The Sun.
London, England, 1848-08-09 00:00:00

PETITION.

Mr. BROTHERTON presented a petition against the
Poor-law Union Charges Bill.
Mr. LOCKHART presented a petition from Chester
to the same etf-ct.

Mr. BOUVEIIE presented a petition from a place in
Scotland against the Marriages Registration (Scotland)
Bill.

Mr. CARDWELL presented a petition from Silver-
dale, in Lancashire, against the Highway Bill.
SMOKE PROHIBITION BILL.

Mr. BROTHEItTON moved that the order of the day
for the second reading of this Bill be read for the pur-
pose of being discharged.
Lord MORPETH presumed the Hon. Gentleman had
the assent of the Hon. Member who had charge of the
Bill to this motion.
Mr. BROTHERTON said he had.

Lord MORPETH said, under these circumstances, he
would not oppose the motion, but he begged to state that
he was prepared to approve of the principle of the Bill
by voting for the second reading, and he therefore
trusted the Bill would be revived next session.
The motion was then agreed to.
PIRACY BILL.

The House then went into Comrnittee on this Bill.
On elauso 1,

Mr. MACGREGOR explained that the object of the
clause was to relieve parties from the penalties of the
piracy-laws who took charge of a vt ssel to carry her to
the nearest port.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said the clause pro-
vided no such penalties, and the effect of it would be
that the whole mercantile navy would be under the con-
trol of subordinate parties.
Mr. HENLEY said the proposal was most monstrous,
and he was surprised the Bill had gone so far.
Mr. BERNAL admitted that some alteration was ne-
cessary in the present piracy-laws, but he could not agree
to the alteration proposed by the Bill.
Mr. HUME said the provisions of the Bill were ex-
ceedingly indefinite, and he must object to give the mer-
cantile navy of the country the large powers which the
Hon. Gentleman proposed to place in their hands.
Mr. Cowart and Mr. Duscati solicited the Honour-
able Gentleman to withdraw the Bill.

Mr. MACGREGOR. seeing that the sense of the
Committee was against him, would accede to the request
of the two Honourable Gentlemen.

The Chairman was accordingly ordered to report
progress.
The House having resumed, the Chairman reported,
without asking for leave to sit again.
BANKRUPTCY BILL.

Mr. BOUVERIE, in moving the second reading of
this Bill, complained that he had not been treated fairly
by the Government in reference to this measure, for two
years ago he withdrew a similar Bill upon an intimation
from the Secretary of State for the Home Department
that the Lord Chancellor had the subject of the bank-
ruptcy laws under his consideration, with the view to
their amendment. No alterations had, however, been
proposed either in that or the other House of Parlia-
ment, and he thought it was highly important that the
House should no longer delay the passing of this Bill.
Nothing could be more necessary for the stability of the
trade and commerce of the country than that the bank-
ruptcy-laws should always be efficient and easy of ad-
ministration. That the present bankruptcy and insol-
vency-laws of the country were defective there could be
no doubt. There was no line of demarcation drawn
between the honest and dishonest bankrupt, and until
some change were made to recognise that distinction
the laws must be ever open to fraud and evasion. Now
it was to remedy the defect that had induced him to
revive the Bill, and if the House were ready to show its
discountenance of fraud and rascality, they would not
refuse to acknowledge the principle of this Bill. For
the last five-and-twenty years the bankruptcy laws
had been subjected to changes, and he felt
that it was high time that these laws were
purged of their glaring defecte. One provision of this
Bill gave power to a Court of Bankruptcy to order the
arrest of a fraudulent debtor on mesne process. The
other provisions simply consolidated the existing bank-
ruptcy laws, and the only other new provisions in the
Bill gave the Bankruptcy Court power to withhold its
protection from the fraudulent debtor, and the creditor
liberty to arrest him so lung as the protection was
withheld.

The ATTORNEY•GENERAL said he for one did
not deny that the present bankruptcy laws were open
to amendment, end as this Bill simply affirmed that
principle, while it consolidated the existing bankruptcy
laws, he was not prepared to offer any opposition to the
second reading of the Bill.
The Bill was then read a second time, and ordered to
be committed.