Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-03-01
OUR LONDON LETTER.
THE REPEATED OCCASIONS OF MOURN
ING IN THE ROYAL HOUSEHOLD.
Fatal Result from the Chase-Bnglish Land
Nonopoly-Alcohol-L Wolseley-
Guarding the Prince Of Wales.
InNnoN. February .. lSS4.


If there is one thing in which Queen
Victoria particularly excels, it is surely in
mourning for the dead. The world had an
example of this after the death of the
Prince Consort. Still later it had an
equally exubarant, though less creditable,
demons tration of it when John Brown
passed in his checks. Now fresh candi.
date for the royal lamentations appears
upon the scene or, rather, | should say,
makes his exit from the scene. The Mar
ouis of Hartford, recently deceased, had
been connected with the Royal household
for close upon thirty years. For long
time he was Groom in Waiting to Her
Majesty, post of great honor, and one
which necessarily brought him into very
intimate associations with his royal mis-
tress. The Queen, we are assured by the
Court journals, takes the death of the
Marquis deeply to heart, and, judging
from the past, her sorrow will not be
easily assuaged. Her Majesty's circum-
stances just now are peculiarly favorable
to the
INDULGENCE Of MORBID GRIEF,
For she is an invalid, and in one sense
prisoner, shut up in part by her maladies
of mind and body, and largely also by her
fears, consequent upon the prevailing Fe-
MAN scare. She could not appear much in
public if she would, and, thinking discre-
L. o1 ~ ~ ha
if she could. In her seclusion she natu-
rally broods over trouble, magnifying into
a great national calamity what is really
matter of concern to only a few families.
To these circumstances, and the peculiar
bent of mind occasioned by them, must be
attributed large share of the unfortunate
lady's excessive grief over her defunct
lacky, Brown, and no doubt, if the public
knew all, it would pity rather than CEN
sure.
FATALITY PRODUCED BY SPORTING.
Death, by the way, seems very busy
among the English aristocracy just now.
The decease of the Marquis OF Hartford
was preceded only few days before by
that of Earl Grosveuor, the con and heir
of the Duke of Westminster, and as |
write the Earl of Pembroke lies in pre-
carious condition, scarcely expected to hive.
By strange coincidence, too, all these re-
ceived their injuries while in pursuit of the
favorite E1ghsh sports OF hunting and
shooting. Hartford had his back broken
by falling from fractions horse Penn
broke fractured his collar-bone in the same
way, some lung complication ensuing and
Grosvenor took bronchitis from exposure
to dampness and cold. Another coinci-
dence in these cases is that the three peers
should all have been men of sterling merit
Your readers do not need to be told that
there are many black sheep amoog the
English aristocracy. But neither of these
was of that stripe. Tney belonged. rather,
to the class whose virtues constitute the
saving quality of the British peerage, and
who are noblemen by nature as well as by
accident of birth.
WILD SCHEMES OF HENRY GEORGE.
Speaking of the aristocracy reminds me
OF our fellow countrymap, Henry George,
and of his wild scheme for Matchmaking
the land. He is addressing large audiences
here, and is, hope, making good thing
out Of it. With all his foundations of
bloated bondholders, do not suppose for
a moment that Mr. George would object to
amassing little property, or would think
he was committing any sin If, at his death,
he left a few corner lots to his children.
Why should be 1t would be a pity, l
think, if man couldn't advocate theory
without applying it to himself, and I'm
sure don't know what would become of
all the lecturers and preachers we have II
people were SO unreasonable as to expect
them to furnish personal example of all
the strange things they call upon others to
do But this is diversion. Mr.. George
will never own as much real estate az some
of the members of the British peerage so
let him pitch in. Few will deny the need
for some wholesome measures of land re-
form in England.
ENGLISH LAND MONOPOLY.
We talk about monopolies. Think of
2S Dukes owning l5S separate estates, COM
prising nearly 4, 900, 900 acres The other
members of the peersge, 49, in number,
hold, l am assured, l, 435 separate estates,
comprehending about 10000. 900 acres.
The largest landed proprietor among the
peers is the Duke of Sutherland, who owns
more than ,000, 600 acres, his income
therefrom being something over 5000, 900 |
per annum. The Duke of Buccleuch owns
about 500 600 acres, and rakes in annually |
over 81 900, 900 in rent. The rent roll of
the Marquis of Butte amounts to about as
much, and altogether there are ten peers
who get over $500, 600 a year from land.
What makes this monopoly all the more
shameful is that in most cases neither the
present owners, nor their ancestors, ever
did anything to either earn or merit such
enormous possessions. This. however, is
but one feature of
THE PEERAGE NUISANCE,
Besides monopolizing the land, see how
they drain the public exchequer. There
has Just been published a detailed esti-
mate of the amount of public money paid
to Dukes, MaTquises and EArls and their
relatives since 1850 From it re gather
that, altogether, 26l families Of Dukes.
Marauises and Earls, embracing 1886 |
scions, and filling S DDS offices, have OBJ
tanned from the taxes in tairty.four years
the SUN of &c 247 242 pounds pound |
being equal 70 five dollars. Very much of |
this has been paid in pensions, and these
pensions are to 20 on forever. Thus, there /
is plenty of room for the Georges and the !
Bradlaughs, who are seeking TO arouse
A. ,,oo,,1a 20 tbe ;pirstire Of thase thinus