The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-03
QUEEN VICTORIA'S Cash
Her Wealth Far Below That Of
Many Of Her Subjects.
Much of Her Income Devoted TO
Charity-The Request Made to the
Sovereign by Aged Miser John
Camden NieId-Her Kindness to
Neglected Servants of Her Subjects

Although Queen Victoria died wealthy
woman she could scarcely be called a mil
| lioDaire Of the first class. Her income
from the British nation was set down at
| about s2.000.o00. but of this sum only
100000 was paid into her own hands to do
| with as she pleased. All the rest was
| specially appropriated by statute for spec
ihed purposes, and was disbursed by the
| lords OF the treasury. Compared with her
predecessors. Victoria was an inexpensive
sovereign. The, annual revenues enjoyed
/ Dy george /, amounted to about S. 900 O0o
which relatively to the wealth OF the En-
| pire at that time. was at least six times
as large as the annual income allotted to
Victoria. 1t is well known that the late
Queen was of frugal and saving dispo-
sition. but 1t is also well known that the
| calls upon her CHARITY were very nnmer-
Gus. and that she responded to many OF
, them, though not always as literally as
the applicants could wish.
There was no day in the year when some
appeal was not made to her generosity.
and It is evident that had she given an
average Of $1,000 to each applicant she
would have given away 1856, 900 a year in
excess of all that the nation allowed her
for her own private purse
1t is indeed. doubtful II the Queen could
be classed among the millionsires ct all
If her fortune had consisted exclusively
OF her savings from the annual allowance
made to her by the nation. The largest
portion of her wealth came to her by in
heritance and in a romantic way. On the
3Oth OF August. 1852, one of her subjects
named John Camden Nield died at the
age of seventy-two. He had inherited
from his father James Nield, who was for
some years sheriff of Buckinghamshire, a
considerable landed estate He became
an eccentric miser and made no use of
his property except to hoard its accu-
mutations. He scarcely allowed himself
the necessaries of life. He usually APP
peared in a blue coat with brass buttons
and he would not allow II to be brushed.
because that operation would tend. he
said. to wear out the nap. He was never
known to indulge in the luxury of an
overcoat. He was accustomed to accept
invitations from his tenants on his Buck
inghamsnire estate to pay them long Wis
its. because he thus saved board. Ii is
related Of him that, just before railway
travel began, he was returning to London
by coach from one of these visits when a
ments. All the passengers except Mr..
Nield entered the inn good-natured
member of the party, seeing him standing
outside looking pinched and poverty
stricken, sent him out glass of brandy
and water. which he eagerly accepted.
a few days before his death he told one
of his executors that he had made a pc
cuiiar will remarking at the same time
that he had right to do what he chose
with his own property. When the will was
opened it was found that, with the excep-
tion of very few small lega-
cies, he had left all ito Her
Most Gracious Majesty, Queen
Victoria, begging Her Majesty's most gra-
cious acceptance of the same for her sole
his poor old housekeeper who had served
him twentysix years. he left nothing and
to his executors only $500 apiece.
The Queen accepted the bequest. but
made generous provision for the house
keeper, gave $1,000 to each of the execu-
tors and erected monument to Nield's
memory. The estate proved to be OF the
value of about 2.500. Geo, and with its ac
emulation of thirty-four years past at
per cent, made her worth at the time of
her death from this source alone nearly
81. 400, 600 Her Majesty enjoyed, besides.
the annual revenues of the Duchy OF Lam
caster, which yielded her net yearly in
come OF about S2OO.OO9. TWO royal resi-
dences, Osborne House, in the Isle of
Wight, where she died. and Balmoral, in
Scotland, are also her private property
and the two together are valued at not
less than - SOC, coo. II is, therefore a
estimate that the Queens pri- >
vate fortune was not less than 81 000. 900.
and it may have been much more. As the
wills Of Kings and Queens are not recorded
IN the probate courts, the world will never
Know precisel- the amount of wealth she
leaves her descendants. but as her chill
iren, grandchildren and great-grandchil-
iren number about sixty, it is not proba-
BILE that the disposition of it will make
my of them inordinately rich.