57Certain offices abolished, and the duties of the sheriff of Chancery, &c. enlarged
The offices of presenter of signatures and of clerk to the presenter of signatures are hereby abolished, and it shall be competent for the present holders of these offices, and also for the deputy keeper of the Great Seal, to apply to the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury, who are hereby empowered to award to each of such officers such compensation as the said Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury may deem just and reasonable, having regard to the terms by which such officers respectively hold their appointments, and to the net average amount of the emoluments received by them, and in the case of the deputy keeper of the Great Seal to the net average amount of emoluments received by him .in respect of charters passing that seal, and now abolished under the provisions of this Act, and such compensation as may be awarded shall be subject to the provisions of the twentieth section of the Act of the fourth and fifth years of the reign of His Majesty King William the Fourth, chapter twenty-four, intituled " An Act to alter, amend, and consolidate the laws for regulating " the pensions, compensations, and allowances to be made to persons " in respect of their having held civil offices in His Majesty's " service;" and from and after the commencement of this Act the duties of the office of presenter of signatures, so far as the same continue to be necessary, shall be discharged by the sheriff of Chancery, and the duties of the office of clerk to the presenter of signatures shall be performed by the sheriff clerk of Chancery ; after the commencement of this Act it shall not be necessary either for the sheriff of Chancery or for the sheriff of any county to hold a court for the consideration or disposal of any unopposed petition for service.