Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-04-21
From Appleton's Journal
Queen VAess FinancIerIng.

/ Queen VAess FfnancIeRIng.
A prominent member of ofParliament
recently announced in a speech that
Queen Victoria's youngest daughter,
Princess Beatrice, was engaged to
be married. This statement was
subsequently contradicted, but in all
probability it was premature rather
than erroneous. 1t has been a fea-
ture in the Queens policy to marry
her daughters early, and it is Un-
likely she intends the Youngest to be
an exception to this rule. In this
case Parliament will be, of course,
applied TO for a provision for the
Princess on the same scale as that
given to her older sisters, namely,
96, 900 year, which viii make the
entire sum granted to the royal fam
lily, exclusive of the annual grant of
9Ss5, 900 to the Queen herself, 9148,-
600 per annum. This will be the
last grant to the present generation,
but nine years hence the eldest son
of the Prince of Wales viii be OF age,
and an allowance will, in the ordin-
airy course of things, be required for
him, even if there has not previous
" been an application for a further
sum for his father; and meanwhile
none of the existing pensions, with
the exception Of that 10000 to
| the Dutchess of Cambridge, can be
expected to expire.
From this point of view, then, the
burdens of the British taxpayer are
not likely to see any abatement; bat,
on the other hand, there is a very
satisfactory set-of in the fact that
under improved management the
revenue derived from the vast estates
which the crown surrendered 10 the
country for a fixed Parliamentary
grant has, of late augmented to such
. degree that it, last year, nearly
| covered the whole of this grant, and
will doubtless in time far exceed it.
The same may be said of the reve-
nues of the two royal Duchies
of Lancaster and Cornwall. In
1865 the Queen received from the
former, as Duches of Lancaster
and heIress of John of Gannt, 926,-
600; in 1874, f4I, 900. The increase
has for years continued at the rate
Of some R3. 900 a year. This reYe-
nue. is entirely independent Of that
granted by the Legislature, and
completely at her own disposal. The
Duchy of Cornwall revenue has
risen from f22, 900 in 1924 to 972, :
900 to-day, and increases at the rate
of about $4,000 a year; but it is
probable that the increase will ere
long take sudden leap TO a much
larger sum, by the falling in of leas-
es, and that the income from this
source will render a future Prince of
Wales independent of a Parliamen-
tary grant.
Moreover, there is good reason to
suppose that the royal family Of
England will, like the house of Or
leans, be rendered very independent
of large grants from the State in
time to come by the immense prop
erty they viii inherit from Queen
Victoria, who must be one of the
wealthiest persons in. the world,
/ quite apart from her State revenue.
/ Not only does she own the valuable
properties of 0rsborne and Balmo-
raj (the latter more than $4,000
acres, both of which, although not
sources of revenue, would sell for
immense sums, but her accumnla-
tions of money must be prodigious.
Like many persons who have been
bred under pecumary dificulties-
the very money which brought her
mother back to England to give
birth to her was borrowed-Her
majesty's expenditure has always
been exceedingly careful. No estab-
lishment IN the world has been con-
Quoted with more thorough economy
than hers, and since the death of
Prince Consort and her consequent
retirement, an immense saving has
been effected in her expenditures. Of
her &3s5, 900 a year, it was arranged
at the beginning of her reign that all
except E9s, 900 should be divided be-
tween the three great divisions of
her household. 100000 a year
was for cher privy purse" OF
private expenses, and eS6,00O a
year for Contingencies" But the
retiring manner in which the court
has lived of-late has reduced the ex.
penditures so much that 1t may
be doubted if this ss6,OoO has
been touched--indeed whether a
great portion of the sums allotted
to the Lord Steward, Lord Chamber
lain, and Master of the Horse has eV-
| er been used. There is, for instance,
no need now for half the horses
formerly kept, and it is notorious
that when more are needed they are
hired from livery stables. But be-
aides all these sources of revenue,
the queen has yet another very con-
siderable. An excentric miser, by
name, Neill, who died in 1852, left
her property amounting to over
G5OO,OO0 Here is at least G20,o0C
year.
It will thus be seen that while hel
means have increased, her expendi
ture has greatly diminished. In th'
way of charity she doubtless dispens
es a good deal, but it is by no means
profHse, her subscriptions in thu
respect, being singularly in contrast
with those Of the late Queen-dowa
ger. For instance, she only SUB
? scribed sI0o on the occasion OF th'
dreadful foods in England last year
while the Duke and Duchess OF Ed
! inburgh gave a like amount. Hel
! presents, moreover, are apt TO D
, very little like what might be ex
a nected 70 come from such q source