The Empire County argus., 1856-07-05
What it Costs to Support Royalty.

There exists in Liverpool England, society of
merchants called the Financial Reform Association
who make it their business to watch the expenditures
for the realm of Great Britain and to note and ex-
pose extravaganza or corruption in the use of the
public revenues The Association has from time to
time published tracts, in which the lavish waste Of
money by government has been shown up, and re-
trenchmen and reform loudly called for The society
has recently issued pamphlet with the roncal title
of "The Royal Household, a Model to Parliament
and the Nation" in which the enormous expenses of
the royal family of England are set down for the
thoughtful to ponder From this tract it appears
that upon her accession to the throne the Queen had
the pleasure of giving her official sanction to an act
of Parliament settling 93S5,000 year (nearly 81
O00,000) upon herself for life This was el0000
more than was allowed her predecessor, William ".
At the same time, the allowance of the Queens
mother was increased from e220O0 to 10000 year.
Although the people grumbled at this extravaganza,
few members of Parliament dared lift their voices
against it. In the House of Lords, Lord Brougham
boldly opposed the grant as excessive. All who
spoke against the measure were roundly abused.
The statute which granted 9365,000 per annum
to the Queen, with 100000 per annum additional for
home secret service provided for the particular
application of the money as follows |. For her
Majesty's prvy purse, 100000; 2. for salaries for
her household, 9l3l ,260; g. expenses Of the house
hold j. e. what Paddy would call the best of ating
J
and special services Gl32OO 5. pensions to the ex-
tent OF Gl 200; 6. unappropriated moneys, eS O4O.
Although it stipulated in the act that the Queen
should surrender for her lifetime the hereditary rev.
enues which her immediate predecessors had been
possessed Of yet except the duties on beer ale and
cider, there was no REIMBURSEMENT of any of these
hereditary revenues, and she now draws from the civil
list of ireland and Scotland the Duchy of Lancaster
&C., the modest sum of e283000 in addition to the
sum of 9385,000 voted her by Parliament-makDg
an annual income Of e66S,000 Besides this the
Queen is heir to all persons without legal heirs who
die intestate in any part of her empire.
Another necessary expense for keeping up the
honor and dignity" of the crown, is the income
bestowed upon Prince Albert, the Queens husband
This was fixed by Parliament at 100000 yearly, and
Her Majesty has heaped lucrative appointments upon
him. which nearly double the amount And there is
the further sum of GllO0OO for certain dukes duch-
esses, &c.
The Queen also has the free use of various palaces,
which are kept in repair at the public expense. The
cost is by no means small, the appropriations for
1885, for palaces parks, gardens, &c. being e249,-
$685. Add this to the actual income of the Queen
and Prince Albert and they will be found to receive
as much as e997693 every year, simply for personal
and domestic expenditure and hoardings. Whenever
the Queen travels by land, the tolls at the urnpkes
are remitted and the Admiralty keep a steam yacht
and provide her table when she takes an excursion
upon the water.
In 1e42, Sir Robert Peel announced that Victoria
had "most graciously,, determined to submit her in
to the income tax" but there no record of
her ever having done so; and when the Secretary of
the Liverpool Association wrote to the Treasury De
partment making inquiries upon the subject the reply
was short and sharp-that they did not answer such
questions, and that snch information was to be OBJ
tanned only through Parliament. The sum which
the Queen would have had to pay during the recent
war would have been 100000.
We should think that such facts as these would
make the English people rather nervous, and that
they would soon be led to inquire whether they are
not paying little to dear for the royal whistle 1t
is said to be the last feather that breaks the cames
back There is rumor current in England that the
Queen is about to apply to Parliament for marriage
dowry of 100000 for the Princess Royal, young
miss of sixteen, who is said to be engaged to the
crown Prince of Prussia. Perhaps this application
if made may lead the public to count the cost o.
royalty.