3 JUNE 1949, Page 8

A HUNDRED YEARS AGO

THE House went into Committee of Supply on the Civil Contingencies ; and Mr. Osborne called attention to some extraordinary items. There was a vote of £40 Kir the President of Liberia: he did not know enough of geography to Elo-W where Liberia was, and he could not find it on the

map. Among the votes the Household not included in the Civil List, there is a charge for "triennial trumpets "—the trumpets being triennial, the vote annual. Other votes noticed by Mr. Osborne were those for

v.i.atermen ; idbes and collars ; travelling expenses of the King of the Belgians ; Pine Arts Commission—what have they done for the £6,000 received since 1842 ? casts of the Philagian marbles, (£50) as a present to the King of Greece ; £462 for forms of prayer and thanksgiving —whenever any gentleman has an Evangelical fit, the country is to pay for it ; £60 4s. 5d. for presents to the Sultan of Johanna,—who is he ? And there were more Commissions—the Metropolitan Improvement, Health of, Twns, Application of Iron to Railways, and Management of the Mint, Cominssions.

(From the Shectator of June 2nd, 1849) _ _E_