The Portland daily press., 1881-12-09
How Rich Englishmen Spend
Money.
IN. Y. SUM-

IN. Y. SUM-
II rich people In England should see tt to
bring down their domestic expenditure to that
usual among families Of similar means here,
they would very soon be able not merely to re-
coup themselves for the losses of several bad
harvests, but to save vast sums Of money. In
our large eastern cities family men with any,
thing under S25, 900 a year spend more freely
than Englishmen with the same income; but,
as regards those with incomes over that amount
it is quite another matter. When Macaulay,
before proceeding to India, consulted Sydney
Smiths experienced brother, the famous
"Bobus" as to expenses at Calcutta, he was
told that he could not possibly be comfortable
under $1,000 year, and that he could not pos
sibly get through e50Oo This is, in a measure
true of the United States. 1t might be safely
asserted that in the whole of this country
there are not five persons, If as many, who
spend on their establishments 100000 A
careful estimate, made year or two ago by
persons eminently qualified to make it,brought
such expenditure up to $4,000. 1t included a
town house. yacht, villa at Newport and
country seat. t.rs
What runs away with incomes of from S5o,-
LO pZOO,uUO GuS 10 tNC h0OPAuS 0P
of country seats, hounds, hospitality aud game
preserves At Drumlanrig castle, for instance,
one of its owners 10 residences, there are so
miles of grass drive kept in order; at Gridge,
more than 40. Add to this acres Of garden and
grass and expenses of park-keepers and game
keepers, it is easy to see where the money goes
III there is hunting establishment on a liner
al scale, at least $4,000 year must be added.
Again, while the hospitality Of an a erage
well-to-do American favorably compares with
that of an Englishman of similar means, that OF
the broad-acred Englishman is immensely
greater than that of the American millionaire.
The latter gives some dinner parties and, per-
haps an annual ball, and keeps dozen ser
wants; the Englshman, on the other hand,
sits down to dinner for weeks at q time with
twenty guests staying with their servants In
his country house aud feeds from fifty to sixty
every day in his servants hall with as much
beef AID beer as they please to consume More
than this be at times euertalns whole schools
and parishes, besides giving away hundreds OF
pounds in the shape of beef and blankets at
Christmas. He subscribes, too, to every public
charity in the county; sometimes In TWO or
three counties
Merely to take a single example, there is
Lord Derby, with ten men servants In his
house. and about 40 more domestics feeding
daily at his table Supposing tomorrow oe
and his wife should agree to struggle along on
100000 year, he could save at least SSOO,-
600 wear; while, were the dukes Of Westmin-
ster, Devonshire and Bedford to do likewise,
their savings would be still greater Suppos-
ing Lord Derby to save at this rate for 81
years what an arch-millionaire he would be-
eemeI
Twenty years ago there died queer old
bachelor, Lord Digby, who owned Raleigh's
ill-fated home of Shorborne castle. He was
most liberal landlord, but did not care to spend
more than some S35 900 q year, and let his
money go on rolling up, investing 1t all In the
8 per cents. His income was not a fourth OF
Lord Derby's, but he left in the funds "a ,5OO,-
600. Asa rule q peer leaves comparatively
little behind him; 81 900 900 would be regard
ed an unusually large sum for man with
$4,000 year to have, and there is but one
case on record--of Lord Dysart, an eccentric
recluse-of peer leaving over $7,bOO,O0O per-
sonaly.
On very large properties the surplus income
is chiefly expended in very costly improve
ments Thus the Duke of Dev0nshire has
built Eastbourne and much Of Buxton. Tho
Duke OF Bucclech has expended thousands at
Grafton, and both have put large sums in the
enterprises connected with Barrow-in-Furne
About $40 900 900 of Lord Bute's has gone into
docks at Cardiff. The late Lord Westminster
built and rebuilt probably no less than 1000
houses in London, and Northumberland and
Sutherland reflect on all sides the enormous ex-
penditure OF the dukes oftheir time; while beau
tiful churches, commodious schools and hand
some homesteads soon inform the traveller in
Wiltfordshire and Bedferdshire that he is on
the broad domain of the Earl OF Pembroke or
the Duke of Bedford. Had the vast sums thus
spent been mainly put in bonds and mortgages
the present holders OF the lands might have
been richer men, but the country would have
been in many respects the loser, and 1t would
be widely different looking region from what
it is to-day.