The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-11 00:00:00

DUCHY OF LANCASTER.

Mr. WISE called the attention of the house to the
accounts of the Duchy of Lancaster, presented to Parlia-
ment in pursuance of the Act 1 and 2 Vic. c. 101, and
moved an address for a return of all manors and
estates now belonging to the Crown in right of the
Duchy of Lancaster ; of all sales, grants, and enfran-
chisements which had taken place since 1838 ; of the
purchases and exchanges of land which had been since
the same period, and the date and term of all (ousting
leases of the lands, mines, and rents of the Duchy. The
revenues he'said of this duchy were eaten up by appoint-
ments, and the revenues were only to be found on
paper, and did not go into the privy purse.
The total revenue during the last nineteen years
was 782,960/., of which the privy purse had
only received 251,0001., so that the outgoings
had been 471,9601. Last year the receipts were 41,0481.
of which the privy purse had received 20,000.. Altoge-
ther there were 60 officers connected with duchy re-
ceiving 8,5271., of which the Chancellor took 2,000/. a-
year, the Vice-Chancellor 6001., the Receiver-General
8781., and amongst the remaining officers were
two attc.rnie,•-general, fifteen receivers, and twenty-two
stewards. (Laughter.) The honourable and learned
gentleman entered into the details of charges
which were very amusing, and amongst them was a
salary of 2001. a year for an "axe bearer," who did
nothing but amuse his friends with a day's shooting in
the woods ; but the most curious part of the charges was
that which showed that the cutting the wood, &c., of
the forests cost considerably more than what the wood
fetched when bolt (Laughter.) 48/, were charged for
the travelling expenses of the Duchy seal---(laughter)—
and 432/. for seals usually cut fresh on the commencement
of every reign. He thought he had shown that the
Queen did not receive these revenues, but that
they were eaten up by mismanagement, and the pay-
ment of officials who were of no earthly advantage what-
ever. These revenues, after an alteration in the system,
ought to be classed with the other revenues, and the
Queen paid a certain sum out of the Consolidated Fund.
He asked how it was that the income of the Duchy was
so stationary compared with that of Cornwall, especially
as regarded mines ? secondly, he asked for an explana-
tion of the purchase and exchange of estates adjoining
the Duchy property, which were disadvantageous to
the Duchy property ; and, thirdly, he asked for an
explanation of the capital account, which was
unsatisfactory ; fourthly, of what became of the
fines and renewals, which amounted in 1837 to
26,731/., and the sales to 50,365/. ; the filth ques-
tion was for an explanation of the numeral ac-
count which had not been published since 1835
and 1838, and sixthly, if the Chancellor of the
Duchy had considered the demand for com-
pensation for the destruction of property in the Staf-
ferdshire potteries, owing to the undermining of
the houses and streets arising from mining eperations,
and he asked that if compensation could not given by
the Directors, that arrangements should be made
compelling the lessee to compensate the copyholders
for the injury inflicted by the lessee in his mining opera-
tio.is on their foundations.

Alderman COPELAND seconded the motion, and
proceeded to point out many of the grievance under
which the copyholders laboured.

Mr. BAThitS, the Chancellor of the Duchy, rose to
reply, I _

[LEFT SPEAKING.]