COPYHOLD COMMISSION. Copy of the Twenty-third Report of the Copyhold Commissioners to Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Home Department; pursuant to the Act 4 & 5 Vict. c. 35, s. 3, for 1864..

"WE have now completed five thousand five hundred and seventy-one enfranchisements and commutations, of which nine hundred and ten enfranchisements have been effected during the present year. The particulars of these last are stated in the schedule hereto annexed, and they amount to ninety-seven enfranchisements in clerical manors, twenty-six in collegiate manors, and seven hundred and eighty-seven in lay manors. Besides these enfranchisements we have received four hundred and

fifty-two applications, of which one hundred. and five are under the voluntary, and three hundred and forty-seven under the compulsory, powers of the Acts. We have further to report, that in pursuance of the powers vested in us by The Universities and College Estates Act, 1858,' and The Universities and College Estates Act Extension, 1860,' we have authorized two hundred and twenty-two sales, eighty purchases, thirty-four enfranchisements, seventeen exchanges, and twenty-three applications from colleges for raising money for purposes of improvement. Of these, thirty-seven sales, eighteen purchases, four enfranchisements, seven exchanges, and six applications for raising money for purposes of improvement have been authorized during the present year."

Authorizing applications to the Court of Chancery Authorizing applications to the County Courts Authorizing applications to the Courts of Common Law

Authorizing sales of charity estates

Authorizing exchanges of such estates*

4

6

Authorizing the compromise of disputed claims

"The continued experience which has been had of the jurisdiction newly extended to our board by The Charitable Trusts Act, 1860,' is very satisfactory, particularly in the great facility afforded by it for the appointment of fit trustees, and the establishment of proper schemes for the application of charitable endowments.

"We have been already enabled to make 1,129 orders in exercise of that jurisdiction, affording to very numerous charities important benefits, which could otherwise have been obtained only by proceedings in the judicial courts attended with very inconvenient expense, and with formalities reluctantly undertaken by trustees or others having no beneficial interest in their result. The proceedings for the same objects before our board, though guarded by

ample publicity, are concluded in a course of great simplicity and without cost.

"It may be attributable mainly to the previous publicity given to our intended orders that, notwithstanding the great facility of appealing from them permitted by the law, no instance has hitherto occurred of their reversal or variation. Only one such appeal has yet been made, and that in an irregular course, and has been dismissed. In our last report we ventured to advert to certain restrictions imposed by the law upon the exercise of this beneficial jurisdiction, and the relaxation of which would, in our humble judgment, be of public advantage. The aggregate amount of various stocks transferred to The Official Trustees of Charitable Funds' during the past year is 459,1627. 10s. 8d., being a large excess over

30

the amount transferred to them in any previous

year. Sums of stock amounting together to 7,9271. 4s. 9d. only have been re-transferred or sold by the official trustees during the year, principally for purposes of re-investment in land. At the close of the year the total amount of various stocks vested in the official trustees was 2,085,2811. 3s. 7d., held by them upon 3,586 accounts for the separate charities to which they belong. We subjoin a statement in continuation of those given in our former reports, showing the amounts of stock respectively transferred to "The Official Trustees of Charitable Funds," and re-transferred or sold by them (principally for re-investments in land) in each year from 1854 inclusively.

The amount of stock transferred was, in 1854, 6,360l. 16s. 11d.; in 1855, 21,1581. 17s. 3d.; in 1856, 118,115l. 4s. 2d., and there was re-transferred, 321. 2s. 6d. In 1857 there were transferred 159,735l. 11s. 2d. ; and re-transferred, 4,023l. 11s. 8d. In 1858 there were transferred 110,4177. 12s. 1d., and retransferred, 5,650l. 16s. 8d. In 1859 the amount transferred was 189,0847. 10s. 10d., and re-transferred, 1,436l. 1s. 9d. In 1860 the amount transferred was 202,8167. 17s. 2d., and re-transferred, 1,780l. 17s. 7d. In 1861 the amount transferred was 293,7861. 17s., and re-transferred, 7,5301. 9s. 6d. In 1862 the amount transferred was 330,1317. 10s. 2d., and re-transferred, 31,9267. 16s. 11d. In 1863 the amount transferred was 269,4887. 18s. 11d., and re-transferred, 14,670l. 18. 4d. In 1864 the amount transferred was 459,162l. 10s. 8d., and re-transferred, 7,9271. 4s. 9. The total amount transferred was 2,160,2591. 6s. 3d., from which deduct the amount re-transferred, 74,978. 2s. 8d., leaving a total amount of stocks standing in the name of "The Official Trustees of Charitable Funds," 31st December, 1864, of 2,085,2811. 3s. 7d.

"377 charitable foundations, either newly created or not previously recorded, have been brought under our observation during the past year, the particulars of which are in the course of registration in our office. We have received. during the year 14,207 returns of account of the receipts and expenditure of charities. It would be very satisfactory if the trustees of such foundations, considering how largely their advantage may be promoted by the publicity of

their administration, and the justice with which information may be expected from themselves as to the discharge of public trusts undertaken by them, would more readily comply with the law which requires from them for such purposes these yearly returns. The compilation of the general Digest of Endowed Charities referred to in our former reports has been diligently proceeded with under our direction. The work is now complete (to the full extent of the information which we have been enabled to procure) for the following counties; namely,-Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cheshire, Cornwall, Dorsetshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Kent, Leicestershire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Shropshire, Surrey, and as to the parochial charities of the cities of London and Westminster, and considerable progress has been made in its compilation for several other counties. We have adverted particularly in our last report to the great difficulty of rendering any such collection certainly complete, but we venture to think that the extended information actually collected will be found to be of general utility and interest whenever measures may be adopted for its publication. It will be for Parliament to determine upon the expediency of causing the Digest to be printed, either on its completion for separate counties or after a greater extension of the work, if it should form a sufficient estimate of the value of such a record."

CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE, 1831 & 1864. Return relative to the Condition of the People in England and Wales for the years 1881 and 1864 respectively. (Mr. Baines.) 28th March, 1865 (195).

THE population of England and Wales in 1831 was 13,896,797, and in 1861, 20,066,224, showing an increase of 44.4 per cent. The population of represented boroughs in 1831 was 5,207,520, and in 1861, 8,688,569, showing an increase of 65.9 per cent. The number of registered parliamentary electors in boroughs in 1832, 285,077, in 1864, 491,220, being an increase of 72.3 per cent. The percentage of registered parliamentary electors in boroughs to the population in boroughs in 1832, 5·5 per cent., in 1864, 5.4 per cent., showing a de

crease of 0.1 per cent. The aggregate number of county and borough electors registered was in 1832, 655,456, and in 1864, 1,027,017, showing an increase of 56.7 per cent. The number of day scholars, according to the Education Commission of 1833, in England and Wales was 1,276,947, and according to the census of 1861, 3,150,048, showing an increase of 146.7 per cent. The number of paupers in 1849, 1,088,659, in 1861, 883,921, showing a decrease of 18.8 per cent. The total amount expended for the relief of the poor in 1831 was 6,798,8897., and in 1861, 5,778,9481., showing a decrease of 15 per cent. The number of persons committed for trial in 1831 was 19,647, and in 1864, 19,506, showing a reduction of 0.72 per cent. The number of registered newspapers published in 1881 cannot be given, the books being lost; in 1864 there were 659. The number of letters delivered by the Post Office in 1831 was 59,983,000, in 1864 it was 560,321,000, an increase of 834 per cent. The number of pounds of paper which paid duty in 1831, 59,994,907, in 1860, 166,789,990, an increase of 229.9 per cent. The number of depositors and amount of deposits in general Savings' Banks in 1831 was 390,504 depositors, and 12,677,1637. amount deposited; in 1864 it was 1,278,981 depositors, and 34,650,2981. amount deposited. The number of depositors and amount of deposits in Post Office Savings' Banks (in 1881 they were not established) in 1864 was 431,937 depositors, and 4,687,8911. amount deposited. The computed number of enrolled or certified Friendly Societies may be deduced from the fact that in 1847 returns were sent to 10,433 societies, in 1864 to 23,000 societies. The number of members of enrolled or certified Friendly Societies in 1847 was 781,722 members for 4,291 societies, giving an average of 180. In 1864, 1,270,204 members of 7,897 societies, average 160. The length of line of railway open for traffic in 1831 was 74 miles, in 1863, 8,568, increase 11,478 per cent. The amount of paid up capital of railways in 1881 was 1,286,7007., and in 1863, 322,237,9781., an increase of 24,943 per cent. The total value of imports, official value, for England and Wales was 1881, 48,991,7117., in 1864, 153,875,3011., increase 249.78 per cent. United Kinglom 1881, 49,727,8287., 1864,

174,030,2477., increase 249.96 per cent. Real value, 1831 no record, 1864, 274,863,9247. The total value of British and foreign exports, United Kingdom, official value 1831, 71,431,4917.; 1864, 322,102,8271., increase 350-92 per cent. The real value, 1831 not recorded, in 1864, 212,669,4381. The consumption of tea in the United Kingdom in 1831, 29,997,055 lbs., in 1864, 88,599,235 lbs., increase 195.36 per cent. Coffee, United Kingdom, 1831, 22,715,807 lbs., 1864, 81,860,450 lbs., increase 38.5 per cent. Raw sugar, 1831, 4,076,251 cwts., 1864, 8,937,313 cwts., increase 119.26 per cent. Wine, 1831, 6,212,264 galls., 1864, 11,897,765 galls., increase 83.48 per cent. Malt, 1881, 39,252,269 bshls, 1864, 51,796,978 bshls., increase 32 per cent. British and foreign spirits, 1831, 26,758,326 galls., 1864, 26,791,558 galls., increase 0.13 per cent.

LEEDS BANKRUPTCY COURT.

Report of the Select Committee appointed to inquire into all the Circumstances connected with the Resignation of Mr. Henry Sedgwick Wilde, as Registrar of the Court of Bankruptcy, at Leeds; the granting him a Pension; the Appointment of Mr. Welch to the said Office; and whether he was to Resign his Appointment in favour of the Honourable Richard Bethell, and receive another Appointment in London. (393).

THE Committee was appointed on the 23rd May, 1865; on the 26th it was ordered that the Select Committee on the Leeds Bankruptcy Court do consist of five members to be nominated by the General Committee of Elections, and that two other members to be named by the General Committee of Elections be appointed to serve on the Select Committee, to examine witnesses, but without the power of voting. And on the 30th Sir Francis Baring reported from the General Committee that they had nominated as members of the Committee, Messrs. Edward Christopher Egerton, Thomas William Evans, Edward Howes, Col. the Hon. L. G. Douglas Pennant, and Henry Hussey Vivian; and also the Lord Advocate and William Bevill, Esq., to examine witnesses; Mr. Howes acted as chairman. The Committee