The House of Commons was asked on Thursday to raise
the allowance of Prince Leopold to £25,000 a year, as he is about to marry a Princess of Waldeck-Pyrmont, who, if her photographs are not forgeries, will shortly be a prime favourite in English society. Mr. Labouchere led the resistance, arguing, under decorous forms, that the Queen might find the money herself, as she did not return to the Treasury sums saved out of the Civil List ; and was supported by Mr. Broadhurst, in a speech which meant that £25,000 a year was very much too much, in a country where the majority live on weekly wages. Mr. Healy, in a coarse speech, thought the Queen's pleasure in her child- ren's marriages was chiefly derived from the grants they got ; and Mr. Storey (Sunderland) wished to confine all public pay- ments to public services, and described Parliament as "a large
syndicate interested in expenditure." He contrived to be offensive to Royalty, without being truly democratic. Mr. Gladstone, in reply, after disposing of Mr. Labouchere's argu- ment that George III., who had £1,000,00Q a year of Civil List, maintained his own Children, denied that any savings of moment had been made upon the Civil List, and stated his own conviction that upon the subject of these grants there was "an honourable understanding" between Parliament and the Crown. The grant was voted, of course, by 387 to 42. The plain truth of the matter is that if the Throne is to look well, which is its main function, it must be properly gilt. Pewter will do to eat on, but will not do for show.
