§ MR. WEBSTERasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, If he will explain what is meant by the official statement in page 6 of the recent Return (167) of "Public Moneys applied for the use of the Scotch Universities," that "These payments" (those to Theological Professors from the funds of the Deanery of the Chapel Royal in Scotland) "will not be affected by the Universities (Scotland) Bill;" whether the funds of that deanery are public funds under the control of Parliament, and subject to its check and power of revision as regards their appropriation; on what authority the present application of the whole large income to theological professors was made, and whether it has ever received the sanction of Parliament; if it is binding except for the lifetimes of the present incumbents; and, in what public accounts laid before Parliament is a statement of the property and income of the deanery and of the expenditure to be found?
§ MR. COURTNEYSir, the funds affected by the Scottish Universities Bill were limited, by its 1st clause, to sums voted by this house or charged on the Consolidated Fund. The deanery revenue falls into neither of these categories. It was, in fact, the endowment of the Chapel Royal; and since the disendowment of Prelacy in Scotland this income has always been treated as part of the patronage of the Crown. The present application was made by a Royal Warrant, dated February 9, 1863, under which the sum is apportioned among five Professors and their successors in office. It will be seen that these funds have not been under the control of Parliament; but I have learnt semi-officially that the income is about £2,000 a-year.