CATHEDRAL APPOINTMENTS BILL. (Hansard, 13 May 1853)

§ VISCOUNT CANNING
reminded their Lordships that the object of this Bill was to render certain appointments connected with cathedrals subject to any laws which, at the close of the Capitular Commission, and in accordance with the report of that Commission, might be thought proper. The measure was entirely precautionary in its nature, and auxiliary to the working out of the object of that Commission. As the Bill at present stood, the appointments so dealt with were "any benefices with or without the cure of souls." It was proposed by the right rev. Prelate (the Archbishop of Canterbury) to omit those words, and the objections upon which he based that proposition were founded partly upon the apprehension that any parish or cure subject to the provisions of this Bill would suffer some injury in its revenue, and also that the individual interest of members of chapters might render them indisposed to make any changes in the benefices held by them, although those changes might be of advantage to the benefices themselves. It was impossible not to admit the force of these objections, which acquired an additional force in consideration of the high quarter from which they proceeded; but, in considering them, it appeared to the Government that the inconvenience apprehended by the right rev. Prelate was not so great as would arise from the omission of the words to which the most rev. Prelate objected. The Bill was merely a temporary one, and though he admitted, as far as precedent was concerned, the Bill was an exceptional one, it would only be in force, he hoped, a few months, and he therefore trusted their Lordships would assent to the third reading.

The ARCHBISHOP of CANTERBURY
said, that, though he was still of opinion that the Amendment which it had been his intention to propose would have prevented more inconvenience than was likely to arise from the clause as it now stood, yet, after the explanation offered by the noble Lord, he did not feel himself justified in pressing his Amendment.

The BISHOP of OXFORD
proposed the insertion of clauses of which he had given notice, and to which he stated no objection appeared to be entertained by any part of their Lordships' House. They were in accordance with the principles of the rest of the Act, and were intended to prevent any appropriation of chapter property which 318 would make it impossible to carry out the recommendations of the Commission.