4. Address to the Reader, prefixed to the Edition of the Statutes of Ireland: Published by Authority in 1765.
As this Editions of the Acts, passed in the several Parliaments held in this Kingdom, may be considered as a Public Work, in part obtained at their Expence, and which could not have been executed without such Assistance; it may be proper to shew the Necessity of this Undertaking, from the present State of the Printed Statutes in Ireland; and also the Advantages proposed by what is now done, in attempting to supply former Defects, and to render this Impression useful and commodious to the Reader.
The Irish Statutes now in Print, consist of those collected by Sir Richard Bolton, in one Volume in Folio, printed in 1621, by the Society of Stationers, then Printers to His Majesty; reprinted by Benjamin Tooke, [Printer to His Majesty] in 1678, with the Addition of the subsequent Acts to the Session of the 17th and 18th of King Charles the Second inclusive: from which Time to the Revolution no Parliament was held in Ireland. To this Impression was annexed a thin and incompleat Index, and it has been since reprinted in 1723, without any Additions.
The several Acts which passed in the Reigns of King William and Queen Mary, and those of Queen Anne and the succeeding Kings, were printed by the King’s Printers, at the Close of each respective Session, in different Volumes, of different Sizes, and in different Types, without Indexes or any Aid to find the Contents or even the Titles, but by inspecting the Volumes of the Sessions in which they passed; which Volumes were become too numerous for Use, and even those so dispersed, that at present compleat Sets are with Difficulty to be procured to answer the Purposes of Justice, especially at the Assizes held in the several Counties.
These Considerations, it is presumed, induced the House of Lords to address his Excellency the Earl of Hallifax, then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, by their Resolutions of the 20th April 1762, to give Directions “That the Statutes at Large of this Kingdom be forthwith printed and published, under the Inspection of the Lord Chancellor and Judges; and that as an Encouragement to the Printer, a Copy thereof be given to each Member of both Houses of Parliament.” In consequence whereof his Excellency, by his Order, dated the 27th of April 1762, directed Hugh Boulter Primrose Grierson, His Majesty’s Printer General in this Kingdom, to print and publish the said Statutes at Large, under the Inspection of the Lord Chancellor and Judges; and to cause a Copy thereof to be given to each Member of both Houses of Parliament.
Which Order being signified to the Lord Chancellor and Judges, they were pleased to approve of a Specimen of the Paper, Size, and Type to be made use of on the occasion; and their Lordships were farther pleased to honour the Editor with their Appointment to carry their Directions into Execution.
The Acts as before printed by the King’s Printers, having received the Sanction of the Courts of Justice as the Statute Law of Ireland, the Editor considered them as Authentic, and made them the Copy from which he printed, without Variation, save that where he, on reading, apprehended Errors of the Press, he had recourse occasionally to the Records now in the Office of the Rolls, and from thence rectified those Errors; the collating them at large being thought needless, and rather a matter of curiosity, which would have been attended with very great Expence.
The Statutes in this Collection are ranged in order of Time, including all whose Titles are mentioned in any of the former printed Statutes though not there printed at large, distinguishing, however, the Acts or Parts of Acts expired or repealed, by a smaller sized Type; except in some few Instances where Acts have been repealed in part, of which due Notice is given in the Margin.
The Acts whereof the Titles only were mentioned in the Statutes of former Impressions, have been copied at large for this Work, from the Original Records; some Instances there may be of Rolls, before the Reign of Queen Elizabeth (but not since) with the Titles of Acts of Parliament not before printed, which the Editor did not think himself authorized to insert as Part of the Statutes of Ireland; they never having received the Sanction of being printed by Authority, or even mentioned in any Statute so printed, nor authenticated by judicial Determinations.
The Editor was aware, that the inserting expired or repealed Acts at large, would increase the Bulk of this Collection; but it is hoped the Public will dispense with that Inconvenience, as they may afford light, and be useful for the construction of subsisting Laws; and will remain curious and authentic Documents in the Public History of this Kingdom.
It has been usual, especially of late Years, to insert in the same Act different matters not expressed in the Title of such Act; this has been the Case particularly in those intitled “Acts for Amendment of the Law”; which has rendered it difficult to find the several Clauses when wanted. To remedy such Inconvenience, the Editor has, besides the general Index, added, but in a different Character, to the Table of the Titles of those Acts, the different Matters therein contained.
Indexes are absolutely necessary to Works of this kind; the Editor has therefore endeavoured to make his general Index to this Collection useful and complete.
The Acts of Settlement and Explanation though relating to a great part of the Landed Property in Ireland, may be considered as a separate Code of Laws, and as such rather to be consulted on particular Occasions, than as Part of the general Statute Law. The Editor has therefore added a separate Index for the Reader, turning to the several Matters contained in those Acts.
The short Abstracts and References in the Margin, will, it is hoped, be found accurate; and upon the Whole, the Editor is not conscious of having omitted any Care or Pains in discharge of the Trust he has been honoured with; and hopes this will, upon Perusal, be found a correct and useful Edition of the Statutes at Large, agreeable to the Intention of that respectable Authority, at whose Desire this Work was ordered and undertaken.
