplAcal Society of Paris.
•