26 JULY 1873, Page 2

Mr. Gladstone on Monday introduced a Bill enabling the Queen

to bequeath real property to the Prince of Wales in such a way that he could alienate it at will. He can always do this with personalty bequeathed to him, but some lawyers think that land bequeathed to the Heir of the Crown becomes State property and inalienable. Mr. Gladstone made a good speech, during which he denied for the second time in a rather exaggerated way the reports of the Queen's wealth. Mr. Anderson resisted the Bill because Sovereigns' wills were kept secret; and so did Mr. Bouverie, who repeated the old Whig opinions about what a Sovereign could do with large means ; and Sir C. Dilke, who said that he would support a Bill enabling the Queen to devise Balmoral and Osborne as she liked, but not a Bill which allowed an indefinite accumulation of property. That last matter can be settled at every vacancy of the Throne, and it is hard that the true and generous intention of the Queen should not be perceived. We have before us a popular paper giving a most dangerous interpre- tation of a measure the intention of which is obviously this,—to enable the Queen, without selling estates to which she is attached by the habits of a lifetime, to relieve her son, should he by possibility have contracted debts, from the necessity of appeal- ing to Parliament about them. That is perfectly fair, and our labouring friends ought to be ashamed of themselves.