Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-04-10
EVENING STAR
Queen Vies riuauctersux
[Nora Apf9e,on', LnlrnnI I


rom ApflecOs's journal
n prominent member 81 Par Rusut re-
go tiy announced I'm a speech that Quesn
N'ctoria's youngest daughter Princes tSeat-
rice was engaged 10 be msrried This .t.t.,-
N ent was subsequently contr4dictet nut g.
ali probability IL was premature rather than
queens policy TO marty her dauehf ers early
and IL Is unlikely that she intends tne
Youngest 70 be an exception 10 this rule l.
this case Parliament will pe of Y,ourse an
piled TO for a provision for the prIneess IN
TIE same scale as that given Co her older sis
tens, namely, teooo year. which will make
tie entire sum granted 10 the RIVAL family
exclusive Of the annual grant OF fSSs ooo 10
The queen herself fiss.0 per snnuu ms
viii be The last grant 10 the present eenera-
ton, but nine y ears hence the eldest son of
the prince OF Wales will be OF age, ard an al.
lowaDce Will, in the ordinary course OF
thIrgs, be required for him. even 10 there has
not previously been an application for a
further sum for his father; and meanwhile
none OF the existing pensions, with the ex-
ception ( that eco o. alo ted 10 the duchess
OF Cambridge. can he expected to expire
From this point OF view. then. the urd .ns
OF the British TAX payer are not likely 20 So.
any sba ement, hut. on the other hand, there
ISIS very satisfsc DRY s.t-on in the fact hat
unoer improved management The revenue
derived from the vast estates wnica the
crown surreI dered 20 the country FIR a IL ed
parl'smeniaiy grant has, oflste, augm- ted
to such desr that az, last year, ne srly
GOV. r, d ihr whole of this grant, ard sin
doubtless in time far exceed it. The came
may tie said i'm regard 10 the rev-i u : 81 lile
tWo royal duchies or Lancaster AM Cor
walt In 1855 tie queen receivet fram tha
f. rmer. as duchess OF Lancaster ard hci -eSs
of John OF Count, f96t0s I'm lisa t4i.oco.
rate ofan average Of some f..000 a \, a.. This
revenue Is entirely independent uf that
graz ted by the legislature, and 'nnpletaly
- her owI dispOsal. TIE duchy OF Cornwall
revenue has risen from f22GO0 fra IS2a ~
f72 eco. to-day. and increases at the rate OF
about GS0te year; but IL Il probable that
the inCrt ale Will ere long take a sudden leap
10 much larger sum, by the falling in of
leases. and that the income from THIS source
Will render future prince Of Wales indie
pendent of parliamentary grant.
Moreover, there is god reason 10 suppose
that the royal family OF England will, like
the house OF Orleans, be rendered very inde-
pendent OF large grants from the state iu
time To come 10y The immense property they
Will inherit from Queep Victoria, who must
be one OF the wealIhieSt persons In the world,
quite apart from her state-revenue. Not
only docs she own the valuable properties
of Osborne and Balmoral (the latter more
than 5000 acres), both fof which, although
not sources OF revenue, would sell for inn
mense sums but her accumulations OF money
must be prodigious. Like many persons
who have been bred under pecuniary diff
culties-and the very money which brought
her mother back 10 England 10 give Oirth To
her was bCrrowed-her maiesty's eXpendi-
ture has always been exceedingly careful
No establishment In the world has oeen con-
Quoted with more thorough economy than
hers, and since the death of the prince CON
Fort, and her consequent retirement. an inn
mense saving has been effected ia her eN-
pendlture. OF Der f3S5000 year IL was ar
ranged, at the beginning OF her reign. that
all except f96,0o0 should be divided between
the three great departments OF her house,
hold. Ofthe f96,O00 eco 900 a year was for
her "privy purse" or private expenses,
and tS6 900 year for contingencies. But
Tie retiring manner I'm which the court has
lived OF late has reduced the expenditure so
much that IL may he doubted iC this $50 600 a
year has been touched-indeed, whether even
great portion OF the sums allotted TO the
lord steward, lord chamberlain, and master
OF The horse, has never been used There is
Tor In stance, no need now for half the horses
formerly kept, and IL Is notorious that when
more are needed they are hired from livery
stables. But, besides all .hese sources OF
revenue, The queen has yet another very
considerable. An eccentric mtSer, by name
NELL, who died In lS52, LETT her property
amounting 10 over t50O,OOo. Here Is al least
t20,e0 year.
IL will thus be seen that, while her means
nave increased, her expenditure has greatly
diminished. In the way OF charity she
doubties diSpenses good deal, but is by no
means profuse, her subscriptions being, I'm
this respect, singularly in contrast with
those OF the late queen-dowager. For in
stance, she only subscribed loo on the occa-
sion OF the dreadful floods I'm England. last
year, while the duke and duchess OF Edin-
burgh gave a like amount. Her presents,
moreover, are apt TO be very little like what
might be expected 10 come from such
source. But, be IL remembered. almost her
nrst act on coming TO the throne was To pay
her fathers debts, and she has never n al a
debt herself. and row, probably, with pre-
scient eye, she is making provision which
VIII cause her careful economy 10 he % 'essed
by her sons subjects. For nothing Is more
likely 10 commend royalty TO them than the
finding IL cheap.