150] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. 



report from time to time to his 

 Royal Highness and to the House 

 thereupon " 



Lord Castlereagfi, after de- 

 scribing with some severity the 

 treatment which the last speaker 

 had bestowed on the jurispru- 

 dence of the countrj', especially 

 the court of Chancery, and throw- 

 ing some contempt upon the 

 course which he had recommend- 

 ed the House to pursue, con- 

 cluded with moving the previous 

 question. 



Sh- Samuel Romilli/ said, that 

 . having been so directly called on 

 by the noble lord to state his 

 opinion as to the chance there 

 was of obtaining any remedy in 

 cases of abuse of charitable trusts 

 through the court of Chancerj', 

 he felt that he should be acting 

 improperly towards the House by 

 not answering the call. It was 

 his sincere opinion that in such 

 a case the court of Chancery was 

 not capable of affording an ade- 

 quate remedy, and that it was 

 impossible through its means to 

 obtain redress for the abuses of 

 charitable institutions. This he 

 imputed to those expedients of 

 delay peculiar to that court, 

 which, if resorted to, as they na- 

 turallj'would be, might throw such 

 obstacles in the way as few would 

 be disposed to encounter. If a per- 

 son hearing of any abuse, should 

 think of having an information 

 filed, he must lay his account 

 with disbursing a great sum of 

 Costs, with the chance of recover- 

 ing, if he gained the suit after a 

 great number of years, strictlj' 

 taxed ct)sts. His hon. and learn- 

 ed friend had conceived these 

 expedients of delay to belong 

 necessarily to a court of equity ; 



but it was his opinion that a great 

 part of the abuses in the court of 

 Chancery might be remedied, and 

 that without any legislative inter- 

 ference. He considered himself 

 at present as giving evidence with 

 respect to the court of Chancery; 

 and he had no hesitation in say- 

 ing, that if gentlemen went to 

 vote with an idea that a remedy 

 for abuses in charities might be 

 found in a court of chancery, they 

 would be voting under an erro- 

 neous impression. 



A considerable number of gen- 

 tlemen followed the last speaker, 

 and, as might be supposed, took 

 different sides according to their 

 feelings. At length the previous 

 question was put, " That the 

 question be now put," when the 

 House divided : Ayes, 29 ; Noes, 

 54 : Majority, 25. 



Mr. Brougham next moved 

 " That an humble address be 

 presented to his royal highness 

 the Prince Regent, that he would 

 be graciously pleased to instruct 

 any commissioners who may be 

 appointed under a bill intituled 

 « An Act for appointing Commis- 

 ' sioners to inquire of the Chari- 



* ties in England and Wales, and 



* of the Education of the Poor,' 

 to inquire into the Abuses of Cha- 

 rities not connected with Ekluca- 

 tion :" whereupon the previous 

 question, " That the question be 

 now put,'' was moved, and nega- 

 tived. 



Mr. Brougham then said, that 

 before he moved that the House 

 do concur in the amendments of 

 the Lords, he wished to give no- 

 tice, that early in the next ses- 

 sion he should move for leave to 

 bring in a bill to appoint, if 

 possible, the same commissioners 



to 



