pious Defigns of their Founders must remain imperfect, withou: future Benefactions, which had been found by long Experience to rife by fuch flow Degrees, that the Petitioners hoped, that, when their Cafe was duly confidered, they would not be thought to be within any of the general Mischiefs that might arife from Alienations in Mortmain; and that, as their prefent Poffeffions were inconfiderable in respect of the great Number of Perfons that were maintained out of them, and that as the Donations they then enjoyed, as well as thofe they might afterwards receive, must be folely appropriated to the Advancement of Religion and Learning; for thefe Reasons they hoped, that no Difficulties or Difcouragements would be put in the Way of those, whose pious and charitable Intentions might difpote them to give their Affiftance towards rendering the Univerfity in general, as well as the several Societies of it, more inftrumental in promoting those great and neceffary Ends; and that the Petitioners therefore hoped, they should be exempted from the Restraints mentioned in the Bill; or that they should meet with such Relief from that House, as to the Houfe fhould seem meet. Which Petition was likewife referred to the Committee.

On the 26th, the House of Commons refolv'd itself into a Committee of the whole House, to confider further of the Supply granted to his Majefty, and came to the following Relolutions, which were reported and agreed to on the 29th,

viz.

To grant to his Majesty,

1. The Sum of 22,944/. 14s. for making good the Defi- Votes on the ciency of the general Fund.

2. The Sum of 24,570%. 25. 7d. to make good the Sinking Fund, the like Sum paid out of the fame for Interest on the Million lent on Credit of the Salt Duties, for the Supplies of the Year 1734, pursuant to a Claufe in an Act of Parliament, país'd in the 7th Year of his Majefty's Reign.

3. The Sum of 10,000l. towards the Maintenance of the British Forts and Settlements belonging to the Royal African Company of England on the Coaft of Africa.

4. The Sum of 10,000l. towards fettling and fecuring the Colony of Georgia in America,

5. The Sum of 11,485. 4. 5d. to make Satisfaction to Humphrey Bell, (the furviving Affignee of the Estate and Effects of William Ellins and Edmond Farrington, against whom a Commiffion of Bankruptcy iffued) Suitor of the Court of Chancery in 1726, fo much of his Debt and Demand from one of the Matters of the faid Court, as then remained unfatisfy'd.

6. The

Supply.

4

Other Petiti 6. The Sum of 30,167. towards the Buildings, Rebuildons against the ings, and Repairs of his Majefty's Ships for the Year 1736. Mortmain Bill. On the 31ft of the fame Month, a Petition of the Governors of the Charity for Relief of the poor Widows and Children of Clergymen, was prefented to the Houfe, and read; fetting forth, That by Letters Patent of King Charles II. the Petitioners were conftituted a Corporation, for Relief of the poor Widows and Children of Clergymen, and made capable in the Law, to take Lands, Tenements and Hereditaments, not exceeding the yearly Value of 200c/, and alfo Goods, Chattels, and Things of what Nature and Quality foever, and to alienate and difpofe of the fame; which Capacity was enlarged by his late Majefty King George I. to 3000l. a Year more, and that the Inftitution of that Charity had been fo well esteemed, and fupported by fo many pious and welldifpofed Perfons, that the Petitioners had, for divers Years paft, been able to make a Diftribution of 5. a Year to above 800 Widows of very poor Clergymen, and to put out many of their Children yearly to useful Trades, who otherwife must have been burthenfome to their respective Parishes, and their Children lefs useful to the Commonwealth, an Account whereof had been annually printed and publifhed; and that the Objects of that Charity were far more numerous, than the Petitioners could provide for, out of their certain annual Revenues, and cafual Benefactions, their certain annual Revenues nor exceeding 3000l. a Year; and therefore, as that Charity was fo well founded, and for fo good Purposes, and that Corporation reftrained from accepting Lands beyond 5000l. a Year, and those alienable in the Difcretion of the Petitioners, praying, that that Corporation might be wholly excepted out of the Bill then depending in that Houfe, for reftraining the Difpofitions of Lands, whereby the fame became unalienable, or that fuch Provifion might be made thereby, that that Corporation might enjoy the Benefits intended them by the faid Royal Grants, and that the fame might be preferved to them, to the full Extent thereof. No Motion being made for referring this Petition to the Committee, it was ordered to lie upon the Table.

On the 2d of April, a Petition of the Governors of the Bounty of Queen Anne, for the Augmentation of the Maintenance of the poor Clergy, was presented to the House and read; setting forth, That the faid Governors were made a Body corporate by her late Majefty Queen Anne, in the 3d Year of her Reign, in purfuance of an Act of Parliament, impowering her to fettle upon them the Revenue of the FirstFruits and Tenths, for the Augmentation of the Maintenance of the poor Clergy, and to make Rules and Orders for the regular

2.

regular Administration of the fame, by which Statute Licence was given to all and every Perfon or Perfons, by Deed enrolled, in fuch Manner, and within fuch Time, as was directed by the Statute made in the 27th Year of the Reign of Henry VIII. for Enrollment of Bargains and Sales, or by Laft Will or Teftament duly executed, to grant to the faid Corporation and their Succeffors, Lands, Tenements, Hereditaments, Goods and Chattels, for the Purpofes mentioned in the faid Act; which Corporation had alfo thereby full Capacity to purchafe, take, and enjoy any Monev, Lands, Tenements, Goods and Chattles, without any Licence or Writ ad quod damnum, the Statute of Mortmain, or any other Statute or Law to the contrary notwithitanding; and that afterwards, in pursuance of the Powers granted by the faid Statate, divers Rules and Orders were fettled and confirmed by her faid late Majelly, under the Great Seal; by fome of which Rules and Orders, the Augmentations to be made were directed to be by way of Purchase, and not by way of Perfion; and the stated Sum to be allow'd for the Augmentation of each Cure, was limited to 200l. to be invested in a Purchase, at the Expence of the Corporation; and the faid Governors were empowered to give the faid Sum of 200l. to Cures not exceeding 35 per Ann. (which Sum was afterwards, by the Authority of King George I. extended to 50l. per Ann.) where any Perfons would give the fame or greater Value in Lands or Tithes; and fuch Governors were directed, every Year, between Christmas and Eafter, to caufe the Account of what Money they had to diftribute that Year, to be audited, and when they knew the Sam, public Notice was directed to be given, that they had fuch a Sum to diftribute in fo many Shares, and that they would be ready to apply thofe Shares to fuch Cures as wanted the fame, and were by the Rules of the Corporation qualified to receive them, where any Perfon would add the like or greater Sum to it, or the Value in Lands or Tithes for any particular Cure; and that the Petitioners apprehended, that by the Bill then depending before the House, to restrain the Difpofitions of Lands, whereby the time became unalienable, the Rights and Pow ers vefted in them by the faid Act, and by the Rules and Orders made in purfuance thereof, might be greatly affected, if fome proper Provifion fhou'd not be made to prevent it; and therefore praying that a Claufe or Claufes might be added, whereby the faid Rights and Powers might be secured.

After reading this Petition, a Motion was made and fecond. ed, for ordering it to be referred to the Confideration of the Committee to whom the faid Bill was committed; and the fame being oppofed, after a pretty long Debate, the Question Κ

was

was put, and, upon a Divifion carry'd in the Negative, by 143 to 95; whereupon the Petition was order'd to lie upon the Table.

The fame Day the Houfe, according to Order, refolv'd itfelf into a Committee of the Houfe upon the faid Bill, and made fome Progrefs, Mr. Gibbon being in the Chair; after which, Mr. Speaker refum'd the Chair, and Mr. Gibbon reported from the Committee, that they had made fome Progrefs in the Bill, and had directed him to move, that they might have Leave to fit again; whereupon it was refolved, that the Houfe would, upon Monday then next, at Twelve o'Clock, refolve itfelf into a Committee of the whole Houfe, to confider further of the faid Bill.

On the faid Day, being Monday April 5, it was moved and refolved, that an humble Addrefs be prefented to his Majelly, that he would be graciously pleased to give Directions to the proper Officers to lay before that Houfe an Account of what Licences had been granted by the Crown, and for what Values refpectively, to any Perfon or Perfons, Bodies Politic or Corporate, their Heirs or Succeffors, to alienate in Mortmain, and to purchase, take, and hold in Mortmain, in Perpetuity, any Lands, Tenements, or Hereditaments whatsoever, fince the A&t of the 7th Year of the Reign of King William III. entitled, An Act for the Encouragement of charitable Gifts and Difpofitions, to that prefent Time.

After which, the Houfe, according to Order, refolv'd itfelf into a Committee of the whole Houfe, to confider further of the faid Bill, when Mr. Gibbon being their Chairman as before, the Claufe for excepting out of the faid Bill the Univerfities of Oxford and Cambridge, 'and the Colleges of Eaton, Winchester, and Weltminster, with a Provifion relating to Advowsons, was prefented, and a Motion made for its being receiv'd and made Part of the Bill, which occafioned fome Debate; but upon the Question being put, it was, upon a Divifion, carry'd in the Affirmative, by 227 to 130.

With refpect to the Provifo relating to Advowfons, an Amendment was proposed for leaving it in the Power of the feveral Colleges belonging to the two Univerfities, to exchange fmall Livings for larger, fo as not to increase the Number of Advowfons, to which they were by the Act to be reftrained, which occafioned a new Debate, and at last, upon putting the Queftion, it was carried in the Negative.

After which, the Committee having gone through the Bill, they reported the Amendments they had made to it, when the Houfe should please to receive the fame; and on the 7th, a Petition of the Grey-Coat Hofpital in Tothill-Fields, of the Royal Foundation of Queen Anne, was prefented to the

Houfe

Houfe and read, fetting forth, That by Letters Patent, dated the 19th Day of April, in the 5th Year of the Reign of the late Queen Anne, the Petitioners were conftituted a Corporation, and made capable in Law to take Lands, Tenements, and Hereditaments, not exceeding the yearly Value of 2000/. and alfo Goods, Chattles, and Things of what Nature or Value foever, for the Benefit of fuch poor Children of the Parish of St. Margaret, Westminster, as from Time to Time fhould be admitted into the faid Hofpital; and that the Petitioners had for feveral Years paft, been enabled to main. tain, cloath, and teach a confiderable Number of poor Children of both Sexes; and had, from the Time of the firft Foundation of the faid Hofpital, placed out above 500 Children Apprentices, fome to the Sea-Service, and others to useful Trades, Husbandry and Housewifery; and that the Children then, and many Years paft, were many more in Number than the Petitioners could provide for by the yearly Subscriptions and Collection joined to the certain annual Revenues of the faid Hospital, which together at that Time, did not exceed 700l. a Year; fo that, were it not for the cafual and gene rous Benefactions the Petitioners had received by the Bequests of feveral pious and well-difpofed Perfons, they could not take fo many poor Children into their Care and Protection, to be maintained, cloathed, and inftructed; and therefore, in Confideration the annual Revenue belonging to that Hofpital was of fo fmall a Value, praying that that Corporation might be excepted out of the Bill then depending in that Houfe, for restraining the Difpofitions of Lands, whereby the fame become unalienable, or that fuch Provifion might be made thereby, that the Benefits intended them by the Grant of their Royal Foundrefs, might be preserved to them in their full Extent. Which Petition was ordered to lie on the Table.

Next Day a Petition of the Trustees of the feveral Charity Schools within the Cities of London and Westminster, Borough of Southwark and Bills of Mortality, in Behalf of upwards of 5000 poor Children cloathed and educated in the faid Schools, and alfo in Behalf of all other Charity Schools in this Kingdom, for the Education of the Children of the Poor in the Principles of the Church of England, as by Law eftablished, was presented to the House and read, feting forth, That if the Bill then depending in that Houfe, to restrain the Difpofitions of Lands, whereby the fame become unalien- able, fhould pafs into a Law without Amendment, it would prevent many charitable Donations for the Promotion of the faid Schools, which were fo far from having any large Endowments in Land or Money, that very few had so much as