§ The Lord Chancellar moved for a copy of the fourth Report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the state of the Common Law. He wished to postpone the Local Courts Bill, which was waiting for a Second Reading, until this Report, which was very important, was laid before their Lordships. In the Bill, as it originally stood, he had extended the jurisdiction of those Courts to the recovery of legacies of limited amount. That provision was now, however, omitted, because he was unwilling to embarrass the measure unnecessarily. He still thought such a provision was necessary, and he might hereafter attend to the subject, but he was persuaded that the Local Courts Bill would be more accept- 757 able without than with a provision for that purpose.
§ Motion agreed to.
The Lord Chancelloralso moved for a copy of the third and fourth Reports of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the law of Real Property. In calling for these Reports, he thought that he should be doing the greatest injustice to the indefatigable assiduity and the sound learning; which these Commissioners had displayed in the performance of their duty, if he did not state to their Lordships the unanimous opinion of the members of the legal profession in all its branches with respect to them; which opinion was, that no men ever deserved better of the public by their services than those Commissioners did. The first and second Reports had given the utmost satisfaction, and Parliament had already manifested its sense of their excellence, for some of the suggestions contained in those Reports had been acted on, and the present law of the land had been founded on them. He thought it right to add, that for the last year these gentlemen had received no species of remuneration for their services. In the first year a sum was given to them wholly disproportioned to their labours; but these gentlemen, from what he must call a most mistaken and misplaced delicacy, had last year refused to receive any remuneration. Now, every hour which was taken from their professional business and given to the public was actually so much money lost to them. He hoped that their delicacy would not be allowed to inflict an injustice on themselves.
§ Motion agreed to.