§ The Attorney-General moved that the bill be read a third time.
§ Mr. Humewas sorry that this bill had been considered a private bill. The object of it was, to grant to the Archbishop of Canterbury power to appoint to an office in reversion, which he believed to be a mere sinecure. The Archbishop had a right to appoint the principal Registrar of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, and to put into the patent one, two or even three lives. Now, the late Archbishop had put into this office his three sons. One of them was lately dead; and the present Archbishop wished to insert a new life into the patent: but the two surviving sons of the late Archbishop refused to surrender their present patent, and so prevented the present Archbishop from inserting a new life in a new patent. The present Archbishop, therefore, came to the Mouse and asked it to enable him to add a third life to the two which were now inserted in the patent; the third life not taking any sham of the profits of the office until the death of the two present holders. By giving him that power, the House would, he believed, perpetuate an office which levied 29,000l. a-year on the public. He therefore thought 1036 that the House ought not to grant such power, until it had some information relative to the amount of the salaries, fees, and emoluments, received by the five principal Registrars of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, and knew something of the duties, if any, which they performed. For this information he had moved yesterday, and he therefore hoped that the Attorney-general would postpone the progress of this bill until the returns should be laid on the table. If the learned gentleman would not consent to the delay, he should move that the bill be read a third time that day week.
The Attorney-generalcontended, that this was strictly a private bill. It had already undergone a strict ordeal in the House of Lords. He should therefore oppose the postponement, especially as a public report had been made respecting the office to which it referred; which report stated, that the duties of the office were executed with precision and regularity, and did not recommend any reduction in the amount of fees paid to the officers.
§ Mr. D. W. Harveythought, that the bill deserved the consideration of parliament, if it were true that the office, of which it was intended to give away the appointment, cost the public 29,000l. annually. The delay asked for was perfectly reasonable. Why should hon. gentlemen be placed in the invidious situation of opposing a bill, with which, if information were given, they might perhaps be perfectly satisfied.
§ Mr. Wynnrecommended that the third reading of the bill should be deferred for a week, on the ground, that further information should be laid before the House before the measure was passed.
§ The third reading was accordingly postponed to this day sen' night.