BENEFICES PLURALITIES BILL.

HC Deb 31 July 1838 vol 44 cc843-4

Lord J. Russell

moved the order of the day for the consideration of the Lords' amendmts to this bill.

Mr. C. Lushington

said, that the result of his hasty application and useless labor—hasty application, because he had only time to consider these amendments for one or two days, and useless labour, because to his illegal mind the greater proportion of the new clauses wh e wholly inexplicable.—the result of the hasty application and useless labour was a conviction that the bill was unintelligible. There were two civil doctors in that House, his relative and the hon. and learned Gentleman on the opposite side, and if they would undertake to understand the clauses in a week, so as to make them intelligible, he should be satisfied. The powers of the Ecclesiastical commissioners were greatly intrenched upon by having questions which should come under their jurisdiction referred solely to that of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The principle of this bill was originally very objectionable, and it was rendered more so by the amendments of the Lords. He should therefore propose that these amendments should be read a second time that day six months.

Lord J. Russell

said, that the bill in its present shape contained all the main principles which were already sanctioned by the House. There were some alterations made by the House of Lords, but nothing to trench upon the main principles of the bill. He thought, therefore, that it would be unreasonable on their parts to accede to the amendment of the hon. Gentleman, and not adopt what was in fact their own bill. The hon. Gentleman had said, that the power of the commissioners was infringed upon, in giving the Archbishop of Canterbury the privilege of uniting and disuniting benefices. Now, as the commission never possessed this authority, it could not be said to be trenched upon by the change made by the House of Lords. Though he was sorry that some clauses had been struck out which were agreed to in that House, he still thought it very desirable that a bill which had undergone two year's consideration should not be rejected after having had so much pains bestowed upon it.

Mr. Warburton

remarked that many of the changes made by the Lords were improvements; but as there were fifteen or sixteen new clauses, he thought they should be allowed a day or two to make themselves masters of the bill in its present shape.

Amendment withdrawn, and the farther consideration of the Lords' amendments deferred.