§ MR. ALPHEUS C. MORTONI beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer whether having regard to the fact that no list even of the manors in England 815 and Wales is extant, and that no Parliamentary Inquiry has ever been made as to their extent and jurisdiction, and to the fact that for a long series of years and at the present time lords of manors have in many instances dealt with or attempted to deal with and dispose of the "common lands" of the manor as if such lands were their private freehold, he will recommend the appointment of a Royal or Special Commission, or a Select Committee of the House, in order to obtain and lay before Parliament full information on the subject of manors in England and Wales.
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERIt might no doubt be a good thing to have a new Domesday Book relating to the manors in England, but that seems hardly a work that could be undertaken by a Select Committee or a Royal Commission. Under the existing Parliamentary restrictions with regard to the enclosure of common lands, I do not believe it is possible now for such lands to be dealt with as private freeholds.