The Sun.
London, England, 1854-08-02 00:00:00

PETITIONS.

Petitions were presented by Mr. HADFIELD, from a
place in Yorkshire, against the opening of public-horses
on Sundays ; and by Mr-Housrnt;•friiiu.the South
African Association of Liverpool, praying for the better
performance of the African Mail Service.
CONINION LekW PROCEDURE BILL.

The committee on this bill was then resumed, com-
mencing with clau+e 37.
The remaining clauses were agreed to, and the house
resumed.

BILLS OF EXCHANGE (No. 2) BILL.

On the motion for going into committee on this bill,

Mr. GE .CH said this bill involved a very important
principle ; it purposed to assimilate the law of
England with regard to bills of exchange with that of
Scotland, and if it passed, a party reg,stering a bid of
exchange would be enabled to obtain an immediate
judgment against the acceptor in the event of the bill
being dishonoured. The trading system of Scotland
was so widely different to what it was in England
that the two laws could not be assimilated with
safety ; for instance, in Scotland, it was the in-
variable rule to make bills of exchange payable
at local bankers, who retained possession of them with-
out putting them in circulation ; but in Eogland the
practice was different, because it was the rule and not
the exception to make bills payable at some banking
house in London, whose hands it did not reach
until it had been in .extensive circulation. Little
difficulty was experienced in Scotland in renewing bills
of exchange, but without the bre ',thing time which the
existing English system allowed, but which this bill
running
would abolis.,,traders having dishonoured bills of exchange
might be suddenly driven into bankruptcy, al-
though with aslight indulgence their estate might be made
to yield 30s. in the pound.
afteris
the dishonour,
could not takeup adi I d " er
t bill,
taken against him' have
largely
roanjudgment
s ionoure_ accceptance within 6 days
and
l beet td liablewo nhl
would to
the creditor interes't4'
move that the bill
'where it was not wanted, he must
. be committed this •
day three months,
wits a view to an inquiry being
change was made in thehad before so great a
Sir E. law.
PARRY argued that
the bill was founded
upon sound principles of
supported it. Toe bill jurisprudence,wiilsi and then-fore lie
the law of bills of exchange I, rendering'llify and economise
procedure to recover the antoynnt of an expensive
a dishonoured bill
tyinecessary, and he could not help feeling that such a
change would confer lasting advaiiteistupr the trading
portions of the community, though might to some
extent diminish the banking
operatioes of the
country. The system which the bill
proposed e
to
establish existed already, not only in
Scotland,
al," in France, Prussia, Spain, Portugal, and H
and reme.,,bering that it was approved cf by a !art'. e
a
portion of the connercial community, while it had beeng
thoroughly investigated by a select committee of the
other house, he lived the house would not be induced to
adopt the amendment which the hon. member for Co-
ventry had moved.
Mr. SPOONER admitted that it was essential that
contracts should be speedily and economically enforced,
but that did not prove the necessity fur the present
measure. The evil proposed to be remedied by this
bill was imaginary, because Mr. Geach had shown
• out of 240,000 bills oboe] had passed through
hat
a bank in Birmingham, y 30,000 were re.