§ MR. FINDLATERasked Mr. Attorney General for Ireland, If his attention has been called to the report of the case of Williams v. White, in a recent number of the "Irish Times" newspaper, from which it appears that a solicitor having ascertained from a clerk in the Accountant General's Office of the Court of Chancery, who innocently made the disclosure that a sum of £8,000 was lying there unclaimed, communicated with the parties interested and obtained from them a third of the fund as the price of giving information of its existence; and to inquire, having regard to the judgment of the Master of the Rolls, in which he says—
He hoped that this was the last occasion on which either in casual conversation or by design any such communication would be made, and he also hoped that some steps would be taken to compel the publication of the accounts remaining derelict in the Accountant General's Office. This must be done by legislation as the Judges had not the power to do it. This case furnished a reason why such a thing should be done. It was monstrous for a solicitor of the Court of Chancery to trade on the Accountant General's Books;and, whether it is the intention of the 757 Government to bring in a Bill to effectuate the recommendation of his Lordship, or to take steps by periodical publication "of the accounts remaining derelict," to prevent the recurrence of so grave a scandal?
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. LAW)Yes, Sir; I have seen the report of the case mentioned by my hon. Friend, and hope, during the Recess, to make inquiry into the matters referred to by the learned Judge with a view to consider the propriety of some legislation on the subject.