Letter - Agreeing to Advise the Queen to Issue a Royal License for New and Amended Canons [1865-06-02]

Whitehall, 2 June 1865.

My Lord,

I have had the honour to receive your Grace's letter of the 1st instant, transmitting to me an Address to Her Majesty from the Archbishop, Bishops, and Clergy of the Province of Canterbury, in Convocation assembled, praying that Her Majesty will be graciously pleased to grant them her Royal Licence to make a new Canon, in place of the 36th Canon of 1603; and also to alter and amend the 37th, 38th, and 40th Canons, in the manner described and set forth in the form transmitted to me by your Grace with the Address.

Assuming that the object for which the Royal Licence is asked for on this occasion is to enable the Convocation to alter the said Canons, so as to make them conformable to the alteration of the law which is now under the consideration of Parliament, as to the matters to which these Canons relate, Her Majesty's Government are willing to advise Her Majesty to comply with the prayer of Convocation, for the Grant of a Royal Licence for this purpose.

But as it is not yet known what may be the decision of Parliament as to the Bill now before it, for giving effect to the recommendation of the Royal Commission on Clerical Subscription, Her Majesty's Government cannot advise Her Majesty to grant the Royal Licence to Convocation, to make a specific alteration in these Canons, in a form and in terms already agreed upon, nor can Her Majesty be advised to give her sanction by anticipation to a Canon prescribing a new form of declaration and subscription to be made by the Clergy, until it is known whether such form is in accordance with the Statute law, as it may be altered by Parliament on this subject.

It will also be necessary that before any alterations in these Canons can be laid before Her Majesty for her approval, the proposed alterations should be submitted for the opinion of the Law Officers of the Crown.

It must, therefore, be clearly understood, that the grant of the Royal Licence in this instance does not involve a sanction to the particular form appended to the Address.

I have, &c.
(Signed) G. Grey.

His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury.