The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-24 00:00:00

superior courts. In conclusion, the noble lord expressed
the opinion that it would- be more prudent to wi•hdraw
altogether from the bill those clauses which related to the
depriving county court judges of the power of imprison-
ment.

Lord LYVEDEN supported the second reading of the
bill, on tlae ground that the present system of retail credit
lay at the root of all the distress of the labouring classes.
Lord CRANWORTH approved of the provisions for
abolishing the power of imprisonment. Credit was very
important in the mercantile world, and even in transac-
tiona between retail dealers; but what imaginable advan-
tage could arise from erodit amongst the poorer classes?
(Hear, hear.) He agreed with every word which the
county court judges had said about imprisonment, for
if sums of or £2 were to be recoverable at all, surely the
present machinery was well calculated to effect that object;
but we ought to push the inquiry further, and consider the
advisability of making small debts wholly irrecoverable by
legal means.
The LORD CHANCELLOR said it was a matter of
regret that a subject like the present, which was a social
question with which all their lordships were competent to
deal, should have attracted so few members to that house.
(There were about eight peers present at this time.) He
must say, with the greatest possible respect, that if they
went on neglecting to take an interest in such subjects they
would not long retain the high position which they had
hitherto held in the public estimation. He believed that
the system of credit which had grown up in this country
was a very great social evil, and held out a constant temp-
tation to the labouring classes to live beyond their means.
He asked their lordships to consider the consequences of
making a man acquainted with the interior of a gaol, whence
he went again into the world degraded in his own estima-
tion and in the estimation of his friends. When a creditcr
wished to imprison his debtor, he (the Lord Chancellor)
would like to ask him under what circumstances he gave the
credit. Another argument in favour of the bill was, that it
placed the poor debtor upon the same footing as the large
debtor, with respect to whom the power of punishment had
been abolished, except in cases of fraud. He bad that morn-
ing received a letter from a tallyman, who said he was owed
thousands of pounds, stating that he was in favour of aboli-
tion of imprisonment for debt, but advocating the retention
of the clause which attached the future earninge of debtors.
The noble lord then read an extract from a communication
to the Solicitors' Journal of this week,showing how oppres-
sively the tally system had worked in the county court dis-
trict of Camberwell, and quoted the declaration of the judge
of another county court, that his court was the head col•
lector of the small tradesmen. The noble lord concluded
by observing that, if it was proper that the man who gave
credit should have the right, under all circumstancee. to
put his debtor into prison, he had nothing to say for the
bill. But as he entirely disputed the right of the man
who gave credit wantonly to inflict upon society the further
injury of requiring it to furnish him with the means of
keeping his debtor in prison, he commended the bill to their
lordships, asking. `Vas it moral, was it expedient, that
such a thing should be permitted ? (Hear, hear.)
The Earl of DERBY pointed out that the bill would
deprive creditors of the means of enforcing payment from
a class of debtors who had the means of payment, and who
did not deny their debt, but who would rely upon the state
of the law to avoid the fulfilment of their just obligations.
The power of attaching the earnings of labouring men
must result in many a poor man being dismissed from his
employment.
After some observations from Lord WENSLIZYDALE, the
bill was real a second time.

The Under-Secretaries' Indemnity Bill and the Common
Law Procedure (Inland Act, 1353) Amendment Bill were
severally read a third time and passed ; and their lord-
ships adjourned, at five minutes to nine o'clock, until
Thursday.

HOUSE OF COMMONS--Last Evening.
The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock.

PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The following bills were read a third time and
passed :—Alton, Alresford, and Winchester Rail-
way—Budmin Railway—Bolton and Saint Helens
Road--Cowes and Newport Railway---Drogheda
Water—Dublin, Wicklow, and Wexford Railway—
Lverpool Central Station Railway—Llynvi Valley and Og-
moreValleyßailway Companies—:Manchester, Shtffield,and
Lincolnshire Railway—Metropolitan Railway (Notting Hill
aad Brompton Extension)—Mistley, Thorpe, and Walton
Railway,North British Railway (Abbey Holme and Leegate
Branch)—Os xestry and Newtown and other Railway Com-
panies (Amalgamation, &,:.)-oswestry, Ellesmere, and
Whitchurch Railway (No. 2) —P ortpa trick Railway (Steam -
boats)—Riablesdale Railway—Solway Junction Railway—
Southampton and Netley Railway—Stockport and Ashton
Roads—Tamar, Kit Hill, and Callington Railway—Ten-
dring Hundred Railway—Wisbech Water—and Zetland
Roads.