Northern Times. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-08-30 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, Yesterday, the general half-yearly meeting of this body was held in their room, Exchange Baildings at one o'clock, Charles Robertson, Esq., preSident, in the chair. Among other gentlemen present there were - Messrs. J. C. Ewart, Christopher Bushell, R. A. alfacfie, J. T. Danson, Tomlimn, C. R. Rawlins. Hut chison, Gill, Hornby, Dougilas, Duckworth, Chilton, Tennant, King, Hall, 3. Beehner, and lic den. t the request The secretary, Mr. R. Trowson, read, a,. of the chairman, the eirearr convening The meeting also the report of the council for The 'half-year. The following is the REPdIIT The council cannot but the present year have, by ettra attention of parliament, prevented the consi the politic the changes of aost exclusive ation of several nd othe lion and Improvment of I.ltt Bankrupt i the nstance of the principal chmnbers of co :commercial associations of the cot Julia Russell had taken tharge,, been read a second time in the !lons to he referred, together with a similar _ and Creditor Bill,) browght 'from the House of Lorc select committee, when the dissolution Of ,parliament threw both measures into aberanae. Your council, however, trust that in the next Fes. sion'ithe bill, supported by this chamber, will have the advantage a 'being introducelLos a government nd of which Lord witlitmrsvn aftc and ordered he Debtor o a measure. Nothing vet has been done towards further promoting the Partnerships Registration the United Kingdom Writs' Bill, or the amendment of the law relating - to foreign debtors, in favour of which this chranber has repeatedly expressed its stration of Partra rr.r.sure still uncle xliscussion in the mercantile world, and upon which some dif ference of opinion prevails. The Manchester Chamber of Commerce took the initiative in its promotion; and your council willingly await, for he present, any further action relative thereto. Some difference of opinion i! propriety of making the writs c United Kingdom ser4-able in ect council, thoup also still prevalent as to the all the superior courts of the y part of the kingdom. Your pate , some inconvenience from such a Practice at first, are,foavreTer, strotr,ly disposed to greater rapidity, -efficiency, :ration of justice, and to r rxtl-distinctions no The required reform in the Law of Foreign Debtors, whereby a reasonable degree of security 'may be given by law for debts incurred by foreigners having moTeale property in this coun try, and this simply by extending to the whole 'kingdom local laws already prevailing throughout Scotland and in many of the older towns of England, has already rceeive4 the approval .of the principal chaMbers of commerce, and may be expected to become law whenever the attention of parliament shall be properly directed to the subject. 'HE TRANSFER OP PROPERTY Thi mercial Law Committee, an( Rest having been presented to here be further referred to. regret the delay, the more especially as it he Com- degree, to the serious indispos eolieague, Mr. Edward Heath. his matter I EMBERS OF Tll CIIIASTERI Your couneilare happy to report that, duriug 'the preset' ar,thirty-eiglktadditional members have joined the chamber d they are in hopes that, before the close •of the year, this nent of the ensu in&ifailudl members trveinselves; personally, to enlist new be a great asiistance to them if of would :do likewire ; for it must be borne hi rovrtiou to the!cniarged constituency of the chamber its increased:elf/dell' mu'. influence. • 'Slit SALT CHAMBER OF commaiew. . . that, in pro- 'This is an asaociation which has recextlfbeeivest ist Liverpool, its peculiar furctions being t geed promote an extensive branch of trade—th - - r dr opinion that its interests Shp ,ur council; but as there is no o'ih.vitc a deputy from it, except 'z watch ove it trade meeting, yonreinmeil bars of 1941.1/aloe be it :l4s ,T le h . o to re ;gi w v m e t a h n e ot m h limits the width of. carts, &c., employed in conveying traffic e e e r t nt in a g tt g rr through the town to raven fee six inches. Your council have L informationwwhich chlie resp ecting now to report that the bill has become la. , ; its operation , , .. .might refer, giving powcy tolhe rown Council to suspend the clause of the aim - lough at had never yet qsecn brought before the above act - which proscribed that limit fora period of seven years canna. ille alluded to the cc - uNtion of the import fro:tittle passing (tithe amendment act. duties fame, Urge number of cniall articles, which, con- V,I.TERATION OF THE LAWS. .. . Your council tave found it necessary, forthe. 'more efficient tvibutmgonly a very small EIIITIL to the revenue, had a' working of the boo rd, to suggest a further amendment of the the -same -time the effect of .yrt arding to a great e constitution and .laws as respects the term df office of di- the trade , Of the port. The co, rectors; and thoy beg to recommend an alteraion, giving o rto 'the council (in cases of neer:salty ~) Ito extend the before .the boron 1 le . g i mem ers Frefrodoiotfice:oft.ny one or two directors for one year; and ZUrred ,in the opinion 1.;38. 0%4 on the expiation of such extended term,the new director - which the Chamber of Commerce - tors eleotr.d to fill the place to he vacated by such .. , or .three . - ._ diractors, shall hold office for two years only. and also, that ~.,. lip:, arm that it - -- dr, period elf Office of directors elected to-supply vacancies '..to the :corntry if the imp,. occasioned ! bv resignation, &c., shall only 'extend to the unex- , 'were sreeealed. The -stet pierod term Of the predecessor's office. ---..- i last session rendered it inves before paiiiarnent ; because tween '.the general election therefore he (the chairm-ar ucstior and the L duty of pot )1e to I - e question mt as they wt,Te ,11 , 7 W arrived aln time wheat, as the Chamcellor of the LExcl them, he would hive to bring forwari tengive change in our system of to :the next session of parl'iament council 00,000 Liverpoc .nwards w of the bled to chambe of M in any benefit c ars hac old Tic hoped with ernmer h in th )perly re- ild be repre paw is considered ;dv .ble, shOuld the -ehaniber'con resolution to the present -meeting, autho to do so. It is with mutt pleasure - that repeat the obligations they are under to the mem br the borough and the socthern ditislaa eir kind_ co-operation in promoting the views of the chamber, Trent of Wil deprives the they trust si tens of impol am Brown, Esq., late member for the cow i of his valuable parliamentzry services; 1 to:be favoured with his aid and -advice in r anee brought before them. The CHAIRMAN then rose, and at the eeinmencemerrt of his remarks, >said that it would have afforded the le present mee l,inhfieonl»7i an interest, and which they had endeavoured to pro . r, ure, had received the assent of par- mote in liament awl become law ; but in consequence of tt, political changes which had taken place during the past year, they had net been able to bring many of those measures under the notice of the house. The fault, however, had not been theirs, but was owing to circumstances over which they had no eontrol. One of the most important of these measures was that relating to the consolidation of the bankruptcy laws. That question had received the most patient consideration of the commercial body, both here and in otherparts 9f the kingdom; and after the most thorough investigation of the whole question, a bill had been agreed upon which Lord John Russell had undertaken to bring before the notice of parliament, and this bill contained several clauses introducing some valuable improvements in the law relating to commerce. There was, in the course of the discussion which took place on the measure, some differences between the various chambers of commerce in the country and the commercial bodies in London ; but those differences had been removed, and the bill, which had now been pre sented, had received the unanimous sanction of the whole of those bodies. They still hoped that Lord John Russell would continue to take charge of the bill in the coming session of parliament, and that it would receive all the weight which would attach to it as a government measure, and thus be afforded the greater certainty of being carried into effect. Amongst legislative measures which had been held in sus pense, in consequence of the inability of parlia ment to take them up, were the United Kingdom Writs' Bill, and the law relating to foreign debtors. The chamber still considered them questions of im portance, and would be prepared to give them their support when they came before the House. There had been considerable difficulties in bringing bills of this nature before the House, and Mr. Horsfall had expreesed his desire to have the assistance of some legal members of the - House, whose knowledge of commercial laws would enable them to meet the objections which were so frequently raised. If the services of some such legal member of the House could be secured, there would be much less difficulty in carrying such measures through the House. At present, the only parties who might be able to be possessed of this information were the law Officers of the Crown, and they were generally so much engaged in the business of government that they were altogether unable to attend to them. He had no d ou bt Mr. Ewart would bear him out that it was desirable to the other hcrever th I, they endeavoure :o enlist :e of such gentlemen. Another question •of equal importance was the bill for the sale of agricul tural produce by weight. This bill was introduced by Mr. McCann, and the chamber believed that it would meet with the unanimous support of all parties in the House. The objects of the bill were so obviously bene ficial and useful, that he did not think there would be any opposition to it ; but during the late session, in consequence of the pressure of business, the bill was withdrawn. The measure, however, would again be in troduced next session, and this council proposed to intro duce a clause into the bill, to which Mr. McCann had agreed. This clause provided for the multiplies and divisions of 100 lbs., and would be a great advantage to many trades. It would also materially facilitate the use of the rental, which was now in use in the corn trade, and would enable all parties to sell by decimal divisions of 100 lbs., which at present they could not do legally. If such a clause should be adopted, it would eventually lead to the use of decimal weights altogether. The council had had applications from othe.. chambers of commerce for their co-operation in other matters relat ing to the general interests of trade. The Bombay Chamber of Commerce had applied to them to support the memorial which they had addressed to Lord Stanley, remonstrating with them for levying import duties with out giving notice to the merchants. The chamber viewed the question in this light :—They concluded that the government wanted the money, and could not do without it ; but the matter was one of very to write to the Bombay government, asking them if the money could not be raised without indiscriminately levying import duties to the injury of trade; and he hoped they would be able to propose some means by which the money could be raised from other sources, without injuring the resources of commerce. The chamber had also had communications from the River Plate respecting the differences between the Argentine Confederation and the Buenos Ayres Government. The government had promised to send a representative there to bring about a more settled state of things. The trade to that country was large, and depended upon a continu- ante of peace there. lae therefore hoped that the remon strances of our agent there would be successful, and enable had occupied the attention of the chamber was the state of the law with reference to collisions at sea. The chamber had had this subject brought before them in consequence of a case with which they_ were, no doubt, in which one vessel ran down another. It appeared that in this case the restrictions of• the Merchant Shipping Act did not apply to foreign property; so that the owners of the Tuscarora, being a foreign vessel, were not only liable for the ship and freight, but for the whole amount of damage to the property thus injured. This was felt to be a great injustice and an anomaly, and the chamber suggested that the law on this sub- ship should be placed in the same position as a foreign vessel, and subject to the same liability. The chamber were of opinion that it would have the advantage, as in this country, of limiting the liability. The American law was founded on our own ; and it might reasonably be supposed that any law by which British ships were placed on the same footing as foreign, would induce the American Government to return to s in oth the post-office in Liverpool-=on which the chamber felt a great interest—was still an open question. The change of government had interfered with the final settlement of the matter; but he was aware that the present Chancellor of the Exchequer had promised to give a speedy answer to the council, and they might reasonably conclude that on an early day it would be finally decided. He understood that it was the intention of the excise to carry on their department in the same building AS fhnt uy11.."1, :4 - c , --. ....,...., .• 11.11 . Wt. proposed to allow the post-office ; and should that be the case, it would doubtless be a great public advantage, and beneficial to commerce ; because, the fact of having all these establishments under one roof, would give USAGES AND CUSTOMS OF TRAM great commerce A facilities for carrying on the trade a n d • A standing co mm i ttee of your council has been appointed to of the town. There was a question on which a c om= consider sae this question, with the view of codifying the various co-operationacu o s f to t y le ,s in the different tradeel in the port. The mittee was appointed at the last half -yearly meeting, ,ximmercial associations has been invited, and your council trust they may succeed in the object. which had not yet done anything, but he hoped that m future its labours would result in something advan- SALE OF GRAIN •"•.'" "-- ' tageous to the trade of the port. It was in xeference to Your council presented , ....C, aILI. (CENTAL.) in favour of this 1311, a petition to the House of Commons for f the sale of grain,f the town. They knew that avoirdupois, the ger, - &c., by the pound ton of 2,000 lbs. ; 1,,t„ 0 with the suggestion that a measure ' 201b5., the eental of 100 llis., and the hould be createdof 1 the period between the cental t t h h e e r c e u h st a o d m b s e en and considerable us misunderstandings rospect eso sATing, however, to the kJ , lbs • mg it, which had led to legal proceedings. If there was some and ton being considered to " to those usages it would be well, for it shortness of the eessi T O li n,Eth CA e l 7) Vl. ffl. 4 ew lT a. E ls. STlON. drawn. digest well for them= ~ .ented to the chamber, in February L to make such arrangement as would work Mr._ would ' enable persons p u e p rs a o s ns who were strangers to these usages TOM ,d. into parliament, having for its 'obje4 selves, as well as for the trade of the port. , yerpool sanitary Act of 1854, Which 1 linson had taken the matter tip, and perhaps he would or council repe bill without the mt the interests of commerce being sa bill has, however, passed; but you] •eccivcd a copy of it, they are unable er of their petition has been conceded Since the report I a bill has been intro the amendment of the I Itentia reportupon it is prepared ; but, the council, its contents cannot In this instance your council ion of their much respected On this subject an elaborate report (torching the law as declared in the case of the Tuscarora) has been prepared by the commercial law committee, and, after careful and repeated consideration by your council, has been made public. Copies of this report have been placed in the hands of the chief law officers of the crown, and have been sent to all the principal chambers of commerce and commercial associa tions in the kingdom, inviting an expression of opinion on the subject. The report embraces everything in the facts of the case decided upon, and in the state of the law in this country and in the United States of America, and in the other chief maritime countries of the world, necessary to found an opinion as to the extraordinary anomalies and the grievous injustice incidental to the law as it stands, and the steps neces sary to obviate this for the future. It has elicited from the American Chamber of Commerce in Liverpool, and from the Chambers of Commerce of Manchester and Glasgow, the ex pression of opinions entirely in accordance with those of your council. And your cannel have also received from the Cham ber of Commerce of Hamburg a similar expression of concur- atement of the German law on the companied by and an abstract of the olutions already agreed to 'or the by a commission of eminent jurists now assembled express purpose of framing a comprehensive code of mercan tile law for all Germany. Your council trust that when the ment can be obtained for this subject, a speedily made for placing Englisi bef Lttention of the govern- nents will be ,nd foreign vessels, as well 'ore our own courts and those of other countries, on an equal .nd equitable footing. Such members of the chamber as desire to have copies of the report referred to can be supplied with them upon application to the secretary. ABOLITION OP TEE muss: Yoßr council are still in communication with government and other chambers of commerce for obtaining, if possible, the abolition of this company; but at present they cannot re- The subject brought before the chamber by the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, being of a similar nature to the pre ceding one, is referred to the same committee, who are mak ing inquiries into it with the view of ascertaining whether it is one on which the council can take action in refer ence to their abolition ; but the committee has not yet been .ble to present any report Upon the application of a committee of merchants at Buenos Ayres, and of members of the chamber, your council placed themselves in communication with the Foreign Office, solicit ing the interference of government for the protection of British interests in the River Plate, in the event of hostilities breaking out between Buenos Ayres and the Argentine Confederation. Members of this chamber also joined a deputation to Lord John Russell. They report that government have promised to take such steps as may be necessary for that purpose. THE REGULATIONS AFFECTING THE IMPORTATION OF SALT INTO ND THE RECENT AUGMENTATION OF THE INDIA: INDIA, TARIFF OF MPORT DI7TIES, Still occupy the attention of the committees to whom these matters have been referred ; but your council have not yet re ceived their report. POSTAL West India Mails Your council joined th Dundee Cha ber in memorialising the Postmaster-General to make such changes in the departure of the steamers carrying these mails, as would admit of replies to letters by the inward mails being forwarded by the outgoing packet, which, hitherto, has usually left England a day or two before the arrival of the home ward mail. By adopting an arrangement of this kind, a fortnight, and in some cases a month, world be saved in the correspondence. The reply received by your council is to the effect that, in consequence of a recent contract with the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, such an acceleration of the mails will be made as will enable the merchants of Liverpool and other distant towns to receive their correspondence, and to reply to it before the despatch of the next outgoing packet. Your council have also suggested to the postal authorities the advantage that would accrue by the adoption, on board But it appears tnere are amenities which prevent it at pre sent. The council is assured by the Postmaster-General that the . Weibject will not be lost sight of ; in the meantime they will ebntiaue to give their attention to it. ..,Th. recent changes in the government have oc cas i one d some furtb delay in deciding upon the site for the new Po s t- o ffi ce ; but a far as your council , have been able to ascertain, they 3ale:street CLEARANCE INWARDS AND LIEN FOR FREIGHT DILL. measure giving power to owners and masters of vessels if neglected by the importer, and a lien o, power of sale, if the have r to enter goods, on them - for charges ineurrea ; goods are not claimed within a given time, was in troduced by government during the first session of this year's parliament. Owing, however, to the change in government, the bill was not proceeded with ; but it has been examined by your council, and approved of. Several alterations have also been suggested by other associations, which were submitted to your council, calculated to render the measure more effective,bo which your council have likewise given their The bill will, no doubt, be again int r od uce d next Year, .en it will receive tire best consideration of your hoard. 'EW SCALE OF RATES FOR DOS PORTERAGE On the invitation of the Mersey Dock and harbour Board, your council referred this matter to one of the sanding com mittees, who gave full attentio 1 to it ; but seeing that the other commercial associations had already furnished the Dock Board with special reports on the subject, your council merely comma tneir reply to a rccommenaauon teat tee_ Dock Board should direct their attention to the difference between the rates charged for dock porterage in the docks, connected with the warehouses of the board, and those prescribed to the master - ler docks, with a view to their assimilation as porters at the nth far as practicable, TOWN PORTERAGE RATES. Your council have considered the desirableness of taking steps for the purpose of procuring a revision and authorisation of the scale of rates for porterage unconnected with the dock but as they understand the local authoritic the subject, further action has been d what proceedings may be taken are considering c application of the iES PAID TO LABOUR:MS, &C. statistical department of the he wages paid to labour •ed a farti employed in res -or the town for the last ived the thanks of that board. those trades that your council tion thus collected, and which ^1 •equired annually, and will, of erest to all parties concerned ; I attention of your hat, with the com- 'aunts will be duly T LANCAST E RAILWAYS ,ras as will 1 :ed to monopoly. )uneil not having 3 say whether the -he hop( numerous small articles, an •v which yielded such a small xovenuc,would co .dutic council, with the view of being la were maw paid, but the aggregate air arising from them did not exceed £750,( remaining twenty-one articlesto Contrihut It was thus clear that the restrictive dtttiE articles might tid the ae remittk. doubttthat the trade of the ( 1 by the removal of the restrictions, inasu 1 would ibe a greater demand for labour, ani try would of great impOrtalie'e to a plat seeing that both the import and E 1 was increasing o rapidly a return of the House of Coninao Horsfail, that the import trade 2 rom Liwrix And it was the same with the tannage ; for i spect we were second only to London, the differ very small, and only 47,600 tons short of Lot had no doubt Liverpool would soon not only first place in exports, but also in tonnage, I and outwards, and would be in realit port in the world. He felt, therefore, ti representative of the Chamber of Commere, port was indeed a great honour. There wei aid not at present belong to the Chamber of because they felt that they had no direct int But this was taking a very short-sighted vii Commerce of the commnnity without 6( acting on every individual amongst us ; every mercantile firm in the port ought to the association, the chamber would be E effect a great deal more than it ever yet had was true that they had closed the business of without getting into debt ; but if they ha( or £4OO more in subscriptions, they might greater advantages They might have an extensive library when an they had now only a small one. Such a libra - ry wou be the means of giving informtion on the n items of commerce, bt at home and abroad ❑clusion, t referred to the valuable services which th had received from the two borough members, from their late county member, Mr. Willia There was nothing which the council mo regretted than losing the valuable service Brown. He had been a moss devoted men council, and his high standing on commercial had given him great weight and influenc question thah •he had : ever taken in h lioped that, although Mr. Brown had 'rot public life, yet he would give the chamber th, tfie valuable experience which for so many been extended to them. (Hear, hear.) He mi same of both Mr. Horsfall and Mr. Ewart ; b case,rather than acknowledge favours past,tb ey them for favours to come. (Laughter.) Tb wouldstill rely upon them for the same valuabl, which in times past they had given ; and tt council might tax their efforts, and engage their time, he hoped they would feel that they acting with the chamber in promoting the coma of commercial improvements, Mr. J. C. EIVART, M.P., moN port. In moving the adoption of this rep( press his regret that, owing to t -- ment, and the change of ministe place, a great many practical mean through during the last session. So far as th( s which of CoMmons Wns concerned, he could r with the remark which had been made b that House, Sir Frain member of saying bad House of Common that House, he had no hes that it was one of the best ne. In that From his ea for a considerabh mous might be he did not know ; but when it again met, he should be able to pr some practical measures, and make up fo. time. IVith reference to the report, perhaps, most important things was the bankruptcy- la been brought in by Lord John up, and referred to a special committee to con( changes ; and he hoped when parliament n that the bill, which would probably againbe a select committee, would be tak( and dealt with as Lord John Russel their measure ; and if not 't il, which he did not think I the press of business, by the Attorney-Gen who was well known to be a sincere an reformer of the law. There was ano portant thing alluded to in tt the United Kingdom Writs' Bi great difference of opinion on the question never been able to see why, in this coil There v kingdom—a writ which was serviceable in the country should not be serviceable in anoth did hope that that would be one of the pract sures which they would be able to accomplis As the chairman had very pr( next session marked. th, well be taken up by commercial men like himself, al Mr. Horsfall, and others. They were questions more legal persons ; and he hoped they would be t changes in these laws satisfactory to this countx ther question also alluded to was that of at sea. That subject, he believed, would 131 b. by their friend Ar.Danson ken up 1 An collisio] a treat le in this zlish yes- more at certainly appear to him most absurd that whi country a vessel, in case of a collision, filo Ens sel was only liable to the amount of the value of the vessel, or the actual damage done to the vessel, while it appeared that a foreign vessel was not only liable for the value of the ship and freight, but to the unlimited extent of the damage done. That certainly was acc of very great injustice, and , he hoped th e y s h ou ld nev both to the commercial interest of this of every country in the world. He trusted, therefore, that some change would be made in the law that would • America and the vessels of every other equally as it at present applied to British While on this subject, he might allude to 9. motion which was brought forward by Mr. Moncktou 141ilnes, relative to cruelty to seamen, which was seconded by himself. He was sorry to say that though th cases of cruelty w .pply to vessels: more common in American vessels than in ours, it was but due to America to say — and he was sorry to say—that it frequently happened in British ships. One reason why these cases were more common in American vessels was, the difficulty which the American shipowner found in getting fit seamen to navigate ii. .v.....v. , ...... .....v •.....attequenee was, that they often took men who represented themselves as ordinary seamen, and when they got out t o sea, it was found that these men were totally unfit to perform the duties which they had undertaken. In this country, as was well known, they had a com plete and proper jurisdiction shoadfanroa.suriEsdnigelZvweshiaetl: Lumber, WILL 101" tau,_ vessels beyond the port, they j were concerned, but in cases of cruelty in with the bill that had I ais , p l y Jo . 7 . h countries ; and that attended their efforts, ai would have a proper rat not, at all events at some future per , i that some repre- moment, one o'clock. in ever. He hoped in the next session • sentation might be made to , t• , government so as to parliament, Il i/ used in the ExcliaN so. He would sug make some law to when cases of cruelty' • , 4 •0 in this country t h ey adopted thcy should be able, not as . ipresent, simply to hand merchants, and over the party accused • . them,consul, but that b e ma de. At they sho u ld be able t 6 .v. same ' jurisdiction mouths froni'finditis ~,,,, over the offender, and bring hi o justice. Another hear in the report, but w' question, and a very important on • to which the chair- other matters, Watching man had alluded, was the state of hwnos Ayres and loading and unloglincr 5... r. --- ---- the Argentin e C o nfederation. He and his excellent i frequently brouglif before them by mnutte The CHAIRMAN said Mr. MACFIE said a notice in the report way Exchan r ,ae-buildin,gs. ' pains which the chamb, ley we had to, I he he nr,re of off NORTHERN DAILY TIMES. colleague, Mr. Ilorsfall,in-corrr of a ee . p - .station, waited .on Lor ;G the subject, f, ; anxietT to pro an intwric and it .irsettfeme peaking of Lord We Say that he newt me affairs d with so n. his power .vlioni li s of the situat be settl , ther 4:111, flectofl th( ith il7r. 2l; simply p was giN ale of grain irman had few years ago, I 1e did not re :!eted that it nd from t e trust( entirely swept away. 11 for the kind assi.itar with are tiirii ani went, they wouk itherto atTordei Mr. BUSHELL .d to b, d vigilance of He 1, Uommerce ,t lie in fact Those wlij knew such bodies 1 to t try, tit er that support to which to yield. He would not )y the el ZOVerri the (In( Tat ntim nmerei hey st might safe Evart, and ask 'him elation to go coiiaps as would 131 with whiCh weight depended upon th bias, and the .t the public wet port them with all the md he vi but whici which v Lin had be ;e, which was potion. Some tour or live y new office would be finished ; hin o, short time the work id with the si Mr. NOAKES drew Onynr.,+;nri P;11 ,nd said great rce of tr ,ho bill w hers of the Chamber of Commc ceedingly indebte 'or the pains done, and for doi th refer He wa f carts, void, and it w 'ompany to pay th ;itled ti It matter he ver round hre the plans Imlay with other members .d John Rttssell in refe- ohn Bissell, exprc on the same subject was right who h ban Lori A' Mr. Soy and• most he had ever Tr Lt interviews with he Town thought it would greatly..-accelerate the loading and un loading 'of ships if a portable steam engine, suchas is used at present in one of the docks, were used for this purpose in every dock. They did mention in their report the subject of the carriage of goods by some of :our rail ways. The bill passed last session ; and it was reported to them that a petition had been presented. Perhaps thatwas a very modest way of saying it ; but it would have beetibetter if they hudbeenable to say that they had not only presented a petition, but had some committee to watch the petition, and seen that it was successful. The matter had been brought before the Dock Committee by Mr. Forwood ; but the Dock Committee thought it was not their business to attend to the subject of carriage, with regard to the railways. He totally . differed from these gentlemen. lie thought there was no subject that could come beforei them of greater importance, and having more vital effects on their great trust. He would be 7Cer .; exceedingly gratified if their committee would mate the Dock Committee aware that such were their s. He thought it would be desirous to hold the igs of • the chamber more frequently—say a month, or once a quarter—for the per discusging subjects that might be brouglit them as they arose, when parliament was sitting. tided feelingly to the absence of Mr. Heath •, mid sure they all sympathised with him and with his -.feted family,• and he prayed God that the day miglt not be far distant when Mr. Heath would be able to re sume his place amongst them. There was not a more respected citizen amongst them. There, or on the bench, he was a most zealous and painstaking servant of the town. He alluded to another still more painful matter. They had been deprived by providence of the services of a most influential and worthy townsman — he meant Mr. Ilyley, a member of their own board—anti he was sure they all sympathised w ith th ose w h o h a d lost meetin; husband, a father, and a friend. The CHAIRMAN made a few remarks, in reply to Mr. illacfie, with reference to the new Exchange Buildings Uompany, and said the matter was yet in an informal state; but he hoped in a, short time the commercial gen tlemen would come forward and do their duty, and supply the funds, and in a few years he had no doubt they would have such a building in Liverpool as would be adequate for the wants of the community. As to the plans, he had no doubt Mr. Macfie's suggestion would e acceded to Mr. BUSHELL said a special committee had been pointed to see how far it was possible to improve th e I • Z. •1 • receive the best In reply to a member, the CHAIRMAN said the only reason why the chamber discontinued their quarterly meetings was because they did not get a proper attend ance of members, but they were ready at any time to hold their meeting more frequently if anything of im portance was to be discussed small Mr . DANSON, before alluding to the general topics on which he was called to speak, made reference to the cart question, which had been spoken upon by Mr. Nokes, and said if the merchants did not assist the cart owners to fight the battle, at the end of the seven years which was allowed by Parliament to transpire before the act should come into force for lessening the width of ..cze articles - the cart, the carters would not mak e f ur th er o pp os iti on lieve that he bad and the Ala swept swept away the consequence would be that they would have to go back to the old cartage system, which, he said, was insufficient for the requirements of the port. He con tended that it was a merchant's question, inasmuch as they would have to pay more for cartage and porterage if the act came into operation. He then continued to say : As you have heard, the labours of the Law Com mittee have been in no degree lighter than usual, but they have not been very successful in producing actual legislation. This, however, has arisen, as the report states, from circumstances over which we have had no their great thank brays received fro read the ost satisfy ;ly a subject of Breal control. The measures which have engaged our atten tion have been, in every instance, such as a Chamber of Commerce not only may, with propriety, but is bound, by the very purposes of its existence, to promote. They are all amendments of the law called for by the pro gress of commerce, and by the increase of that freedom and facility of communication which commerce so much promotes and needs. The Bankruptcy Bill is a great measure. The bill supported by this chamber amounts in fact, to a consolidation of working land how abs 11 the existing- laws of bankruptcy and insolvency, and a remoulding of it in accordance with the spirit and the wants of the time. It is too large a measure to be carried in haste, o r w ith ou t _ nn any single ses introduced by Lord Bent member Mr 'hey w John Russell, and has already been read a second time in the House of Commons. The dissolution of Parliament alone prevented it being referred to a Select Committee ; and we may consider that the measure is now sure to be amply enquired into, and fully discussed at an early date. Then there are the twin measures, called the United Kingdom Writ' Bill and the Judgments' Execution Bill. It doe absurd, and . it is undoubtedly inconvenient, that at this period of our history the United Kingdom is, as to the ad -4 cfr+ .4- tb , 1- ernment and the n their power., The were free from all cal men to make ministration of tne iw of debtor and creditor, not one kingdom, but three kingdoms. In London, in Edinburgh, and in Dublin, are three sets of superior courts, each paramount in its own locality, but powerless out of it. If your debtor live in Scotland, you must sue him there, for he is not bound to obey the summons of an English court ; and so with Ireland. So much for the first proceeding ; the writ of summons if you sue your debtor where he lives, and obtain judg ment, you cannot execute the judgment; as against his property, unless the property be also there. Mr. Crawfurd has gallantly pushed forward the Judgments' Execution - But even Bill in three successive sessions; and - has as often been defeated by a combined Irish opposition. He has done all that a private member can do ; and now declines to do any more. And unless public opinion can be moved so as to act upon the Government more strongly than the fear of losing Irish votes on a political division, the measure must, we fear, be left where it is—that is to say, with ample proof that it ought to pass, but no sufficient power to urge it through Parliament against an interested opposition. The United Kingdom Writs' Bill has not yet been got into print ; but the case in its favour is still stronger. As to the execution of judgments, we are about as much separated from Ireland and Scotland as we are from France or Belgium ; but as to the service of writs, we are much more so. A recent act, in amending. our common law proceedings, has made provision for defen dants avoiding process by going abroad ; but th e amend ment was not extmded to persons going to either of the sister kingdoms. The next measure is that proposed as to foreign debtors. llost of the old commercial towns of England, as London, Bristol, and Exeter, have power to detain the property of a foreign debtor about to quit the king dom, in order to enforce security for the amount claimed ; and the same right exists throughout Scot lan2. It is also exercised, freely, as against British sub atries. Why it should not also t the United Kingdom, is a question to which we are at a loss to conceive a reasona able answer. When it was discussed here, before Lord .1 - *hn Russell, sitting as chairman of the Law Section of the Social Science Association, he bore testimony to the value attached to the right by his constituents of Lou- don, and agreed that it — ouglit to be extended to the whole kingdom. We have published a full report on the whole subject. It is now, we conceive, quit e r i pe f or • • iscussion in it does not seem likely political interest so strong as to compel the attention of the Government. The transfer of property in goods upon purchase is a topic of precisely similar character. It derives its interest from the fact, that the law of England and that of Scotland differs so far as to give, in many instances, an entirely different effect to a made in the same terms, according to the legal made. after the close union: l o'r rather amalgamation, which has now been established between the affairs. of -ies, cannot but be deemed wrong. rtow e matter is still under the consideration of the gild so cannot be finally dealt with at topic,, on which I need make any two county committee presen remark, is the collision of vessels at sea. rio state of the law in this and other countries, and the mature of the hardships it is apt to entail upon shipiiwners, are fully stated in a report lately published by the chamber. The case against the law is shortly this—ln this and other maritime countries it has long been deemed just to limit the liability of a shipowner for the acts of the crew in damaging Other vessels by collision, to the value it give the benefit of our law to a naencedssaitrsy to o cc d ru ec i i n d g e w f h r e e t igh er t. the ß o u ou t On the technical ground that, rts applied to foreigners, they uf h o d ofn a has lete h ih r so i e is s s c o e u o n c T li y apn iobtvsrweshyeni aren' ship and ar n. specifically., cannot be so applied by the judges, and that the Mer chant Shipping Act does not mention " foreign " vessels in its 506th section, it has been decided that before our courts a foreign shipowner incurs an unlimited liability. Of course the same rule would tell against British shipowners before the courts of other countries. And as all countries are agreed that the liability should be limited, it is proposed that art of ti that th lestion ) in the repor bill whi, •sal satis• Wher t by wei,c onestion of a red their COMMU- very z here v from apathy or •ed, would corn( .d dealt with, and of Liver- the chamber by any !cts which had been and by Mr. Ewart and that w on would in- ar.) 7 They kneW 1 uydn the present ispire before the not begun so accumulated on m a pc Id arise to the ,f sever non with the mem- were ex- ler (lir( was not wrons but which .hey were not en should be looked r consideration ct which he did not important one of the all indebted for the gard to thi ey were satisfied Lethat by it they He saw at that cial lights being ht not to be were to the usefill suggestions might its, it would shut their Anyther subject he did not 1_ he believed they were, with he system a It had beer Mr, Forwood. .pro- AUGUST 30, 1850. ' our Government arrange for a mutual and equitable. enforcement of the law of e ac h coun try in the courts of every other. I might n ow s it d own; but I think I ought not to do so without referring to a reason for the slow progress of our proposed amendments of the law, already stated by our President. The members of Par; liament, upon whom alone we have claims for specl'," attention—those for the borough and the southern din sion of the county—not being lawyers, labour under the disadvantage of being una bl e t o con t en d with effect', with the objections urged by lawyers either inde pendently or on behalf of the Government. This t difficulty does not admit of a n i mme di a t e remedy ; it may be met in part by a grea t er degree??'?ion;"ll ?? ' ? ion between the Chambers of Commerce of the kingdom, is the active promotion of measures desired by all of then?. To this end we should lose no opportunity of communi: cation with such bodies upon such topics; and with tills view, it will probably be deemed advisable by th e Council, to send one or two deputies to the law section of the approaching Social' Science meeting, at Bradford,. The CHAIRMAN said they had received an invitat i l from Bradford, and it would be submitted to the Inc at its next meeting. The resolution was then put and carried. Mr. GILL then moved the following resolution That the recommendation of the council, to the effect Lao, power be given to the council to extend th e term of office O r one or two retiring directors for one year ; and that on thc piration of such extended term, the new director or direc t° o f elected to till the places to be vacated by such Ie directors, shall hold office for two years only ; and also to . effect, that the period of office of directors elected to suPlr o vacancies occasioned by resignation, &c., shall only est en A ,fe the unexpired term of the predecessors' office • be and cl hereby adopted, and that the Constit u ti on an d laws' be alt er accordingly. I ofit Mr. DANSON seconded the motion, and said wit.' „ r some such regulation there would be a difficulty 11 "',, the present circumstances of carrying on the operatics' of the council. Mr. RAWLINS moved that the Salt Chamber of Co rti i i merce be written to to send a deputation to the ca ne of that chamber. The resolution was seconded and carried unanim°' The CifAinmAN moved a vote of thanks to the b; rough members of parliament for their kind assist° in all matters brought before them. Mr. EWART briefly returned thanks, and concladed by moving a vote of thanks to the chairman. t h i r The CHAIRMAN returned thanks, and the wee then separated. POLICE COURT. YESTERDAY. [Before Mr. PRESTON.] THE POLICE FORCE.-Arthur Steward, a P e x lic , e ; officer, was charged with h av i ng . assaulted police - oni 763. Mr. Cobb defended. The p r i soner w as on d u ; on Saturday, and left off at el even o ' c l oc k on the ra0.01., ing of that day. Soon after leaving Seel-street stain he was met by superintendent Rimmer, who, belle`, l ,; o him to be drunk, requested him to get into a cab gad 01 home. Prisoner refused, say inn he was quite capau o ff taking care of himself, and moreover he Wa s , r e. duty, and the superintendent h a d no - r i g ht t o inter l ' e to , Mr. Rimmer called office r 763, and he endeavour eu do put him into a cab, but h e resisted, and then assault was committed th a t f orme d th e matter of plaint. He was then taken to bridewell. said that neither the c om pl a i nan t nor the supe riutead e an had any right to interfere with the prisoner. %h e r oe had been two years in the force, and had hitherto b e „, 0 an excellent cha rac t er . H e h a d b een i n b r id elv ell s' th e eleven o'clock on S a t ur d ay un til t h at morning, 3511.0, bridewell-keeper had refused to take bail for fa t, Bridewell-keeper Hutchison co n fi rme d thi s statelL'. o r and chief su p er i n t en d en t Q u i c k sa id t h a t .31 3 r, Greig had ordered that bail should be taken. hid" Preston said it was a case o f great h ar d s hi p. Ile ,00 self sat until two on Saturday afternoon, and the i or e might have been disposed of by bringing him I)e ri o him, and not locked up for two n i g ht s . - The 516 might, at way rate, have been - admitted to bail. prisoner must be discharged. Da l NODDY CLARK'S SPARRING Rocoys.—Jo..n b ,,‘ and James Edwards were charged with having r ° „tor one Thomas Lowry of five sovereigns. The proseetbef met the two prisoners on Friday evening last, and , f Def wentinto variouspublic-houses and had some drink. 1 ,0 ultimately went to Nobby Clark's sparring-rook!; , p h iP the prosecutor and a ma t e w h o was a l ong With A O began to spar. Prosecutor was knocked dolyil , Edwards lifted him up, put his arms round .lils and immediately left the room. Duffy then f 3 ,: i ot i that the left-hand pocket was'torn out, Lowry if his money was all right, when it 'Ca' - 0 5 sovereigns gone. Duffy was given into custody, oc e Edwards was afterwards apprehended near the Cl 3r j e te Dock. Mr. Black appeared for Edwards, and Tot voured to show that the prosecutor was drunk, he had lost his money before going to Clark's ; I ' o o he contended that Clark's house was one of the b ell d'sreputable in Liverpool, and that he might have, robbed by other persons there. Edwards was e j. mitted to the sessions for trial, and Duffy diseharg 0 -4 AN OLD DODGE.—llagh O'Neal was charge'ds stealing from a lad in the street twenty-five P ir iiiieft linen, value 245. 9d. The prisoner purchased th e ~d A at 151, Scotland-road, and asked the owner' to s'et i lad along with him and he would pay him.. The lac 1 the linen, and was told not to deliver it until W i g' received the money. When they reached aj u ijoe! house in New Bird-street, the man snatched t.li e ,-esr from the lad, ran into the house, and made histal e through the back door. He afterwards plei l f e tri s l linen for 15s. He was committed to the sessions 1' 1 ,07 4 A HEAVY FlNE.—Bernard Miiee, cook ei l l , f ,re, the Canadian screw-steamer Anglo-Saxon, was e..1., 0 i1e` with the following outrageous conduct :—Th3 17)1 1 ' 7 and another man went into the eating-house e 4A tiic Reynolds, Shaw's-brow, about eleven o'clock 09 0 ,Vbil night, and ordered some ham and eggs and tea. ',ofl there he would not sit down, but stood in the 01,t7 sister-in-law . of Mrs. Reynolds. He was asked tY to and the d aside, but refused to do so. He then went 1 0 " parlour, and Mrs. Reynolds told him that that was private, and requested him - to w ithdravr• ot tiog , refused, and knocked Mrs. Reynolds down, c05515t. her ear ; Mrs. Reynolds' sister then went to he r t or ante ; she was also assaulted, knocked down three had her head cut, and her elbow severely bruise' ) I , r. other women were also iil-treated by the prisolteri e e: Bluck defended. There was also a charge of P o t 9t, in s ; to steal Mrs. ReynoMs' watch, but this was n o icl; tamed. His worship, addressing the prisoner/ had committed a most brutal and unprovoked which must not be passed over lightly. He wP ll 'l O to pay a fine of £lO in each ca s e, or b e impris o ,o ' three months ; in all a fine of £2O, or s ix moa t prisonment. STREET ROBBEUT.—Mary Ann Vannan and Hart were charged w ith ro bbi ng one WilliaMA t i t" stone, an engineer, of £1 2s. The woman accostpFosecutor at twelve o'clock on Saturday nig i l t t h 1 1 1 : 9 8 did not wish to enter into any conversation sc i- go cl Pi and told her so. He felt a tug at his pocket/ h - o la h e e found that his money was gone. He caught., t her, and held her until a police-officer came tir o ' 11w,,,; called the man Hart up, and passed the moncY,, to r He was also taken into custody, On his ) 41 %4, tation he said he had only 7s. and some coPPer;l On being searched, f. , s. was found in insid e r and a 'sovereign dropped out from - Both prisoners were committed for trial. n,. PI/11 o t, DEFRAUDING A PUBLICAN.--Ann Moore a "'" I v- a Hughes were charged with defrauding 31 1 ',. 00: if publican, Mann Island, of two shillings. - 11e r ed 11 ;c1 went into Taylor's house on Saturday, and oru e ; o o% a glass of rum. She gave 6d., and Mr. Taybir r n - i iiiilt e a . e , - 41-d. in change. The woman waited a / 811 , - 01 111 V and then said she - had not received her proP e 'i,i ll l, 11 , 0 Mr. Taylor asked her what coin she had give' t; e s she said half-a-crown. He accordingly gav,,e w eed shillings more ; but, being suspicious, he fol" .° „ r isoll`:; into th street. She' was joined by the T nale o i : t o li h r who accosted her thus—" Well, how did you bt ) ":c1 " Oh; I bounced the old fellow out of a couPL e t 4 Then," said Mr. Taylor, " bounce you tl e ' ci I . le . gave both into custody. They were rema"' Wednesday r ies [Before Mr. J. Anciii.] CHARGE OP MURDER ON THE ili4ll SEA S r, Boutille, mate of the American ship Co'r' will` t et brought up on remand, charged with havilg Il e / caused the death of a coloured man, na n '„ c u bhP,, Antonio. The facts have already been fullY r s , are 0 . 0 , in our columns. The leading features of the ea se l C Deceased was a sailor on board the American p oilie d P o ' l , queror,. of which the prisoner was mate. If ° ,' e j ar ig• ship in Havre, and went with her to New 9, 1 ' 1 _ o te ~g t the passage from that port to Liverpool, tn: iegr ee 9 ` oo said to have illused the deceased to such a ton e. „ T it , he died in the Northern Hoipital in 4:)Tis e q- o f the of being brought up yesterday, the depositionsfor_ t o, nesses were read over. Mr. J. B. AsPi. n _ vi itne s ,;(o defence of the prisoner, cross-examined ,tt!sons. butthey did not sustlin the original dep.: sl 4 o le . .ep Bickerton, 'surgeon, was examined on th . ,nat 1 s a h n o d w ga irat it daseathhisreosulpin te i d on, fr t o h m at tohthe•servidthenao, causes. The prisoner was discharged.