ANATOMY OF THE PEERAGE.

PART SECOND—THE POUNDS, SHILLINGS, AND PENCE.

" Honours . . . , the cheap defence of nations."

EDMUND Beass.

THE following Tables show the offices that have accumulated in the hands of the various members of the Upper House and their relations. They are not framed to support a theory, but to exhibit a fact. The Peers fill, almost to the exclusion of the rest of the

community, all those places which require of their occupants small exertion of body or mind,—sinecures, and places approaching to sinecure under Government—the Army plentifully—the Navy rather more sparingly—the Church universally. The grand interest of the Peers is to multiply appointments at home and abroad, and to pay them high ; to keep up a large military force ; to foster an expensive Church. By these things they live. Wherever atten- tion and labour are requisite—wherever influence is shut out— there Lords are not found. The Courts fill the House, but there is little reciprocity of kindness: Law Lords make the most of law sinecures, but the Bar among its sons has few honourable or right honourable. The Artillery, where seniority is the rule of promotion, has hardly any ; the Marines, where a similar rule ob- tains, not one noble member. The Exchange knows nothing of the Peerage,—not because Lords despise small gains, but because merchants' gains must be worked for.

The good things of the Constitution are mostly in the hands of Tories, but the Whigs are not wholly without their share. Their merit in supporting Reform is the greater, that they are called on to make substantial sacrifices for its sake. In the distribution of offices, the Irish seem to affect the Church ; the Scotch the Navy

and Army ; the English take indifferently to any department of the state that promises good entertainment. The Roman Catholic Peers are the only body that stand clear from all contaminating influences ; and, as a proof of tlie value of such political abstinence, they are, with a solitary exception, friendly to Reform.

It cannot be too strongly borne in mind, that this part of the Anatomy must be received as an illustrative specimen only. The various family ramifications—the collateral branches, especially by the female side—and the numerous connexions by marriage— would require the work of years to develop, and would occupy a volume.

This holds especially in regard to the influences, whether direct or indirect, whether pecuniary or honorary. The only authorities with any pretensions to accuracy are the Parliamentary Returns.

These, however, merely relate to offices held immediately from Government. They are sometimes (of necessity) incorrect and

defective ; they are in, a national point of view shamefully incom- plete. The vast patronage of the East India Company, the enor- mous revenues of the Church, the innumerable snuggeries in Cor- porations, the valuable appointments in the gift of the Magistrates

(who are nominated by the Lords Lieutenant of Counties), and the very many jobs the Magistracy can create, or the lucrative

businesses it can appoint to, are all unknown, or known only by conjecture or report. To this enumeration should be added the patronage connected with Colonial appointments, and the various jobs in a small way which enable every Government official of any standing. to provide for or to serve a friend or dependent.

It may be said that these offices must be held by somebody. But the necessity of the existence of many, and the rate of remunera-

tion in all, are open questions, as is the aptitude of those who fill

them under the present 'system. Waiving this, however, the jus- tice of an impartial distribution is undeniable. Why should four hundred individuals, with their connexions and dependents, enjoy a monopoly of the good things for which the twenty millions are called upon to tray?

The following summary, drawn from our own List, imperfect as it must be from omission, gives us an idea of the number of Mili- tary, Naval, and Clerical appointments held by Peers or their con-

nexions. The individual instances will be found in the Tables. It should be added, that the numbers must be received cum grano,

as in many cases, especially in the Church, individuals may hold several appointments, so that the apparent total is possibly much under the real. The reader will not fail to observe how the num- bers diminish with the emoluments. Out of 467 officers, we have only 55 subalterns.

CHURCH.

3 Archbishops 10 Bishops

269 Connexions of Peers holding Church Preferment.

Now for a picture—or at least an outline-sketch—of the Lordly SCRAMBLE for Public Money

Aanv.

44 General Officers of various ranks S5 Colonels 45 Lieutenant-Colonels

29 1:1ajors 51 Captains 23 Lieutenants

11 Ensigns and Cornets NAVY.

32 Admirals of various ranks 111 Captains 15 Commanders 16 Lieutenants