90] 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1S14. 



of the existence of ranch bolder 

 views, at least in some of its mem- 

 bers, by a measure brought for- 

 wards in the Chamber of Com- 

 mons on November 7tb. The 

 large proportion of landed pro- 

 perty in Sicily possessed by the 

 ecclesiastical corporations is the 

 cause that the number of land- 

 holders is very inconsiderable, to 

 the great detriment of agriculture. 

 As a remedy for this evil, the plan 

 of a law was proposed, enacting 

 the perpetual alienation of all ter- 



ritorial property, domainal or feu- 

 dal, held by churches, pious foun- 

 dations, orders of knighthood, epis- 

 copal sees, and universities, under 

 the condition of an annual pay- 

 ment to the present titulars, calcu- 

 lated upon their existing emolu- 

 ments. There seems, however, 

 little probability that such a sweep- 

 ing innovation, so contrary to the 

 spirit elsewhere prevailing, will 

 be adopted in an assembly of 

 which the noble and ecclesiastical 

 orders are a constituent part. 



