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An Account of the several Sums paid from the Revenues of the Dutchy of Cornwall, in Aid of the Civil List, during the Minority of his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, in pursuance of his Majesty's Warrants, countersigned by the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, with the Dates of such Warrants; with an Account of Interest thereon due to the 12th of Aug. 1783, when his Royal Highness came of Age, and took Possession of the said Dutchy; together with a further Account of Interest, calculated to the 1st Day of February 1802.

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Report of the Commissioners appoint

ed for the Sale of Land-tax.

To the hon. the commons of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in parliament assembled. The lords commissioners for regulating, directing, approving, and confirming all sales, and contracts for sale, made by bodies politic or corporate, or conpanies, for the purpose of redeeming their land-tax," have received his majesty's directions, to lay before the house of commons a statement of their preceedings, distinguishing the number and value of the sales, and contracts for sale, approved by the said commissioners; the amount of land-tax redeemed, or to be redeemed, by virtue of such sales, and contracts for sale; the quantity of stock purchased by the produce of such sales; the gain to the public resulting from the proceedings under the said commission; the expense incurred, and the estimated value of the entire property of which the tenure has been, or will be changed, by the effect of such sales, or contracts for sale;

And the said commissioners report accordingly:-1. By an act passed the 21st March 1799, "to amend and render more effectual the preceding acts for the redemption and purchase of the land-tax," it was made lawrul for his majesty to appoint seven persons of his majesty's most hon. privy council, to be commissioners for regulating, directing, approving, and confirming all sales, and contracts for sale, made by bodies politic or corporate, or companies, for the purposes of redeeming any land-tax charged

on any of the manors, messuages,
lands, tenements, or hereditaments,
belonging to such bodies politic or
corporate, or companies. And his
majesty, by letters patent under the
great seal of Great Britain, bearing
date the March 1799, no-

minated and appointed the right
hon. William lord Aukland, the
right hon. Henry Addington (then '
speaker of the house of commons),
the right hon. William Pitt, the
right hon. the master of the Rolls
(now lord Alvenley), the right hon.
sir William Wynne, knight, the
right hon. the lord chief baron, and
the right hon. Silvester Douglas
(now lord Glenbervic), for the pur-
poses of the said recited act, and
with authority to any two or more
of the said commissioners to do
any act, matter, or thing, which
by the said commission the said
commissioners are authorized to
do: and various legislative provi-
sions have since been made, to
facilitate and extend the operation
and effect of the said commission.
II, The lords commissioners, on
the 29th March 1799, severally
took the oath prescribed by the act
of parliament, and afterwards en-
tered upon the execution of their
office. Their meetings have been
continued from time to time by
adjournments of more or less fre- -
quency, according to the nature
and importance of the business to
be transacted; and the commis-
sioners have acted with the advice of
counsel, in such cases as have been
thought to require professional as-
sistance. In adjusting and approv-
ing the terms and conditions of
sale, it has been anxiously and in-
variably the objects of the lords
commissioners to establish and
Maintain

maintain certain uniform principles calculated to prevent any improvident sales, and beneficial as well as safe to the property of the church, and of other corporate bodies, as far as might be compatible with the nature of the property to be disposed of, and with the different tenures to which that property might be subject. Pursuing these principles, the board have found it necessary to discuss many questions of intricacy and detail, with respect both to legal constructions and to modes of valuation. Their minutes and decisions have' been consequently very voluminous, and have been accurately and carefully entered and preserved. The lords commissioners take this occasion to acknowledge the ready and efficient assistance and attention which they have exprienced from time to time, from his majesty's law officers, from the directors of the bank, the commissioners for the reduction of the national debt, and from the officers of the bank of England. The current business of the commission, as will appear in the two following sections of this report, is gradually diminishing; still, however, it is considerable and important. III. The number of sales, and contracts for sale, approved by the commissioners, has been,

From the 29th March 1799 to Sales. 28th March 1800

From the 29th March 1800 to 28th March 1801 From the 29th March 1801 to

895

433

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£. 753,834 14 9

V. The amount of land-tax redeemed, or to be redeemed, by virtue of such sales, and contracts for sale, cannot yet be stated with precision, as, in several instances, the money arising from sales approved and confirmed by the lords commissioners, has not yet been paid into the bank. Besides which, the property sold by the corporate bodies, being required by law to he sold free and discharged from land-tax, the land-tax has, in very many cases, by agreement between the parties, been freed by the lessee, or purchaser, at his expense. It is therefore difficult to ascertain what amount of land-tax may have been redeemed by this part of the operation. On the whole, however, the amount of land-tax redeemed by virtue of the aforesaid sales, and contracts for sale,

IV. The value of the sales, and may be estimated at 35,000l. per annum. VI. The quantity of stock purchased

contracts for sale, was,

chased by the bank from the produce of such sales, is 1,013,000l.; exclusive of the sums not paid into the bank, and also of sums not yet brought to account, amounting together by estimate to 200,000l. stock. VII. The gain resulting to the public from the proceedings under the commission, consists most immediately in the one eleventh required by the acts to be paid to the public, beyond the value of the land-tax redeemed, and such gain cannot be stated at less than 100,000l. stock; and this is exclusive of the land-tax redeemed by the lessees and purchasers of many considerable parcels of the property sold to them. A further gain resulting to the public from the proceedings under the commission, is to be found in the general operation of the redemption of the land-tax, particularly by creating a daily demand of a certain proportion of stock, which can never be brought back into the market. The effect of that circumstance is evidently beneficial, and public credit has been materially assisted, by thus withdrawing from the market nearly twenty millions of stock, in little more than three years, for the redemption of landtax. VIII. There are also other descriptions of gain to the public, which are not inconsiderable, when collectively taken, by the accumulation of the one eleventh beyond the amount of the land-tax sold; by the saving of the allowances to the receivers general; by the stamps on renewal of leases, and on conveyances of settled leasehold estates. And in a more indirect point of view, the sales made by the proceeding under the commission may be considered as beneficial VOL. XLIV.

to the public, by giving local accommodation to the purchasers, by multiplying the means of improvement, and by increasing the revenues of the corporate bodies, in some instances very considerably. IX. The expense incurred has been restricted within the narrowest limits, to the salaries of a chief secretary, assistant, and clerks; the fees of. counsel, the rent of the office, and, certain small incidents; the whole amounting, on the average of three years, to about 1550l. per annum. X. The value of the entire property, of which the tenure has been changed by the effect of the sales, and contracts for sale, has been computed to be not less than three times the amount of the whole sum received. Assuming this computation to be well founded, the amount sold or contracted for being 753,834/. the value in fee of the whole property transferred from corporate bodies will be 2,261,5021. The prices approved in sales, and contracts for sale, have varied from six to nine years purchase, for the reversion in fee of lands and tithes under leases for three lives; from eight to fourteen years purchase for the reversion in fee of leases for twenty-one years: five years purchase has been taken for houses let for thirty years, and three years for the reversion in fee of leases for forty years; reserved rents, and property not let on beneticial leases, have been sold from twentyfive to thirty years purchase. XI. There cannot be a doubt that these sales are convenient to purchasers, advantageous to the sellers and their successors, and highly beneficial to the public in general; and therefore the lords commissioners would gladly have added to this report, some estimate

Nn

estimate of the proportion of landtax payable, and not yet redeemed by the bodies corporate. It is, however, difficult to arrive at any certainty in this part of the inquiry. It is probable that the proportion of land-tax redeemed by the corporate bodies and their lessces, may exceed the proportion as yet redeemed by other descriptions of property chargeable with land-tax; still, however, it may be estimated that more than two thirds remain unredeemed. XII. The general results may be stated to be: that the number of sales approved is 1605; that the amount in money of such sales so approved, is 753,8341. sterling; that the value in fee simple of the property sold, is about 2,000,000l. sterling; that the stock purchased for the redemption of land-tax, under the proceedings of the commissioners, is about 1,200,000l.; that the whole expense to the public has been 5400/.; that the gain to the public, by the operation, has not been less than 110,000l. stock; exclusive of the other benefits explained and detailed in this report. By order of the lords commissioners,

W. Young, Secretary.

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10th June 1802.

List of the Members returned to serve in the Second Parliament

of the United Kingdom.

ENGLAND AND WALES.

Abingdon. Thomas Theophilus Metcalfe.

Agmondesham. T. D. T. Drake, C. D. Garrard.

Allan's, St. Hon. J. W. Grimstone, W. S. Poyntz.

Beverley. John Wharton, N. C:

Bewdley. Miles Peter Andrews. Bishop's Castle. Wm. Clive, John Robinson.

Blechingly. James Milnes, J. B. Walsh.

Bodmyn. G. S. Lefevre, J. Dupre Porcher.

Boroughbridge. Hon. J. Scott, E. B. Portman.

Bossiney. J. H. Addington, J. A. S. Wortley.

Boston. W. A. Maddock, Tho. Fydell.

Brackley. John W. Egerton, Sa muel Haynes.

Bramber

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