§ The Chancellor of the Exchequer brought down the following Message from his Majesty:
§ "George R.
§ "His Majesty having directed Returns to be made and certified, by the Archbishops and Bishops of England and Wales, of the number of Livings under the value of 150l. per annum, and perceiving from those Returns that, notwithstanding the operation of the Act passed in the second and third years of her majesty queen Anne, for the making more effectual her majesty's gracious intentions for the augmentation of the maintenance of the poor Clergy, by enabling her ma- 717 jesty to grant in perpetuity the Revenues of the First Fruits and Tenths, the maintenance belonging to the Clergy in divers parts of the kingdom is still mean and insufficient, his majesty has directed an abstract of those Returns, as far as the same have been completed, to be laid before the house of commons; and if the house of commons can find any proper method of enabling his majesty to accelerate the operation of the said Act, it will be a great advantage to the public, and very acceptable to his majesty. G. R."
§ Ordered, to be referred to the Committee of Supply.