HC Deb 14 June 1808 vol 11 cc876-7

The house having gone into a committee on this bill, a variety of amendments were made thereto: among the most prominent of which was one proposed by the Speaker, who wished to give to the clergy of the archiepiscopal dioceses, the same privilege of appeal as that which would be enjoyed under the act by the clergy of the episcopal dioceses. The clergy of the episcopal dioceses had a right of appeal from the bishop of their dioceses to the archbishop; the Speaker proposed a clause, by which the clergy of the archiepiscopal dioceses should have the right of appeal to the king in council. The Chancellor of the Exchequer proposed to modify this amendment, by making the appeal lie, not to the king in council, but to the king, who should be empowered to appoint Delegates or Commissioners under the Great Seal from the bishops, for the purpose of reviewing the decisions of the metropolitan courts. — The clause thus modified was I agreed to. The other clauses of the bill were then gone through, and some amendments proposed, but no material alteration was made in the provisions of the bill, or any thing of consequence enough to call for a division. The house being resumed, the report was ordered to be received to-morrow.