The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1879-01-26
AN ENGLISH REGENCY.
THE INCOME OF HER MAJESTY AND WHAT
SHE DOES WITH 1T.
PhllAdelphia Press.

| fhuAoeiphla Hress.
| There is a rumor, derived from the no
| always correct 'exclusive information" o
| the London correspondence of sn En- glist
provincial journal. to the effect that . aeer
! Victoria, fStgued by the toll of nomlnall J
| governing England and its dependencies
| and much sorrowing at present over the
| death of her daughter Alice, has resolyed
to "relinQuish the reips of power in favor oi
the prince of Wales as prince regent"
There are many and good reasons for
not believing this statement. Under the
British constitution, the sovereign, if in
sound health of mind and body, who de-
sires to cast eff the trappiDgs of royalty
and the trammes Cf state, could scarcel y
appoint regent, not even the next heir TO
the throne, to act in her stead. 1t must be
abdication or nothing. The other day,
while suffering from the effects of the Com
munistc attempt to assassinate him, the
German emperor made the crown prince
regent pro tenn, but, as We have seen,
withdrew the delegated duty of governing
on restoration to health. But here is Vic
toria, at the age of sixty, in the flush of
rude health, aud likely to live as lopg as
her grandfather. George ILL.,, who died at
the ripe age of 50 the average life of each
of the G uelph sovereigua, from IVA to 1887,
being ~. If her majes did appoint de
y time to enable her to resume her reign.
it is possible that the prince regent would
raise difficulty, and even that the people,
be being extremely popular with them,
might espouse his cause.
There is yet diff culty sttll more pro
bable and pressing. Victoria has aD in
come of f470, 600 year as q Ieen, $685.
600 for her civil list, and ELS 900 from the
Ducby of lancashire, part of the crown
lands which che retains contrary to her
promises to surrender all of them to tue
state, whose salaried official che is. In the
event of regency, how much OF this would
she surrender to the prince of Walesf Her
majesty is believed to be fond of receiving
and cnmulating money and property,
and it would go hard with her no doubt to
hand portion-ssy half, or even one third
of her immense income to a regent. The
prince of Wales has precisely fl00, 900 a
year-f60.000 from tue Duchy of Corn
wall, and FAC, 900 from a parliamentary
grant. But during several years, while
ment, nursing her grief for her husbands
death, she left many of the duties of her
as holding. levees and drawing
rooms, giving concerts. balls and bauquets,
and 30 Onto be performed by the prince
of Wales aud his wife; thereby, it has
been affirmed and is universally believed,
involving them in expenses which put them
E600, 900 in debt. If the prince was ex-
pected to repeat THE it may be doubted
whether he would consent to become re-
gent. When Victoria was granted the inn
mense income she has enjoyed for nearly
forty years as queen, the i'm piled condition |
was not that half of it should be put by, |
year after year, but that it should be ex
pended, among her Glowing and loyal sub
jects," to maintain the dignity and splen
dor of the crown, which has not been done. |
Inasmuch as . oeen Victoria is very un
likely to divide her salary with her heir
apparent on his becoming regent, it may be
taken for granted that there is not the
slightest intention of placing him in such
an unpleasant situation. English history
during the last four centuries, gives the
names of only four regents. In 1868, the
duke of Gloucester (afterward Richard
Ill., was regent in conse uence of tie
youth of Edward ", his nephew, murdered
IN the tower, apd-from February, 1872, to
January, 1920, George, prince of Wales,
was regent, with full regal power during the
last melancholy years of his father, George
Ill, in which insanity and blindness ren-
dered him incapable of governing. A re
gepcy in Victoria's reign is most improba
bic.