The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-22 00:00:00

HIGHWAYS BILL.

Sir G. GREY said he thought it right to state that as
supply would come on to-morrow evening, and would in
all probability occupy the house till late, he would not
procted with the bill until Monday evening next. On that
evening the Scotch Education Bill would be the first order
of the day, and he proposed to placa the Highways Bill
second on the list. If, however, the first order of the day
lasted any considerable time he would not press the High..
ways Bill that evening.
SALE OF SPIRITS BILL. _ _ _

Mr. W. MARTIN, in moving the order of the day for
the, second reading of this bill, said the object of the mea-
sure was to modify what was known as the " Tippling Act"
passed in the reign of George 11. When that act was
passed tippling was carried on to an extent of which in the
present age they had no idea. Gin was then sold at the
corner of every street, and the object of the framers of the
bill was to prevent scores being ran up against half-
drunken men on the backs of doors of publichouses.
The bill proved effectual, and he did not wish
that debts should be recovered for spirits drank on the
premises. His only object was to prevent the existing law
from being perverted to an extent that was never proposed
by those who patronised that measure. Having read the
preamble of the Tippling Act, which set forth the object
for which it was framed, he said he intended by the present
bill to enable wine merchants to recover for two
gallons of spirits supplied at the house of a cus-
tomer. He quoted some cases, the particulars of which
had been furnished him by correspondents on whose infor-
mation he could rely, and which shwa ed that people in the
most respectable station of 000ioty were not ashamed to
plead the Tippling Act to defraud those w ix,. they were
honourably bound to pay because their demands were just.
He said that his bill was framed in accordance with the re-
presentations of some of the most respectable persons, and
the sole object was not to promote intoxication, but to pre-
vent a class of honest tradesmen being cheated. (Hear.)
Mr. AYRTON moved, as an amendment, that the bill
be read a second time that day three months. He
founded his opposition to the bill on the ground that no
necessity existed for its introduct'on. The bill proposed
only to deal with gin. Now gin was an innovation, and
came into this country after the Dutch Revolution, being,
he believed, the only drawback to that political event. He
read the statements of some of the authorities of the City
who presented a petition to the house in the reign of George
11., which led to the passing of the act which it was
now sought by this bill to repeal.
After a short discussion,
The House divided, when the numbers were—
For the second reading
Against

Majority 29
The bill was then read a second time, and ordered to be
committed on the 18th of June.

JUDGMENTS LAW AMENDMENT (IRELAND)

BILL

Mr. WHITESIDE, in moving the second reading of
this bill, said that some centuries back an Act of Parlia-
ment was passed which enabled a creditor to look to the
moiety of land for his debt. In the reign of George 11.
another act was passed which enabled a creditor who
had obtained a judgment to assign the same, which led to a
great deal of litigation. There was also the disadvantage
that the owner of an estate could not sell any lortion of his
estate as long as there was any judgment hanging
over it, however small the amount. Having ad-
verted to different committees which considered
the subject, and the legislation which had been attempted
in reference thereto, he drew a.tention particularly to the
bill introduced by Sir John Romilly, the Master of the
Rolls. By that bill it was proposed that no judgment
should operate as a lien on land, and that it should not have
any effect after the sale of the laud. The judgment must
have been registered in order to entitle the creditor to claims
against the estate. The learned author of this bill, by the
latter provision, intended that the creditor should claim
against only a portion of the land. However, that failed,
and it was found that the creditor frequently claimed against
the whole estate. The object of the present bill was to
alter the state of the law in Ireland, and assimilate it to the
law of this country.

Colonel FRENCH thought:that the bill if persevered in
should be referred to a select committee, some of the mem-
bers of which should be selected from landed proprietors
who were interested in the subject.

The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said that he had con-
sulted the Lord Uhancelior of Ireland and the law officers
in that country, and as they were opposed to the bill, he
trusted the house would consent to his (the Solicitor.
General's) amendment, namely, that the bill should be read
a second time that day three months. The right hon.
gentleman then went through the different statutes that
had been passed on the subject, and said that the bill of the
right hon. gentleman (Mr. Whiteside) proposed to take
away all security which the statute at present gave to the
holder of judgments on land. He reminded the house that
by the act of Lord St. Leonards an alteration had been made
in the law relating to judgment debts on land in this
country. He read a letter from the Lord Chancellor of
Ireland, stating that the bill would do away with all that
wholesome legislation that up to 1849 had been effected for
Ireland.

Mr. LONGFIELD supported the bill, and contended
that the law in Ireland was in a most unsatisfactory state.

Mr. SCULLY said that it was most desirable that the
law of the two countries should, as far as possible, be
assimilated. However, he objected to several of the details
of the bill, but advocated its being referred to a seleet
committee.