Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1882-04-14
The Queens Income
Gentlsman,s Magirine. Londnn-

~ e~A-S 'ehAAN0 vi T-OOsCNO wear
The Prlyy Purse is the carrying out OF /
commendable generosity with which |
3 great nation treats its sovereign. |
Every want of the sovereign is already |
provided for. She has houses to live |
in. horses to ride, food and wine pro
vlded IN abundance, servants all paid,
s1S,O00 a year set aside for her dispen-
sauons IN charity, and small balance
of over $4,000 q year left for cantin-
gencies.
1t will not appear clear to the ordi-
nary mind what channels of expendi-
ture the Queen finds for this 100000
allotted for the Privy Purse, nor would
1t ID some circumstances be any bust
ness for the ordinary mind to trouble
itself with the problem. But the
question is thrust upon the public
by the repeated demand for fresh sup
plies on account of the Royal Family:
and, as Mr.. Fox, neither whose states
manship nor whose loyalty can be
called IN question, has put it, the CUES
ton Is, Is the Civil List inadequate to
the purposes of fully maintaining
and supporting the children Of the
Crown?"
We have seen that every possible
Want 70 the household is literally pro-
vlded for, with a trifing sum of $4,000
III supplement of 100000 for the Privv
Purse. But that by no means repre-
SCENTS the private income of the lady on
behalf of whose children a fresh de-
mand Is now made on the taxpayers.
On the accession of her majesty the
civil list was arranged on the basis de-
scrlbed. There was added as 4 sort Of
bonus the revenues of the Duchv of
Lancaster. This, of course. is an ma
tlonal estate, the property of the peo-
pie. But, with a generosity not here
or elsewhere, as far as | know. called
III question, It was bestowed on the
queen for her private use and benefit.
SINCE Its appropriation the revenues Of
the estate have more than doubled. |
have not at hand the figures Of 1887
but ten years later, in 1917. the net
revenues of the duchy were s2q. 900.
In 1878 they had reached to e6S geo:
and on the 3lst of December. 1880, the
last date on which the accounts were
published, the net receipts from this
were SIS, III, all of which goes TO the
queen for her private use. In addition
to these items, there is u capital sum
Of a quarter of y million which lust
thirty years ago person named Neild
bequeathed to the queen for her per-
Sonal use.
II from these data we attempt to
ascertain the means at the disposal of
Her Majesty for family object, We reach
this conclusion: Civil List 500 600
Duchy OF Lancaster, t1S,00O: interest
at e per cent. on the Nield heouest
II ,ooo. This gives 4 total of el45. 900 a
year, for the spending of which anxious
thought fails to discover any possibil-
lty on the part Of lady living in the
manner adopted by the Queen.
In endeavorlng to answer the cues
ton put by Mr.. Fox, | am careful to
eliminate anything in the form OF con
lecture. The three items from which
tins total of the Queens personal and
private income is derived are set forth
either as Parliamentary estimates or in
official documents. The $50 900 from
the Privy Purse is the most familiar
sum. Ministers of the Crown and
others, who from their point Of duty
very properly endeavor to minimize
facts, are accustomed to keep this figure
IN the forefront, as if it were the only
source OF private income of the Queen.
quote the figures Of the revenues of
the Duchy of Lancaster from the bal.
ance-sheet issued ON the authority of
the right honorable gentleman the
Chancellor of the Duchy. AS for the
Neild bequest, the will ofthat eccentric
legatee was proved in Doctors Com
mons by the Keeper Of Her Maiesty's
Privy Purse and other executors on
October "a, 1852, and the estate was
sworn under e250,000.
But it would be an insult to common
sense to suppose that these items COM
pose the full tale of the private income
of the Queen. 1t is clear that the
amount allotted by Parliament in 1887
60. liz .A>eN;.4L4.44..a-. aftl., ,s,,.l l,,,,,-.
hold cannot be spent in the circum-
stances otthe semi-retirement in which
1t pleases the sovereign to live. There
must needs be, year after wear. great
savings in the various departments. for
which, as we have seen. special provis-
ION i made, with the object of apnro-
prlating them TO other accounts. This
has been going on for twenty wears.
and within that period the accumulated
savings of the Privy Purse must have
reached enormous proportions.
1t would be idle to indulge in wild
guesses as to what the Queens income
may be when We add the interest ofac-
cumulate savings to the ordinary
sources Figures are supplied that in
dictate the true state of affairs and
anyone accustomed to the miracles of
compound interest may form his own
estimate. | am content 10 take nv
stand on the 9145,0O0 which Her
Majesty now receives over and above
az possible and conceivable charges for
household expenses, and submit that
with this IN view, we must answer Mr.,
Fox's question in the affirmative.
BY . happy coincidence, the sum
available for appropriation in this nat
ural manner would very nearly meet
the exigencies of the ease. The Prin-
ces Royal draws $4,000 a wear. the
Prince and Princess of Wales have he |
tween them $4,000; the Duke of Edin-
bugh, go, 600; the Duke of Connaught.
80, 0O0; Princess Helena, $4,000. Prin-
cess Louise, similar sum, and Prince
Leopold, f15,000. These make a total of
sl35 600 per year Leopold's els 600 an
additional 10000, which would bring
he total demand upon the head Of the
family to fl45, 000--a sum so near that
variable that there could be no diff
Guilty IN amlcably adjusting the
mail balance III family council. II
Will be seen that such an arrangement
could IN no measure incommode Her
Majesty. She would still have 1926. 600
year to spend, putting entirely out Of
Iccount any interest from accumulated
avings.
This Is, however, an off-hand arrange.
nent which it does not come within
probability to suppose would
e adopted, or even seriously discussed.
t would be sad that it is mona az orr
uslness, and that we have no moro
lght to interfere with the family ar
angements of Queen Victoria than
nth those Of our next-door neigbbor
ms ls quite true; but it is equally
rue, when the British TAXPAYER is
sked for fresh subsidy in relief of
lmlIy arrangements, that he has the
Melancholy right to look into the mat
n III the same way as he might exam
he any other proposed business trans
ction
Seine ScOIding. !,
ABOUT THE MISSOURI PesToFFIcE.
WASHINGTON, April 11.-There are '
ute rings in tho air about ,ba,r | J