Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-07-04
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Queen Victoria either Is or ought to be
very wealthy woman. Her income was at
the beginning of her reign fixed at 1885,
900 year. This sum, II was understood
would, with the exception of sos, 900 a year,
be divided between the lord steward, the
lord chamberlain and the master of the
horse, the three great functionaries of the
royal household. OF the residue, 600, 900
were to be paid over to the queen for her
personal expenses, and the remaining Esq.,
600 were for contingencies" 1t Is proba-
BILE, however, that the above arrangements
have been much modified, as time has
worked changes. During the happy days
of the queens married life the expenditure
of the court was very much greater than 1t
has been since the princes death. Empe-
rors and kings were entertained with the
utmost splendor at Windsor. During the
emperor of Russas visit, for instance, and
that of Louis Philippe, one or Two hum
bred extra mouths were in one way or an
other fed at her majesty's expense. The
stables, too, were formerly filled with hors-
es-and very fine ones they were-whereas
now the number is greatly reduced, and
many of tn se in the royal news are lob
bed"-i. e., hired by the week or month, as
occasion requires, from livery stables. This
poverty of the master of the horses depart
ment excited much angry comment on the
occasion of the Princess Alexandria's state
entry into London. But besides the previ-
aforementioned 100000 a year, and what
residue may be unspent from the rest of
the "civil list" as the g3S5, 900 is called,
Queen Victoria has two other sources of
considerable income. She Is in her own
right the duchess of Lancaster. Her reve-
nue. from this source has been steadily in
creasng. Thus in 1865 It was COG, 900; in
1867, G29, 900; in 1862 G3l, 900 in 1872, e4O,-
600. The largest of these receipts does not
probably represent fth of the receipts of
John of Guant, but the duchy of Lancas-
ter, like that of Cornwall, suffered for a
long time from the fraud and rapacity Of
those who were supposed TO be its custodi-
ans. Managed as 1t now is, 1t will proba-
bly, have doubled its present revenue be-
fore the close of the century. The other
source is still more strictly personal in
come. On the 30th of August, 1852, there
died gentleman, aged r. of the name of
John Camden Neild. He was son of
James Neild, who acquired large fortune
as gold and slversmth. He received ev-
cry advantage in the way of education,
graduated NJ. A. at Trinity college, Cam
bridge, and was subsequently called to the
bar. He proved the very reverse, howev-
err, of his benevolent father He was a mi
ser born, aud hid all his talents in a nap
kin, making no use of his wealth beyond
allowing ii TO accumulate. From the date
of the death of his father, who left him
e250, 600 besides real estate, he had spent
but small portion of his income, and al
lowed himself scarcely the necessaries of
life. He usually dressed in a blue coat
with metal buttons. This he did not allow
to be brushed, inasmuch as that process
would have worn the nap. He was never
known 10 wear an oyercOat. lie gladly ac-
cepted invitations from his tenantry, and
would remain ON l. ne visits, because he
thus saved board. A few days before his
death he told one of his executors that he
had male a most singular will, but that he
had right TO do what he liked with his
own. When the document was opened, /.
was found that, with the exception of a
few small leeacies, he bad left all ''to Her
Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria,
be aging Her Majesty's most gracious ac-
ceptance of the same, for he. sole use and
benefit, and that Of her heirs" Probably
vanity dictated this bequest. To poor
honsek eeper. who had served him twenty
six years, he left nothing, TO each of his
executors, Zoo. But the queen made a
handsome provision for the former, and
presented $1,000 to each of the latter; and
she further raised a memorial to the mi
ser's memory. The property bequeathed 10
her amounted to upward of $500, 900; so
that supposng her majesty TO have spent
every penny of her public and duchy OF
Lancaster incomes, and to have only laid
by this legacy aud the interest on it, she
would from this source alone now he worth
at least 9l, 600, coo. Be this as ii NAY, even
that portion of the public which survives
her will probably never know the amount
of her wealth, for the wills of kings and
queens are not proved; so that there will
be no enlightenment on this head in the
pages of the illustrated London News.