Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1885-02-04
THE COST OF ROYALTY.
Increase OF the Various Euro
pean Royal Families.
A Total Expenditure of Nearly sixty-fve
Million Dollars a Year on Royalty

In these practical days when people
are in the habit of counting the cost
of everything, it is not surprising that
even the cost of royalty in Europe is
beginning to attract attention, and is
being talked about by the subjects of
the many monarchs there with free
dom that once would not have been
tolerated, This is particularly the case
in England, where Ministers are grow.
ing more and more reluctant to face
Parliament with resolutions for in
creasing the royal expenditures. The
royal families of Europe cost the peo-
pie close upon &6j,00O,OOO year in
direct cXrCn liture for their mainte.
nance; but no man can calculate what
they cost indirectly, in the shape of
increased naval and military eXpendi
ture to say nothing Of occasional wars
brought about by the ambition of
kings.
Germany stands at the head of all
European nations in the matter of
royal expenditure. That empire, with
apopulation Of not more than 10000
600, has to support % royal, princely,
and ducal families, and the direct cost
OF their maintenance is $l6,5OO,OOO.
In Prussia and several other of the
German States the reigning family,
besides its public income, possesses
very large private estates, and indeed,
in some Of the States the princes are
the chief landowners. In Mecklen-
berg-Strelit2, for instance, which is
nearly as large rs the State Of Rhode
Island, the reigning family owns
three-lirths of the land, and the Grand
Duke governs without the aid of any
representative institutions whatever.
This perhaps accounts for the fact that
the population of this modern princi-
pality is decreasing,
Turkey comes next to Germany in
its royal expenditures, the total amount
absorbed by the Sultan and his family
being about SIG, 100000. The imperial
family of Russia costs that country
Sl2,2j0,o)o, the greater part Of which
comes in the shape of rents from the
crown domains, which consist of more
than million square miles of land,
besides gold and silver mines, The
Austrian imperial family is tolerably
well off, having revenue of $780,
0OO, all of which comes directly from
the public revenue of the country. The
British royal family comes next, with
cost to the country of $i,500000.
This sum includes the revenue derived
from the Duchics of Lancaster and
Cornwall, which amounts to about
S5jOQ0O yearly. The sum expended
on account Of the British royal family
will soon be increased by 100000 a
year in the marriage OF the Princess
Beatrice, and it is expected that there
will shortly be call for an income for
the Oldest son Of the Prince of
Wales. These constant calls on the
British taxpayer are not responded to
very cheerfully. John Bull grumbles
but still he pays. These royal person.
ages, who neither toll nor spin, and
have no cares like ordinary mortals,
live long-as the taxpayer knows to
his cost. The old Duchess of Cam
bridge, now IS years Of age, continues
to draw from the British treasury $780,
600 year, besides enjoying the royal
palaces of st. James aad Kew as her
residences. Her son, the Queens cou-
sin, receives about $1,000 year
from the same source to compensate
him for the loss Of the throne, which
would have been his had the Queen
died without an heir or had never
been born.
Italy pays her royal family $500.
00Oa year, which is a very large sum
in proportion to the means of the
country, while Spain disburses on the
same account 100000. This ends
the list Of European monarches of
large population. But the minor mon.
arches also pay their royal families
very large sums. Belgium, with about
as large population as the State Of
New York, pays $6j0,O0O a year to
her King, and Portugal, with three
quarters or a million less population,
pays $63j,00o, Monarchy costs Swe-
den and Norway, SjS7.50O annually;
Denmark, $4,000; Holland, $3l5,OOO
Roumania, $4,000, and Greece, $2lO,-
GOO. But $4,000 of this last sum is
paid by England, France and Russia
Republican France gives her President
$lS0,00O, two-thrds of which is in the
form of salary and one-thrd for house.
hold expenses.
The Swiss Republic pays its Presi.
dent $1,000 year, which is probably
the smallest sum that the head of any
civilized nation in the world receives.
All the expenditures of Switzerland
are on correspondingly low scale.
With population approaching 3,000,-
coo, the entire expenditure of the
Confederation does not reach $l0,0O0,-
900 annually,-Netc York san.
The Lawyer ana the Judge.
1t is told of William OBrien, the
eminent criminal LAWYER inst deceased