Page:Notes by the Way.djvu/165

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CHAPTER VI.

CIVIL LIST PENSIONS. (May 16th, 1901.)

ON the 16th of May, by an Order of the House of Commons, 1901, July 6.

a Return was printed of " Persons now in receipt of Pensions, Civil List

charged on the Civil List of Her late Majesty under the Act 1 Viet., Pensions c. 2, s. 5." On looking over this publication I felt what an interesting

��permanent record it would be if we could place it in the pages of permsionof " dear old 'N. & Q.,' " and with the Editor's cordial approval I Controller to wrote to the printers, Messrs. Eyre & Spottiswoode, asking them publish. for permission to reprint it. Their reply was that the copyright did not rest with them, but they courteously suggested that I should place my request before the Controller of His Majesty's Stationery Office, who has kindly acceded to my wish, upon the understanding that " mention is made of the fact that the per- mission of the Controller of His Majesty's Stationery Office has been obtained " ; and I am now able to place the Return before the readers of ' N. & Q.'

The following references to the subject of literary pensions have appeared in these columns :

On the 21st of October, 1854, " Indignans " calls attention to " the pittance of 1.200Z. distributed among some thirty or forty individuals, all of whom, by the force and splendour of their genius .... have contributed so greatly to advance the prosperity and renown of their country."

On the 2nd of December, 1854, " Liberal " gives the following quotation from Madame de Stael :

" Quelques pensions accord6es aux gens de lettres n'exerceront jama is beaucoup d' influence sur les vrais talens. Le ge"nie n'en veut qu'& la gloire, et la gloire ne jaillit que de 1' opinion publique."

On the 31st of July, 1858, J. M. H. notes that in the year 1663 Louis XIV. granted pensions to several literary men, and asks for a copy of the list. To this " Clericus (D.) " replies on the 21st of August.

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