The Express.
London, England, 1858-10-14 00:00:00

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR TEE

PROMOTION OP SOCIAL SCIENCE.

(MOW 01.11 OWN RIPOITI/.)

LIVERPOOL, WIDNISDAT.
DEPARTMENT OF JURISPRUDENCE AND
AMENDMENT OF THE LAW.

At half-past ten Lord Brougham, in the abeenoe
of the Lord ceonesuor of inlaid, took the chair fa this dw'
pertment. His lordship stated that, though the Lied Chan-
cellar would not probably arrive before Friday or Saturday,
Os booboo would be at once proceeded with, leaving the
premidaat's address to be delivered on his arrival. Lord
Brougham also announced that he had received buss the
Accountant in Bankruptcy in Boolland his Bret nand re•
port under the new system of the Court of Session,end
that, though ft would not at present be read, It might
he rodherod to by ony members who desired to a-quaint thew
Wyse with It.

Mr. O. lIMITI7OII, the Bsarefiry of the Amu .
seade a verbal report from the Special Committee
as Ileakewesy ered Insolvency, of white he is the
anima& Mr. Mestiags concluded by sere* Ma
fellow* nod •:—.. That, in the opinion of this
elepselmemt. emy aware for the ameademat of boa*.
miry law mild te provide for the following reforms-es
L The bmitafte eif the eceepnestiems sad salaries sow
Amp/ upon Me obese Nader adjudication to the cancer
dated had. 2. A dineinalisa of the satire cast of the souk
by a inform in the mode of administering judos thsreht. &
The esuolidation of the statute law relating to twakrepter
sad inewlvemey under a single jurisdiction; the abolitioa of
the allied= in the administration of the estates of laud-
vent leaden and wen-traders ; and the winding up in beak-
replay of the Maine of dissemmi insolvents. 4. To give all
due braities fee mastery seethensate, and provide for their
resietration in load worts. 1. To assimilate proesediap to
alert, as far as possible, to those of • settlement out of court.
IL To provide greeter local fivAlities for the administration
ef
JThs
la baniumptey."
adeplien el the motion was seconded by Mr. Brown,
BUTZ, of OS Likarpool Chamber of Commerce. He cow-
piaesbi
Me esismittee who had drawn up the bill upon
the swearery with which it bad been framed, aamediag to the
resedations adopted by the Birmingham Conference. Oros
of the good things of the present day was the evident eager-
UM with which these in authority listened to the suggestions
of those interested to the measures about to be submitted to
parliament, and this bill he hoped would, by its adoption,
show the inflames of the middle classes, whose bill it
essentially was, and they were moat deeply interested in its
provisions.
Mr. RATXII, secretary of the Huddersfield Chamber of
Cesmerce, be supporting the resolution, amid that the Lord
Chancellor's Bill really contained little or nothing new, and
that its surto= clause were to be found in existing bilis. He
west at some heath into the comparative merits of the two
bills, owl perdembely dwelt upon the necessity of satiefyiag
the great want which existed for prolsetion &rebut the frauds
of the trustees of assignments. There were several schemes
propped for the improvement of the Bankruptcy Court, but
unquestionably their own bill wan the beet.

Kr. Ltor u, banker, of Birmingham, said that they (the
trading community) knew too well the arils of the system at
mast in operation, and It would be well if noble and hon.
sawbws of parliament were as fully acquainted with them.
He them gave the statistics of the expense of administering
in bankruptcy, from which it appeared that daring three
years the average expense amounted foe the whole kingdom
to 45 per cent. In the apeekar'• own town (Birmingham)
the practice and the decisions of the Bankruptcy Court were
constantly regarded with contempt and indignation. The
attendance of the commissioner was only 85 days during the
year, and even w►en he was present he seldom remained for
moo than two hours. Tbo bottoms was almost entirely tolli
. . _ .

Y the - of the registrar of the omit., a most psalsewOrthy
ewer. The latter examined the certificates, strung them
se a fie, and the oommiseioner when he next attended pared
ems all In a batch without knowing anything about then
beyoed what the registrar thought proper to tell him. The
allowances to bankrupts, pending adjudication, was a trues-
lion of great importance, am sometimes they were moat extra-
vegant, and in one 'Wanes he knew of a bankrupt who wee
receiving no less than eight guineas a week oat of an estate
which ultimately produced no assets. As the law stood at
present It offered great inducements for fraudulent bankrupts
to cheat their meditate, and consequently, the national cha-
racter, sad the reputation of the British merchant, were at
slake

TM madon was also briefly supported by Mr. Whitwell,
*CUM BdNol Chamber of Commerce ; Mr. Lepton, of the
Lauds Climber of Cameros ; and Mr. Darlington, of the
Bradford Chamber of Cameros.

Yr. RTI.ANDS, of Birmingham, said that the making of a
Mae declaration should be puniabable as perjury ; and he
also exprompod his beget that it this bill were adopted It would
maim the Bankruptcy Court positively attractive.

Kr. JOWITT, of Leeds, was not so sanguine so to rumors
(like the lest speaker) that the court would become attractive.
He had es yet failed to learn from any of the preceding
speakers whet would be the probable expense in adjudicating
ender the provisions of the new bill.
A Voter—lt will be 16 pm oent.
Mr. Jowarr, in continuation, said that even if It were
only 16 per cent., he still thought that the court would not
be attractive enough to make it prefrrAble to private settle-
ments.

Mr. 131441N0T0N, secretary of the West Riding Trade
Protection Society, impressed his approval of the bill, and
hoped that a permanent committee would be appointed to
promote its passage through parliament,
Mr. LILLTMAN, president of the Liverpool Guardian
Society, stated that the society he repreeented entirely
approved of and concurred in the carioca provisions of the
MIL

➢fr. Moons thought that it would be an improvement if
the creditors were allowed to elect two aasigneee, and that
frees theca the Chancellor should have the power to nominate
the oilers' imagoes for the estate. He thought it would be
mare gessray satisfactory if the two bills were anal-
pneded.

After a reply from Mr. flaernics, during which he said.
that the committee had most carefully framed their measure
with a view to compel periodical amounts and to provost any
large sum remaining in the hands of the creditors' assignee.
he moved two other resolutioca—ona to the effect that the
Liquidation Bill iatroduced by the Lord Chancellor failed to
meet the requirements mentioned in the first resolution ; and
another, expressing the approval by the department of the
Bankruptcy and Ineolvcncy Bill, premised by the 'pedal
committee appointed by the emematka at its last minaq
meeting, and introduced Mee the Rome of Common by
Loed John Russell, and leassameding the ameeistics to ft-
&avow to obtain its esselment m a law with any meal.
onions and improvement. that may be found desirable.
Mr. Lynne seconded one resolution, and Mr. Dovronto,
vice.preeldent of the Birmingham Chamber of Corammee,
the other, and both were carried unsulamody.
A truceeediog resolution, moved by Mr. Brarnstos and
esuonded by Mr. BISSINOTON, was also adopted, to the sleet
that the emaciation be recommended to eppaint a general
I committee on mercantile legislation, °instituted similarly le
the ;petal committee on bankruptcy appointed last yew,
each c nominee to be charged with the are of the bill.
After en interval of half an hour the apartment proceeded
to the reeding of papers.