LORD CLAUD JOHN HAMILTONsaid, he rose to put a Question to the right hon. Gentleman the Member for South Lancashire (Mr. Gladstone) in reference to this Bill. He said the right hon. Gentleman had expressed a desire to respect all vested interests, and there were in Ireland a large and meritorious body of gentlemen — the vicars-general and registrars of different dioceses—who held their offices for life by patent; but whose incomes derived from fees for the registration of institutions and consecrations, would, if the Bill of the right hon. Gentleman became law—and he (Lord Claud John Hamilton) sincerely hoped 1185 it would not do so—be seriously affected. He wished to know, If it was the intention of the right hon.[Gentleman] to introduce a Clause in his Bill to compensate those gentlemen for the loss they would sustain?
MR. GLADSTONEIt is the fashion, sometimes, to complain of want of Notice. I think the noble Lord would have done better to have placed a Notice of his Question upon the Paper; and probably a better course still would be to raise the question in Committee; but, as at present advised, I may say that I apprehend the gentlemen in question are entitled to certain fees for the performance of certain duties. But I am not aware of any fact—no representation has been made to me to show that they have a light to require that certain things shall be done in order that they may receive fees for doing them.