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

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 with those who had 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 the
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 make further opposition
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, or without
_
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 -4cfr+.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 the 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, quite ripe for
• •

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:lo'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
occdrueciindge
wfhreetighert.theßouout
On the technical ground that,
rts
applied to foreigners, they
ufhodofna has
letehihrsoieissscoe
uoncTliyapn
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