The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1874-08-01
Our Olio.
Wealth of the British Aristocracy.

Woaltu VI Inc oftblbn ATlsLOcTdcy.
The enormous wealth Of the very f.
may be Judged by certain examples al
facts, which are here given on credible t.
timony. There are thirty thousand gre
English landowners, who together deri
a land revenue Of some sixty millions
pounds sterling. There are considerab
more than million peasants, who ha
hitherto been totally dependent for ba
existence on the lords Of the soil. On
quarter Of Scotland is owned by eight n
blemen, of whom the chief are the Duk
of Hamilton, Buccleuch, and Sutherlan
the Marquis Of Butte, and the Earl
Breadalbane. The English county of Es
Sussex, embracing more than eight hu
dred square miles, is almost exclusive
the property Of the Duke of Richmor
and the Baron of Leconfeld. So exte
sivo is the property of the young Marqu
of Butte, whose income is fully three hui
dred thousand pounds a year, that MOI Ion
ago his agent spent nearly two millias i
repairing and altering his magnifcet ma
nor and estate of Crichton Mount Saart
the marquis's residence near Cardiff. NJ.
Bright once instanced the case Of Ible-
man with an income of one hundrednd
twenty thousand pounds, who annlly
spent forty thousand, and laid dowahe
remaining eighty thousand in "roundg"
his property, by buying up every parfof
ground contiguous to his estate whichs
could induce the owners to sell. ThiSai
one example of the pregnant fact thasih'
's"s a.'-s ,S..s b~.., 20 t-aeass of concenka
sion ia .ha hands of fewer and isa-- @pos
SCISSORS, thus ever widening the q By
tween rich and poor. This tendef has
been encouraged and protected by { still
enforced laws of primogeniture anintail.
To be sure, the law of primogenitd as it
now stands, only operates in the q Of a
proprietor dying intestatc /; and very
few large landowners do die ilstate.
Nine out Of ten, however, do as 4 leave
the bulk Of their real estate by vito the
eldest son, to maintain the digrg and
prestige of the family. The law entail
is far more serious in its results, tying
up land and perpetuating vast andncient
estates beyond peradventure. Silly sta
ted, the present English law of elil en-.
ables the owner Of landed prorty to
devise it for the term Of life diving
and for twenty-one years after; a this
entail can only be cut off by theoncur.
rent consent Of two parties-the kisting
occupant and the heir. If, thereto, Lord
Hardhunter has son two years d, and
that son lives to be eighty, Lord Iridium
ter may, by an entail, easily cut 4 estate
absolutely off from the market foh hun
dred years. In various ways II otter
works other injustices than that ofhstrict
ing land in so small and overcyded :
country. The present Duke Of Ntcastlc
having run through his fortuneand |
greater part Of that Of his ducheS wen
into bankruptcy loaded down witIdebts
one alone of which amounted tolight,
thousand pounds. But the creditorsoul,
not touch his entailed estates, aud 5, thi
noble bankrupt still finds himself in pos
session Of one of the most enviable tov
critics in the kingdom.
Among other immense properties 9th
few rich may be mentioned that ofth
Duke of Westminster, who owns, besds
Belgrave and Eaton squares, aud lay
part of the fashionable quarter of Wdt
minister, the magnificent manor Of Eas
Hall, near Chester, Halkin House, in Fit
shire, and Motcombe House, in Dorsl
shire, each surrounded by thousands .
arabic, but to some extent at least, una
tivated acres. The Duke Of Bedford ON
the extensive group of squares in that dr
tral part Of London called "BloomburI;
also Covent Garden Theatre and Gown
Garden Market, many streets leading fpr
the Strand on either side, aud blocks q
houses at the West End, and one Of b
most splendid Of English rural estates !
Woburn Abbey. The Earl Of Derby ma
be said to own almost square miles Of blql
in Liverpool, and Knowsley, his ancesrI
country seat, is larger than most New Es
land townships. Tho Duke Of satherlin
is said to be able to ride by rail from SAT
rise to sundown on his Scottish estates, an
has FIVE noble castles-Dunrobin, House {
Tongue, Trentham, Lilleshall and Ciiflel
The Duke Of Dcvonshire is the lordof D
less than eight castles, all Of whih al
rural palaces ct for royalty, amongt thcl
peerless Chatsworth and the only lss 81
perb Hardwicke Hall. In London le HI
a residence on Piccadilly, where lanl ca
be worth scarcely less than ten pounds
square foot, which is surrounded b, ga
dens, and occupies broad square. tt
eccentric Earl Of Dudley, Earl Brovnlo'
the illiterate Duke Of Portland, Bar
Portman, the Duke Of Northumbalau
the Earl Of Abcrgavenny, The Marquis