§ MR. ANDERSONasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether his attention has been called to the case of Hugh Dalrymple, deceased, in which the Crown made gift of his estate under deduction of the usual tenth; whether he is aware that the estate amounted to £62 9s. 4d., that only £4 1s. 0d. accrued to the Crown, and yet only £36 10s. 5d. reached the donee, the remaining £21 17s. 11d., or one-third of the whole, being absorbed in expenses, of which £13 10s. 6d. was for Queen's Proctor; and, whether he could not arrange for a more moderate scale of charges for business transacted by the Queen's Proctor?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERSir, Hugh Dalrymple was illegitimate, intestate, unmarried, and a Scotchman. This made the winding-up of his personal estate more complicated than would otherwise have been the case. We were obliged to consult the Queen's Proctor as to what we ought to do, and he advised that letters of administration should be granted. Then, for the purpose of getting at the property, we were obliged to place ourselves in communication with the Queen's Remembrancer in Scotland. I very much regret, as everyone must, the enormous slice taken out of the property before it reached the deceased's father, who, I believe, is still living. The Queen's Proctor, however, is appointed by Royal Warrant, giving him the right to receive the usual salaries and charges, so that whether the charges are small or great, if usual, I have no power to interfere with them.