The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-01-29 00:00:00

MEMINQ--YESTERDAY.

The deputation invited by the Law Amendment Society
to oon!er with them relative to the present state of the
mercantile law, resumed its sittings yesterday morning, at
Willis's Rooms, King street, St. James's; presided over by
Lord Broughal, Amongst those present were Lord Stanley,
Messrs, C. Russell, Liverpool ; C. IL Phillips, B. Wells,
and a. T. Hassell. president of the Chamber of Commerce
of. Hull • ' IL Brown, Mayor of Bradford ; L. Batten,
secretary to the Bristol Chamber of Commerce; Crosih•
waite, vice-president, and F. Cood, hon. secretary of
the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, and J. Jameson,
and T. Prim, members of ditto; J. Darlington, secretary
to the Chamber of Commerce of Bradford; A. Pellatt,
M.P ; G. Ridley, MX, 3, Kiteley, Kidderminster ; H.
Saunders, town clerk, do; W. S. Ayton, Leeds; J. A.
Turner, President of the Commercial Association, Man-
chester, with Mr. Rass, vice president, Hugh Fleming.
secretary, and Mr. Entwistle and J. E. Taylor, members
sio ; W. use, vice president of Chamber of Commerce,
Warrington ; E. Banner, of the Liverpool Law Society ;
R. Graves, Mayor of Warwick ; S. S. Lloyd, vice presi-
dent of Chamber of Commerce, Birmingham, 3. W.
Wickham, M.P.; J. Wilson, vice-president Liverpool Guar-
dian Society for the Protection of Trade ; J. Reay, secretary
do.; J. Mitchell. Leigh; L?oni Levi; Sir E. Perry, Bart.,
M.P.; T. T. Paget, president of the Leiceister Trade
Protec ion Society ; - Crawford, M.P.; Thus M'Clure,
vice president of the Belfast Chamber of Commerce. The
'Noble Cheirman, in commencing the day's proceed-
ings, c-ingratulated the mewing on such an assembly
of influential persons from all parts of the country interested
in the present movement, and called attention to the alter-
ations that had been made within the past quarter of a
century for the improvement of the mercantile law of
this country, relative to the law of debtor and creditor,
viz., in 1831, 1840, 1841, and in 1849, by what was
known as the Bankruptcy Coneolideted Acts, and
remarked that he and the ,Law Amendment Society, in
endeavouring to improve the law of this oeuetry substi-
tuted a natural signification, with all its incalculable
benefits for technical absurdities, with all their incalculable
evils. He also referrel to objections that had been made
to the jurisprudence of the country, and the fault that some
found that the improvements were not often, and did not
go far enough, to which he remarked that Mr. Bentham
had borne testimony to the value of our jurisprudence,
and 4dded that if it were bad the sooner it was swept
away the better. His principles were to endeavour
to improve what was good, and remedy that
which was bad; and as regarded the objections
of some that the reforms were not ,so sweeping and
speedy as they ought to be, he considered it was better
to take a cautions and firm step than rush into errors
that would require further amendment. The noble lord
concluded by stating that such conferences as these must
have great weight in effecting the object they had in view,
and after referring to that held in 1852, called on the
Secretary, who read a report of the committee's proceed-
ings. Papers were then read on the law of debtor and
creditor, including bankruptcy, Judgment Executions
Bill, and United Kingdom Writs Bill. A very animated
and interesting discussion ensued on the various papers, in
the course of which many valuable suggestions were made.
At four o'clock the Conference suspended its sittings.