New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-05-10
THE EXPENSES or QUEENDOM

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Several years ago, q body Of merchants residing in
the town of Liverpool, lin England, organized FL
nancal Reform Association, with the ayowed purpose
of examining into and fully exposing all cases where the
public revenue of England appeared to be y mace
ducks and brakes Of by neglect wlul OF careless by
exravagarce, 10y waite or by corrupt appropriation
Tlis Liverpool Association have published various FL
pancal Reform Tracts from time to time, plan.spoken
documents, which showed the waste and mismanage-
ment oftbe public money, under succession OF Admin
istratoDs who camOrd for economy and retrenchment,
whleou ofofce but have been visited when 10 power,
with sudden but adamantine convictions that, II there
ueye abuses it would be troublesome 10 reform or re-
move them, and that after all, they were good, old
family abuses and therefore to be respected accord
ingly.
The Liverpool AZ sOciation issued bakers dozen OF
their Reform Tracts three years ago, and then ap-
pearod to pause from their labors. The other day
they come out with a new tract, lthe fourteenth
called The Royal Household, Model to Parlia-
" ment and the Nation This is very deceptive
title for the Tract does not indicate that Queen VIC
toria's Household in any respect IS model to the
nation, even to families, but that 1t should be So
Let US mention few particulars respecting 1t. They
will probably astound some of our supplemented re-
publcals who are at present ignorant of the heredt
AIRY English method Of supporting the divinity
which Shakespeare afiirms, " doth hedge King"
In June, 1897, at the age Of ls, Victoria of En-
gland succeeded to the crown the death of her
uncle, William ". Soon after, as is the custom at
the commencement of reign the existing Par.
lament was dissolved, general election took place,
end the new Legislature, among other important
business, had to settle the question of the Civil List
- 70 andy no he nj of the
nual allowance or pension to be paid to Her Most
Gracious Majesty Accordingly two days before
the Christmas of 1887 the Queen had the pleasure of
giving her official assent to an Act of Parliament
settling f3s5, 900 year Tor nearly 1000 OO0l upon
herself for life. This allowance, which was 10000
more than had been paid to her uncles, Gentleman
George" and " Sailor Billy" was voted as " ade.
"quate provision for the support OF the honor and
"dignity of the Crown
At that time though the masses grumbled at such
disposition of their money, few members Of either
House of Parliament ventured to speak of the Civil
List too great. At the time, by the way the
public allowance to the Queens mother, excellent
and highly-rouged old lady, increased itom
zee 900 to $50, 900 year. When the Civil List
dscussed in the Commons neither Hume nor Sib.
thorpe raised his voice against It. White Harvey,
il is true suggested that before voting away much
money, it would be well to inquire how it to
be spent; but he was chOked off with the prom
ise Of Committee being appointed to nvesti'
gate into the abuses Of the pension list-a
Committee duly organized to do nothing! In
the House of Lords, there was speech Tone Of his
besi) by BrOugham, boldly declaring that the pro-
posed grant too large, that check should be put
on its expenditure and that should not be voted for
life. Nevertheless the grant was made, as proposed
by the Queens Ministers; Harvey being abused, most
unanimously, as an ll-condtoned Radical, and
Brougbam being set down as anything but "loyal,
Glowing, and dutful" subject to Her Majesty.
The statute which granted t3s5,OOO per annum to
the Queen, with 900 per annum additional for
"home secret service provided for the particular
application of the money as follows: l. For her
MsJestys priyy purse, 100000. 2. For salaries for
her household, fl3l 260. g. Expenses of the house
hold, Ii. e., what Paddy would call " the best of
atirg and drinking,) .f172, 500. 4. Royal bounty,
aims and special services fl3 2Oo s. Pensions to the
extent of Il 200. 6. Unapproprated moneys, ts,o4o
When this Civil List was thus settled, there was
sort of understanding indeed it was specially put INTO
the statute that the Queen would surrender tor her
lifetime the hereditary revenues which her immediate
predecessors had been possessed of-in word that
the f3e5,ooo year should be her entire income TN
the contrary, except that the hereditary duties on
beer, ale and cider were surrendered by the
Queen, and now figure among the excise as
sets there was no REIMBURSEMENT Of any one
shilling Of hereditary revenue heretofore re-
receivable by the Sovereign. What is called " The
Civil List of Ireland and of Scotland add f1l5,Ooo
per annum to the f3s5 900 in questionable Duchy of
Lancaster also yields fl2 900 per annum net addition
to the Queens income, there is f3s 900 extra, every
year. from the Duchy of Cornwall (which ought to be-
but is not, kept for the future use OF the
Prince of Wales, to whom ii belongs) and there
are also large annual accessories OF revenue IRON
the Counties Palatine Of Chester and Durham, the
amounts of which can only be Appropriated by srik-
ing an average On the whole, however, independent
of the waits which occasionally fall into the Queen lap
from other sources, for instance, she IL her TO all
persors without legal heirs who die intestate in any
part of her Empire,) Queen Victora's annual income
is fses. OoO or nearly double what even George Nv.
uxuriated upon.
As we may have early opportunity of showing, it
is customary with royalty in England to have large
allowance made, TO support its honor and dignity
and have the amount nearly duplicated from other
sources than those provided by what is called "the
liberaty Of Parliament" Prince Albert, a in
point was provided for with yearly life allowance of
$50 600, as the Queens husband, and her Majesty
has heaped lucrative appointments upon him, which
more than double his income. |
The Parliamentary allowance to the Queen, large es
Of m sha