THE WEALTH OF DIFFERENT CLASSES. 159 for crime and misdemeanors only by their peers, who give their verdict, not on oath, but on their honour. 3. Exemption from scandal by a law subjecting their defamers to an arbitrary fine and imprisonment. 4. A peer may sit in a court of justice uncovered. Besides many other privileges, secured by ages of legislation originating in themselves, screening their property from taxation, and their persons from insult, the customs of society established and controlled by their own influence, defend them and their families at all points, in an undisputed and unassailable pre-eminence. These privileges are watched and guarded with the most scrupulous conscientiousness from all invasions by commoners. The aristocracy are a world by themselves, so entirely confined to their own society as to be ignorant to a great extent of the character and power of those popular elements, which are gradually undermining their importance and influence. The consequence is, they are constantly surprised by the demonstrations of popular will and the encroachments of popular sway. Born legislators, they know not how to use this function for their own protection in these reforming days. Instead of anticipating the irresistible influence and unavoidable results of popular sway, they yield only as they are compelled, and are consequently menaced with being completely overthrown. The real and comparative wealth of the nobility is gradually declining, as well as their influence, a few overgrown estates excepted. It will appear, however, from the following table of the different classes of society in England, and their respective annual incomes, that the nobility have yet a substantial revenue in proportion to their numbers in the community. DESCRIPTION OF PERSONS. Total Number of Persons, in cluding their income of This table is only for England. The annual revenue of all classes in the United Kingdom, including what is paid by government to the army, navy, and civil functionaries, is stated at £316,000,000, or $1,516,800,000. The item under the head of royalty is the civil list, as settled by parliament on the accession of William IV. Of the £5,400,000, being the gross annual revenue of the nobility of England, £2,825,846, are the proceeds of taxes and lay impropriations of tithes; the residue is territorial revenue. A large fraction of this £5,400,000 is absorbed by a few of the most wealthy families. Many of the nobility are poor. Of the entire peerage, about 600 families, only 18 are engaged in commercial and other business pursuits. While this class lives on privilege, others in the community are rapidly acquiring wealth; and as wealth rises in influence, in the new order of things, the latter are gaining power in a proportionate degree. The Baronets of Great Britain are a sort of half-waybetween order of society. They are not noble, and yet are raised a degree above the commonalty. This, however, is conferred as the reward of distinction in the army and navy, in the learned professions, in science and the useful arts, in wealth and genius, and sundry other accidental modes, by which men force themselves into notice and favour at court. They are in number, as I suppose, at this time about 700. In 1832 they were 658, being somewhat in ex cess of the number of peers. There are also various orders of knights. The following list of the order of precedency of men and women, required to be observed at court and on other public occasions, may serve to gratify the curious, and show how they settle such matters in Great Britain by authority : A TABLE OF PRECEDENCY OF MEN. King's Nephews. Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Primate of all England. Lord High Chancellor, or Lord Lord High Treasurer. Lord President of the Privy Lord High Admiral. Vice-chamberlain, Secretary of State, being under Chancellor of the Exchequer. caster. Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench. Master of the Rolls. Vice-chancellor. Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. Lord Steward of his Majesty's Lord Chief Baron of the Exche Blood Royal. Marquesses' eldest Sons. Dukes' younger Sons. Viscounts according to their Pat- Knights Grand Crosses of the Wives of the eldest Sons of Dukes Wives of the eldest Sons of the Daughters of Marquesses. Daughters of Bannerets. Wives of the eldest Sons of Knights of the Bath. Wives of the younger Sons of Daughters of Knights of the Dukes. Wives of the eldest Sons of Earls. Daughters of Earls. Bath. Wives of the eldest Sons of Knights Bachelors. Daughters of Knights Bachelors. Wives of the younger Sons of Wives of the younger Sons of Viscounts. Wives Baronets. Daughters of Knights. of the Esquires of the Knights of the Bath. Wives of Esquires by Creation. Wives of Esquires by Office. Wives of the younger Sons of Knights of the Garter. Wives of the younger Sons of Wives of the younger Sons of Bannerets. Wives of the younger Sons of Wives of the younger Sons of Wives of Gentlemen. We might extend this list to special grants of precedency; but this is enough. So sacred is the order of precedency in society, as held in Great Britain, that it always requires to be settled by authority; and when determined, it is maintained with the greatest scrupulousness, each rank asserting and defending its own rights. This spirit descends from the higher ranks to the lower, and pervades the wide community, not excepting the menials “below stairs,” and the common grooms of the stable. CHAPEL ROYAL OF ST. JAMES. I ARRIVED at the palace at half past eleven A. M., half an hour before the service commenced. It was fixed at twelve o'clock, for the purpose, I believe, of having a supply of choristers and musicians from Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's, where service begins at ten o'clock. Certainly it is not to be presumed that the king is obliged to wait and be served last; but twelve o'clock in such a matter is a more courtly hour. I perceived that many strangers, like myself, were in the passages to the chapel at the same time. The two persons immediately before me in the door were turned back, because they had no tickets of admission. Perceiving by this encounter what was requisite, and not being myself furnished with a ticket, I took my own card, laid a shilling on the face of it, and whispered to the porter-"I am a foreigner." Whether he was influenced more by courtesy than by the silver key, I cannot say, but he took the money, and let me pass. N. B. It is unlawful in England to take money for admission to places of public worship when they are opened for divine service; so at least it was once decided by a London magistrate. And yet the Roman Catholics in London always exact money of strangers-a shilling, or one-and-sixpence, according to the part of the church that one wishes to go into. The authorities of a place of worship are liable to be fined for such offence, as I have understood, and very properly. Suppose I were to make suit before the Lord Mayor of London, or before the highest magisterial author |