Mr. Humepresented a Petition from the land-owners of Nether Staveley and Over Staveley, for a limitation of time beyond which no 910 right to tithes in kind could be claimed. The petitioners stated, that for the last 250 years the lands in their parishes had been exempt from tithes, except upon wheat, for which they paid a modus. Recently, however, the right to levy tithes in kind upon the whole land had been claimed, and legal proceedings taken to enforce it. He very much regretted that the bill which had been proposed on the subject of Prescription, and which would have put an end to so monstrous an evil, had not been passed.
Mr. Warburtonthought that any future measure introduced on this subject hereafter should be retrospective in its operation, because in the interval many claims would be made, and these would be the cause of much expensive and vexatious litigation.
§ Mr. John Campbellregretted the loss of the former bill the less, as he considered it very objectionable in several of its provisions. One clause in particular, which had been introduced by a right reverend Prelate in the other House of Parliament, was so exceedingly obnoxious that he could by no means have consented to it.
§ The Petition was ordered to be printed.