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

Vb 9,Zbition

SUN OFFICE, Seven o'Clock„

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
(THIS DAY.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
The 6PBAKER took the Chair at Twelve o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The Lords' amendments to the West of England and
South Wales Land Draining Incorporation Bill wore
considered and agreed to.
The London (City) Small Debts Bill was read a third
time and passed.
The Sandbach Charity Estate Bill was read a second
time and ordered to be committed.
The Weld Blundell's Estate Bill was read a second
dine and ordered to be committed.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved that it be an
instruction to the Comthittee of Selection to appoint the
Committee on.the Sandbach Charity Estate Bill to sit
and proceed forthwith.—Agreed to.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved that the
Examiner of Petitions for Private Bills be allowed to
sit and proceed on the Virgin Mary Hospital (Nee -
castle-uvon-Tyne) Estate Bill to-morrow, provided one
day's notice thereof be given in the Private Bill-office.

Agreed to.
Sir THOMAS BIRCH moved that it be an instruc-
tion to the Committee of Selection to appoint the Com•
mittee on the. Weld Blundell's Estate Bill to meet on
Monday if they think fit.—Agreed to.
PETITIONS.
Mr. BROTHERTON presented a petition against the
Poor-law Union Charges Bill.
Mr. LOCKHART presented a petition from Chester
to the same effect.
Mr. BOUVEItIE 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. BROTHERTON 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 bad
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, be
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 Committee on this Bill.
On clause 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 vessel 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
lion. Gentleman proposed to place in their hands.
Mr. Cowart and Mr. DUNCAN 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 fur 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-
veney-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,tbe 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 defects. One provision of this
Bill gave power to a Court of Bankruptcy to order the
arrest of a fraudulent debtor 03 mesne process. The
other provisions smply consolidated the existing bank-
ruptcy laws, and the only other new provisions in the
Bill gave the Bahkruptce Court power to withhold its
protection from, the fraudulent debtor, and the creditor
liberty to arrest him so long as the protection was

withheld.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said he for one did
not deny that the present bankruptcy laws were open
to amendment, and 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.
REMEDIES AGAINST THE HUNDRED BILL.
Sir W. CLAY, in moving the second reading of this
Bill, for the purpose of being discharged, said, as the
alteration which it.proposed to make in the present law
involved an important principle, it would be advisable
to leave it in the hands of the Government, who would
act under the advice of the Attorney-General. He
therefore thought he would best discharge his duty by
placing it in the care of the Government, if the Secre-
tary of State for the Home Department would assure
hied, seeing that there was a very general concurrence
in the House with respect to an alteration of the ex-
isting law, that he would, during the recess, give the
subject his consideration with the view of proposing
some alteration.
Sir GEORGE GREY was ready to admit that the
law was not in .a very satisfactory state, but the subject
bad been under the consideration of the Attorney-
General. He did not agree with the Hon. Gentleman
that the law was generally defective, because he thought
that the only detect in the law was the mode in which it
was required that a party should prove his claim to
compensation from the hundred. So far as that defect
was concerned, he was prepared,i in conjunction with
his Learned Friend the Attorney-General to give the
subject his best consideration with the view of applying
a remedy.
Mr. CARDWELL said the difficulty, as far as legis-
lativgineastires was concerned, was a very small one,
and might tie settled in a very short Bill. Instead of
thinking that this was an inapt period to introduce a
Bill on the subject, he was of opinion that so important
a matter should be settled at once, in order that
people might know what remedy they had when their
property was injured. If he, himself, took the Bill out
of the llon. Gentleman's hands, he would have no
chance at that late period of the session of pro-
ceeding with it, and he would, therefore, not divide
the House on the question. However, ho thought
the course taken by the Honourable Member
was more friendly to the Government, than to those
whose property had been or might be injured.
Sir GEORGE GREY said, when he brought in the
Bill, he stated that he did nut think there was any
nece3sity for a change of the law, but he was not
prepared to say that some additional powers were not
required with respect to obtaining compensation.
Be had, however, received very few complaints as to the
operation of the law, and with regard to Liverpool, which
the Hon. Member (Mr. Cardwell) represented, every
proceeding had been taken by the Government and the
authorities to protect the property of the inhabitants.
He did not think that the people in large towns
would be much injured by allowing the existing law to
remain unaltered until he was prepared to bring in som•
measure to obviate the complaints to which it at present
gave rise.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL observed that
when the Bill was introduced his Right Hon.
Friend the Secretary for the Home Department
consulted him, and he then stated that as the law
bad been recently altered, it was his opinion that it
Id not be again altered unless some very strong
grouads were shown for doing so. He had promised to
take the subject into consideration, for the purpose of
settling upon some expedient to emend the law; and,
although certainly several cases of hardship had
recently been experienced by the inhabitants of London,
he did not think the law would in the meantime press
severely upon persons.
After a few words from Captain Peehell, Mr. Drum-
mond, and Sir W. Clay, the motion was agreed to, and
the order discharged.

STOCK-IN-TRADE EXEMPTION BILL.

Mr. BERNAL brought up the report on this Bill,
which was read and agreed to, and ordered to be rend a"
third time to-morrow.
PROVIDENT ASSOCIATION FRAUD PREVEN-