General Post Office Dublin (Amendment) Act 1814

GENERAL POST OFFICE DUBLIN (AMENDMENT) ACT 1814

CAP. LXIII.

An Act to amend several Acts for enabling His Majesty’s Postmaster General of Ireland to purchase Premises for the Enlargement of the General Post Office in the City of Dublin. [27th May 1814.]

48G. 3. c. 48.

49G. 3. C 70.

Postmaster General may contract with Owners for the Purchase of Premises for building a Post Office.

WHEREAS by an Act made in the Forty-eighth Year of the Reign of His present Majesty, intituled An Act to enable His Majesty’s Postmaster General of Ireland to purchase Premises for the Enlargement of the General Post Office in the City of Dublin; and by another Act made in the Forty-ninth Year of the Reign of His present Majesty, to amend the said recited Act of the Forty-eighth Year, certain Powers are given for enabling His Majesty’s Postmaster General to purchase Houses, Buildings, or Ground adjoining or contiguous to the General Post Office in Dublin, for the Purpose of making any Addition to the said General Post Office; and also for purchasing the Ground or Premises whereon the said Post Office and its Appendances and Appurtenances, and all Buildings belonging thereto had been erected and then stood; and it is expedient that the said Powers should be enlarged in Manner here-after mentioned; be it therefore enacted by the King’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, That from and after the passing of this Act, it shall and may be lawful for His Majesty’s Postmaster General of Ireland for the Time being, and he is hereby authorized and empowered to contract with the Owner or Owners, or Proprietor or Proprietors of any House or Houses, or Building or Buildings, or Parcel or Parcels, or Plot or Plots of Ground within the City or County of the City of Dublin, and with the Lessee or Lessees of any such House, Building, or Ground, or with any Trustee or Trustees for any such Owner or Proprietor, or Lessee, or with the Guardian or Guardians, Trustee or Trustees, Committee or Committees, or Assignee or Assignees of any Infant, Feme Covert, Idiot, Lunatic, or Bankrupt respectively, for the Purchase of any such House or Houses, Building or Buildings, Parcel or Parcels, or Plot or Plots of Ground, and for the respective Interests of all such Persons who shall be entitled thereto, to and for the Use of His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, in order and for the Purpose that a new and more convenient Post Office may be made, erected, and built upon the Scite of such House or Houses, or Building or Buildings, and Ground respectively; subject nevertheless to and under all and singular the Clauses, Powers, Provisoes, Restrictions, Limitations, and Conditions in the said recited Acts, or either of them contained, as fully and effectually to all Intents and Purposes as if all the said Clauses, Powers, Provisoes, Restrictions, Limitations, and Conditions were repeated and re-enacted in this Act, except only so far as the same are altered by this Act; and that all Sales, Grants, and Conveyances by any Person or Persons, or his, her, or their Guardian or Guardians, Trustee or Trustees, Committee or Committees, or Assignee or Assignees of any House or Houses, Building or Buildings, Parcel or Parcels, or Plot or Plots of Ground under this Act, shall have the same Force and Effect to all Intents and Purposes as any Sale, Grant, or Conveyance made or executed under or by virtue of the said recited Acts, or either of them.

The present Post Office may be sold.

II. And be it further enacted, That it shall and may be lawful to and for the Postmaster General of Ireland, for the Time being, to sell, dispose of, and convey the present General Post Office, situate at College Green, in the City of Dublin, and all Buildings, Offices, and Grounds thereunto belonging; and that all and every Sum and Sums of Money to arise or be produced by such Sale, shall be applied in like Manner and for such Purposes as the Revenues arising from the Duties on the Postage of Letters under the Controul and Management of the said Postmaster General of Ireland.

In case of Absence of Guardians, etc. the Court of Chancery may order Conveyance to be made of Premises.

III. And be it further enacted, That in case it shall at any Time happen that there shall be Two or more Guardians, Trustees, Assignees, or Committees for any Owner or Proprietor, or Lessee, or other Person beneficially interested in any House or Houses, Building or Buildings, Plot or Plots, or Parcel or Parcels of Ground, required to be purchased for the Purpose of the said recited Acts or this Act; and that any one or more of such Guardians, Trustees, Assignees, or Committees shall be absent out of the United Kingdom, in Foreign Parts beyond the Seas, it shall and may be lawful for His Majesty’s Postmaster General of Ireland for the Time being, to prefer a Petition to the Court of Chancery in Ireland, praying that the Guardian or Guardians, Trustee or Trustees, Assignee or Assignees, Committee or Committees, who shall be within the United Kingdom, may be directed to execute a Conveyance or Conveyances, and to deliver the Possession of any such Premises, or to make and execute any Contract, or to do any other Matter or Thing requisire for the Conveyance of such Premises so required to be purchased for the Purposes of the said recited Acts or this Act; and it shall be lawful for the said Court of Chancery, upon the hearing of such Petition, to order and direct any such Conveyance, and to proceed in all Respects in any such Manner to cause such Postmaster General to be put in Possession of such Premises as the said Court is empowered to do under and by virtue of the said recited Act of the Forty-eighth Year of His present Majesty’s Reign, in the Case of any Person or Persons, or Guardian or Guardians or any Infant or Infants, neglecting or refusing to execute any Conveyance under the Provisions of the said recited Act, and to make such other Order in the Premises for the effectuating of such Conveyance, as to the said Court of Chancery shall seem just and reasonable; and all Conveyances of any Premises made and executed under the Order of the said Court of Chancery shall be as good, valid, and effectual, to all Intents and Purposes whatsoever, and shall have the like Force and Effect in Law and Equity as if the Guardian or Guardians, Trustee or Trustees, Assignee or Assignees, or Committee or Committees so being absent out of the said United Kingdom had joined in executing such Conveyance, and as if such Conveyance had been executed by all and every Persons and Person in whom the Title in or to such Premises was legally vested, any Deed, Act, Law, Statute, or other Matter or Thing to the contrary notwithstanding.

Persons may be summoned to give Evidence before Jury.

IV. And be it further enacted, That it shall and may be lawful for the said Postmaster General, or for the Secretary of the said General Post Office respectively for the Time being, and they are hereby respectively authorized and empowered to summon in Writing such Person or Persons as may be found necessary to give Evidence before any Jury to be impanelled for the Purposes of the said recited Acts or this Act, as well on Behalf of the said Postmaster General or Secretary of the said General Post Office, as of any Owner, Proprietor, or Lessee of any Premises, or of any Guardian, Trustee, Assignee, or Committee of any such Owner, Proprietor, or Lessee; and in case such Person or Persons who shall be so summoned as aforesaid, shall refuse or neglect to attend at the Place in such Summons to be specified, within Twenty-four Hours if resident in the City of Dublin, and if resident at a Distance from the said City, within a reasonable Time after Service thereof, or shall refuse to give Evidence, then it shall and may be lawful to and for the said Postmaster General or Secretary of the said General Post Office for the Time being (upon Proof of the Service of such Summons by the Oath of some credible Person, which Oath they are respectively hereby empowered to administer), to impose such Fine or Fines on such Person or Persons so refusing or neglecting to attend as aforesaid, or refusing to give Evidence, as to them the said Postmaster General or Secretary of the said General Post Office may seem proper, any such Fine not to exceed Fifty Pounds.

Clauses in recited Acts to extend to this Act.

V. And be it further enacted, That all and every the Clauses, Provisoes, Conditions, Powers, and Restrictions, and all Penalties and Modes of recovering the same in the said recited Acts or either of them mentioned or contained, shall extend and be applied in the Execution of this Act, as fully and effectually, to all Intents and Purposes, as if the said several Clauses, Provisoes, Conditions, Powers, and Restrictions, Penalties and Modes of recovering the same, were repeated and re-enacted in this Act; and that the said recited Acts and this Act shall be construed together as one Act.

Money to be paid out of the Duty on Postage.

VI. And be it further enacted, That it shall and may be lawful to and for the Postmaster General of Ireland for the Time being, to pay all such Sums of Money as shall be necessary for the Purposes of this Act, and of the said recited Act, out of any Money in his Hands arising from the Duty on the Postage of Letters in Ireland.