has the honour to be patronised by H.R.H. the Prince Albert; and
has supported, from its institution, by the countenance and
subscription of your Grace's predecessor in the See of Canterbury.

"The Society has published forty volumes of works relating to English
History, and continues to be actively engaged in researches connected
with the same important branch of literature.

"In the course of its proceedings, the Society has had brought under
its notice the manner in which the regulations of the Prerogative
Office in Doctors' Commons interfere with the accuracy and completeness
of works in the preparation of which the Council is now engaged, and
with the pursuits and labours of all other historical inquirers; and
they beg leave respectfully to submit to your Grace the results of
certain investigations which they have made upon the subject.

"Besides the original wills deposited in the Office of the Prerogative
Court, there is kept in the same repository a long series of register
books, containing copies of wills entered chronologically from A.D.
1383 to the present time. These registers or books of entry fall
practically into two different divisions or classes. The earlier and
the latter books contain information suited to the wants of totally
different kinds of persons, and applicable to entirely different
purposes. Their custody is also of very different importance to the
office. The class which is first both in number of books and in
importance contains entries of modern wills. These are daily consulted
by relatives of testators, by claimants and solicitors, principally for
legal purposes, and yield a large revenue to the office in fees paid
for searches, inspections, and copies. The second class, which
comprises a comparatively small number of volumes, contains entries of
ancient wills, dated before the period during which wills are now
useful for legal purposes. These are never consulted by lawyers or
claimants, nor do they yield any revenue to the office, save an
occasional small receipt from the Camden Society, or from some similar
body, or private literary inquirer.

"With respect to the original wills, and the entries of modern wills,
your memorialists beg to express clearly that this application is not
designed to have any reference to them. Your memorialists confine their