ted. The King
saw in it the germ of an idea by which he might raise money for the
Hospital. Accordingly, in 1683 he directed by letters of Privy Seal that
one third of the money raised by imposing a poundage on the troops should
go to the Hospital. He also added a clause to the effect that this was to
be retrospective, to take effect from 1681. Hence the first haul amounted
to over L20,000. Emboldened by success, Charles in the following year
added to his demands one day's pay from every man in the army.

But the building of the Hospital was more expensive than he had
anticipated. It cost altogether L150,000, and when finished it would need
an endowment. Charles had, therefore, recourse to the Stuart device of
stirring up the people to give, by means of letters to the clergy, but
without result, and in 1686 he directed that two-thirds of the army
poundage should go to the continuance of the building, and finally that
the whole should be devoted to this purpose after deductions for
necessary expenses.

James II. carried on the design of his predecessor during his short
reign, but the building was not completed until 1694, under William and
Mary. Sir Stephen Fox became chairman of the first Board of
Commissioners, an office which has been ever since attached to the
Paymaster-Generalship.

Some legacies have been bequeathed to the Hospital since the foundation,
and various sums of unclaimed prize-money were also applied to this
object, amounting in the aggregate to nearly L600,000. The income at
present drawn from the above sources is a mere trifle in comparison with
the expenditure, only amounting to little over L3,000 yearly.

The building--which is wonderfully well adapted for its object, being, in
fact, a barracks, and yet a permanent home--was, when completed, just as
it is at present, without the range of outbuildings in which are the
Secretary's offices, etc., and one or two outbuildings which were added
in the beginning of the present century. The out-pensioners were not
included in the original scheme, but when the building was ready for
occupation, it was round that nearly one hundred applicants must be
disappointed owing to want of room. These men received, accordingly, a
small pension while waiting for vacancies. From this small beginning has
sprung an immense army of out-pensioners in all parts of the world,
including natives who have served with the British flag, and the roll
contains 84,500 names. The al