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 houses
on Sundays ; and by Mr. HORSF,tLL, from the South
African Association of Liverpool, praying for the better
performance of the African Mail Service.
COMMON LAW PROCEDURE BILL.

The committee on this bill was then resumed, com-
mencing with clause 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. GEACH 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 is it passed, a party registering a bill 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 idling time which the
existing English system allowed, but which this bill
would abolis traders havingdishonoured bills of exchange
running might be suddenly driven into bankruptcy. al-
though with aslight indulgence their estate might be made
to yield 30s. in the pound. Under this bill, a man who
n
could not take up adishonoured accceptance within 6 days
ataftkee against him, and siner the dishonour, would be liable to have judgment
move that the bill be Committedwanted,mustfitted wthoiusiddaylatrhgreelye il.nnociritehasse,
Sir E. PARRY argued that before so great a
upon sound principles of the bill was founded
•urislid3rudence, and therefore lie
the law of bills of exchangaemubnyunreteitnnodfpelirfiyn
supported it. The bill wi
cuhnprocedureanhegcee s
would
unnecessary,
uyt d
andrecca,bi vfheeerr
could
lasting
rendering an
economiseexpensive
a .dishothnaotursendnnbilal
gnoatdvhaenlptafeeeling
litumpoignhtthetntrasdniinnge portions of the community, thoughg
operations of the
proposednan to
extent diminish the banking
country. The system which banking
establish existed already, not only in Scotland,
also in France, Prussia, Spain, Portugal, and Holland,
and remembering that it was approved of by a large
portion of the commercial community, while it had been
e
thoroughly investigated by a select committee of the
other house, he hoped 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 for the present
measure. The evil proposed to be remedied by this
bill was imaginary, because Mr. Geach had shown
hat out of 240,000 bills which had passed through
a bank in Birmingham, only 30,000 were re,