The Sun.
London, England, 1847-12-06 00:00:00

LONDON MONDAY

MAGA ZINES, &c.--( CON TIN IJED.)

HOOD'S MAGAZINE.

With several laudable contributions, such as the
" Peeps into Shakspere," Hood contains not a few of
very indifferent merit. We are gratified to see that
the editor purposes, on the commencement of the
new year, to begin a serial novel, which will bring him
forward in its pages more prominently than here-
tofore.

THE AIE7TOPOLI lAA MAGAZINE.
After an elaburate notice of the " Biography of
Mary the Second," recently penned by Miss Strick-
land, comes the continuation of " IVharflale." Mrs.
A bdy, Mrs. Crawford, and Mrs. Tinsley are among
the poetical contributors ; the latter has a rather
prolonged piece of versification called " The Palmer's
_'ale." Besides these there are several other articles
of a lighter character.

CHAMBERS'S EDINI3URGII JOURNAL.
One of our best favourites, and worthy of continu•
iug so. The contents, both prose and rtiythinical,are
of V riou-; merit, and never so indifferent as not to
deserve perusal. There is one exquisite poem On
" Autumn," in the Spenserian stanza, by W. Moy
Thomas. But for its length and our own stint as to
space, we should transfer it to our columns entire.
It breathes all the dainty sweetness of the sylvan
verses of Bryant.

E V.E N

BANKRUPTCY and INSOLVENCY

LAWS.

TO THE HONORARY SECRETARY OF THE SOCIETY FOR
EFFECTING AN AMENDMENT IN THE LAWS RELATING
TO BANKRUPTCY AND INSOLVENCY.

SlB,—Having read the proceedings of the meeting
of your society, lately held at the London Tavern,
I presume you are not unwilling to afford the expla-
nations which many parts of your report require.
In the seventh paragraph you say, " the recom-
mendation contained in the report of your committee
of February, 1846, for the removal of insolvency
cases from the Court of Bankruptcy has been effected
by an Act of last session, by which the Insolvent
Debtors' Court has now jurisdiction over all applica•
tions within the London district, while those from
other parts are assigned to the judges of the new
county courts. This has but very recently come
into operation." You take credit, and justly, if you
were instrumental in carrying this Act through Par-
liament, as it will confer much benefit on the trading
and non-trading classes when fully in operation ; it has
brought every part of England within the juri.ac-
tion of sth and 6th Victoria, c. 116,
and 7th and
Bth Victoria, c. 96 ; these Acts admittedly are of
eminent service, as they give a right to petition for
protection from arrest without passing through the
degrading ordeal of a prison, and the conditions on
which protection is granted are even more than any
creditors ought to require, i. e., vesting the present and
future property of the petitioner in an assignee for
their benefit. Were section 12 of 5 and 6 Viet., c.
116, repealed, the interest of creditors would be as
effectually protected as if it continued in force; it
enacts in substance if, after making the final order,
the petitioner neglects to give notice to the assignees
of any property acquired by him, his protection may
be withdrawn, and his liability to arrest revived for
ever. These Acts, in this instance, are framed with
unnecessary severity; there is no hope left for the
debtor, the protection from arrest is his sentence to
perpetual labour, even without taxing the creditor for
his maintenance.

10 and 11 Viet., c. 102, giving to clerks of county
courts the rights and powers which the official as-
signee had in bankruptcy before the jurisdiction was
transferred cannot be overestimated, as a clerk armed
with such authority residing within a small district
cannot but collect the entire of an insolvent's estate.
In the 9th paragraph you assert that " the only
attempt made by the Government to improve these
laws during the last session was the introduction by
the Lord Chancellor of a Bill to consolidate the exist-
ing Acts relating to bankruptcy, to abolish the Court
of Review, transferring its jurisdiction to the Court
of Chancery, and to reduce the number of the com-
missioners of the court. Some of the provisions of
the Bill of your
.committee were introduced, but
others, which they considered of the greatest import-
ance, were omitted. With the above exceptions the
proposed measure was little more than a consolidation
and re-enactment of the present laws. The mere
consolidation, however, would be a measure of great
value, although alone quite inadequate to the wants
of the commercial classes."

Would you name the Bill to which allusion is
made? Paragraph 11 also requires some explanation ; it
states that " No further steps were taken last session
by the Government with the Lord Chancellor's Bill ;
Lord Brougham succeeded in carrying a short but
questionable Act for the abolition of the Court of
Review, transferring its jurisdiction to the Court of
Chancery, and also for the removal of the insolvency
cases from the Court of Chancery...

I cannot reconcile these contradictory paragraphs.
By the 7th a Bill was brought in upon your recom-
mendation. The inference to be drawn from the 9th
is that the Lord Chancellor brought in a Bill, but I
cannot collect whether it became an Act; and the
11th affirms that the Government took no steps with
the Lord Chancellor's Bill, but that Lord Brougham
brought in a short but questionable Act. Those un-
acquainted with what took place in the last session of
Parliament on reading your report must come to the
conclusion that three Acts were passed:

It is, therefore, desirable that you should give the
titles of the Acts which have been passed, as I cannot
find the one introduced by the Lord Chancellor, nor
the short but questionable Act which you say Lord
Brougham succeeded in carrying.
Dec. 6. 11. B.