The Sun.
London, England, 1851-03-18 00:00:00

PASSENGERS ACT AMENDMENT BILL.

On the motion of Earl GREY this Bill was read a
third time and passed.
REGISTRATION ASSURANCES BILL.
Lord CAMPBELL, in moving the second reading of the
above-named Bill, was very indistinctly heard at the com-
mencement of his observations. The Bill had been brought
forward by the Government in pursuance of a recommenda-
tion contained in the Speech from the Throne. His Noble
Friends in the Government had asked him to take charge of
the measure in its passage through that House ; and, as it
was a Bill wholly unconnected with politics, he trusted their
Lordships would be of opinion that he was fully justified in
complying with that request.— (Hear, hear.) The subject
was one to which he had long attended, and in which he
took the deepest interest. With respect to the measure to
which he now invited their Lordships' attention, he thought
it calculated to produce the happiest results, and he should
be highly gratified if he could in any degree contribute to its
success. Perhaps he should best discharge his duty by re-
minding their Lordships of the history of this question.
Here the Noble and Learned Lord was not audible, but the
general scope of his argument appeared to be, that at the
earlier periods of our history the law required that publicity
should be given to deeds connected with the conveyance
of land. Subsequently and chiefly as was supposed by
the efforts of ecclesiastics to avoid the statutes against
mortmain, secret conveyances becavae very common. The
Statute of Uses was passed for the purpose of preventing
such secret conveyances ; but it had been thought that, in
effect, it favoured them. The evil was found to be very
great about the time of the Stuarts' reigns. Lord Bacon
bringing his comprehensive knoledge and great sagacity to
bear on the subject, made an attempt to remedy the evils
while he was Chancellor, without having reeourse to an Act,
of Parliament, for in those times the distinction between
what might be done by Act of Parliament and what by
the authority of the Crown was not as clearly established
as at the present day. By his own authority, acting
under the Crown, he issued a sort of edict, whereby it
was required that all deeds should be registered in a par-
ticular office ; but at his fall this arrangement fell with
him, and that great man's destiny was supposed to have
been in some degree influenced by the secret enmity of
those whose interests were injured by the regulation which
compelled them to publish their deeds. Things continued
in this unsatisfactory state until the time of the Com-
monwealth. Then flourished some of the greatest
lawyers and jurists this country could boast of. Dur-
ing the Commonwealth a Bill was actually brought into
Parliament—framed by Sir Matthew Hale, and strongly
supported by him—for the establishment of a general re-
gister for all deeds. That Bill was opposed by all these who
thought thst their interests might be prejudiced by it; and,
perhaps, there was the less reason to regret that that mea-
sure did not pass, and that the work of registration had been
delayed to the p esent time, because it could now be effected
in a more beneficial manner than it would have been then;
for that Bill proposed to establish a register-office in every
county, end at that time it would have been utterly impossi-
ble to have one metropolitan registration-office, because it
took weeks, and sometimes months, for a person to travel
from a remote part of the country to London. That measure
having failed - although strongly recommended by Sir Al.
1-141 e and the other great men of the time—nothing was done
unt 1 the reign of Charles 11., and then it so happened that
there was great agricultural distress, as there was now. The
value of landed property became depreciated, and a Committee
of their Lordship's House was appointed to cunsider the nature
of tee distress and devise a remedy for it. The Committee
reported that oue cause of the depreciation of the value of
land was the uncertainty of titles to estates, and suggested
that the remedy would be the establishment of a system of
general registration of deep. Unfortunately their Lordships,
instead of passing a measure in conformity with the recom-
mendation of the Committee's report, passed one of a mom
questionable character, namely, a Bill to prevent the im-
portation into this country of cattle and corn from Ireland.
It happened, however, that in the same year a Registration
Bill was passed for the Bedford Level, which had continued
in force dawn to the present day ; and it was a well-known
fact that property in tact district was distinguished for
greater security of title and facility of transfer then attached
to estates in any other part of the kingdom. Nothing more
was done on the subject until the reign of Queen Anne, when
Bills were passed for establishing a register-office in each of
the three Ridings of Yorkshire, and in the county of Middle-
sea. The system of registration thus established wile not on
tee most approved principle, but nevertheless, with all its
defects, it had proved beneficial. Other attempts were sub-
sequently made to establish a general registration, and in
1740 a Bill for that purpose actually passed through that
House, but was lost in the other House. Nothing more was
attempted for a long space of time, but in the time of Justice
Blackstone he called the attention of the public to the sub-
ject. At present there were many persons who thought th.t
everything connected with the law was in the worst pos-
sible state; but in Blackstone's time it was the general
opinion that the system of English law was absolute
perfection, and no attempt, therefore, was made to improve
it. In 1815 Mr. Sergeant Onslow brought in a Bill to este-
bl sh a general registration of deeds, which was supported by
the illustrious Hominy, who afterwards distinguished himself
by his attempts to improve the law, both civil and criminal,
Sergeant Onslow's Bill failed, and nothing more was done
until the memorable speech of the Noble and Learned Lord
opposite (Brougham), which opened an era of law reform in
this country. In consequence of that speech, which pointed
out gross defects in the law, the Duke of Wellingtonehe
was Prime Minister, and had Lord Lyndhurst for hie:;eChan-
cellor, issued a Commission for considering the et"ellf Itifi
law. Over that Commission he (Lord Camp,bve
which
the honour to preside a distinction
her n
that from
should always be proud—and he must say this *public men,
that time to the present the most em acosmiemceirse.
without distinction of party, had beenbacrtisnuenaotfedthbayt
desire to improve the law.
sion, consisting of the most elmlieneomnate7co.nseevetyhanemcerabs,
dtoinoktbt2h9e
opinion of persons nest qualified t dee
presented a report to the King,
rion which they recommended
registration of deeds. Soon
the establishment of a genereil
honourb of a seat in the other
after that time, having thmovedaeofot: and obtained leave to
House of
effectParliamentehiand the Bill was intro-
ducedbring in a Bill to
1830. It
object,
It was not, properly speaking, a
in December, 1
Government measure, but it had the sanction and aid of Lord
Brougham, whe was then Chancellor. Their Lordshipsth would
recollect that the period was not favourable to the consider-
ation
of subjects so little exciting as reforms of thelawpsa,ralinl
ac..
before he could move the second reading of the Bill Parlia-
ment was dissolved, in April, IS3I. When the new
mout was assembled he again brought in the Bill ; but still it
was no time for attending to such matters, for, October
having arrived, their Lordships rejected the Reform Bill on
its second readiug and the session closed. A new session
began on the 6th of November, and he again brought in a
Bill for the establishment of a general registration of deeds,
which was referred to a Select Committee. The majority
the Committee were against the Bill ; but, after sitting 29
days, they reported unanimously that a general registration
would be of decided advantage to large purchasers; that
its adoption, as to small purchases, might lead to ex-
penses counterbalancing the advantages; but that, on the
whole, they were of opinion the system should be made ap-
plicable to all lands whatever. It happened, however, that
unfortunately the most powerful and influential body in the
kingdom, consisting of men, no doubt, most honourable,
most intelligent, and respectable, who, as a class, possessed
greater influence in and out of Parliament than any other
body—he meant the country solicitors—were unfavourable to
the Bill ; and the notion got among them that the etect of
it would be to bring all business from the country to London.
Petitions were poured in against it from every side, and

among other representations it was stated Government in-
tended to lay on a further land-tax by means of that mea-
sure; in fact, since Pelham's Jew Bill, he believed there
never was such excitement against any public measure, and
the consequence was, that though the bill was read a second
time, and was reported, it Was as much as any Hon. Mem-
ber's seat was worth to support it, and the oppositeon
was so strung he was obliged to abandon the Bill at
a further stage. That was in 1832, and when Lord
Grey formed his Government, and did him the honour
to appoint t ine Solicitor-Genera , he made one,
and but one, condition with him, and that was that he should
not again bring in his Registration Bill.— (Hear, hear, and
laughter.) In that instance the Noble Earl, to have com-
menced his public career under whom had been the greatest
pride of his (Lord Campbell's) life, showed his statemanship,
for if public opinion was against the measure it would have
been only acquiring unpopularity without any sufficient
cause to have persisted in it. But the Bill in principle was
still supported by an able fLiend of his, and was again intro-
duced in 1833. It was, however, rejected by a still larger
majority on that occasion than in 1e32, and was again rejected
on the second reading by a rn,jority more numerous than
either of the preceding in 1834.—(Hear, and a laugh.) It
was a mortifying thing to him that the first act of the Re-
form Parliament was to throw out his proposition.
Nothing more was done in the case till 1846,
when the tide turned. A Committee was appointed in
that year to consider the burdens on land, and they reported
that the market value of land was seriously diminished
by the expenses attendant on sale and transfer, and that a
registry of title to all real property was essential to the suc-
cess of any attempt to simplify the law and the existing
system. Government, however, did not take any steps till
July last, when a commission was appointed, which took in-
finite pains in ascertaining what peculiar burdens affected the
land, and finally reported to her Majesty that the whole sub-
ject had been so fully considered by the former commission,
they could only repeat the words of their report, and con-
clude by expressing an opinion that the establishment of a
general registry was expedient. At the opening of the pre.
sent session of Parliament, therefore, her Majesty, in the
speech from the Throne, stated a measure would be laid be-
fore Parliament "providing for the establishment of a sys-
tem of registration of deeds and instruments relating to the
transfer of property. This measure is the result of inquiries
which I have caused to be made into the practicability of
adopting a system of registration calculated to give security
to titles, to diminish the causes of litigation to which they
have hitherto been liable, and to reduce the cost of transfers."
In consequence of that intimation from the Crown the pre.
sent Bill had been prepared and laid before their Lordships,
and he trusted he had said enough as to the authority for
the measure to induce them to give a favourable considera-
tion to the Bill now upon the table. The practical evils the
Bill was calculated to prevent were these : First, there
was insecurity of title, next, expense and delay in alienation
and mortgage, and next inconveniences arising from the
want of a place where deeds might be deposited, so as to
be accessible to those who had need to consult them. In-
security of title was an evil of the greatest magnitude. In
every civilized country the title to real property must be
proved by written documents, and mere possession gave no
indication of the amount of the possessor's interest in land,
such as it gave of the possessor's ownership of chattels.
The estate might be held in fee simple, or might be en-
tailed, or with life limitations; it might be encumbered
with charges for mothers, or sisters, or might be encum-
bered by the owner in fee to the last farthing of its value,
and no person could ascertain the exact nature of the interest
of the proprietor unless he saw all the deeds affecting the
land. No matter what claims might be made against the
land, any person producing a deed showing title would pre-
vail according to the priority of date of deed; and,
let a purchaser take what precautions he might, the sup-
pression of one deed might cause him the loss of the
estate after he had paid his money. The mere production
of deeds, therefore, aftbrded no security whatever to
the purchaser, because no one could tell whether
they were all the deeds or not; and they had seen insances
of purchasers who had been deprived of large estates by this
want of security, after they had paid the full amount of the
purchase money. The evil of this state of things was still
greater as it affected mortgagees. There was now no record
of mortgages, and a person who imagined himself the first
encumbrancer might probably find there had been prior
mortgages, and he not only ran a risk of losing his money
from prior but from subsequent mortgages, by a process
well known as " tacking and squeezing." By this process
the third mortgagee might be preferred to the second ; be-
cause, if after the second mortgage was effected the owner
executed a third without notice, and the third mortgagee
bought up the first, he had an assignment of the legal estate,
and the second mortgagee was squeezed out of his interest;
bat the delays and expenses of sale and transfer were also
very great at present. First, after bargain completed, the
solicitor of the vendor gave an abstract of title, as it was
called, to the solicitor of the purchaser, which was some-
times half a mile long, containing a history, not only or one
title, but perhaps of several titles. Next, the solicitor must
make cure the deeds referred to in the abstract applied to the
estate, and he must examine the boundaries, look over the
county histories, and send his clerks to make inquiries—all
at great expense— before the identity of the premises could
be ascertained. It was not enough that a title should be safe
—it should be marketable also, and a title which was quite
safe might not be marketable, and vice versa. The practice
of creating terms of years for the purpose of charging estates
had led to still further embarrassment and difficulty ; for it
was necessary to trace each of the terms established to its
source, and to take its full effect in respect to the value and
encumbrances on the property. As " terms " were of the
nature of chattels, they went to the executor, and therefore
the solicitor must get probate of the will, which was another
enormous expense. There were 370 courts in which probate
might be entered ; but if, as was as likely as not, it was not
taken out in the proper court, it was void, and of no avail.
If there were bona notabilie in a diocese where there was a
prerogative administration, probate would be of no good as
conveying title to them unless properly taken out in that
diocese. These terms for years had been found so mischie-
vous, however, that about seven years ago Parliament passed
a Bill by which those terms had been, generally speaking,
annihilated. But when the protection of those terms, which
secured the legal estate and barred equitable dairies was re-
moved it became only the more necessary to establish some
protection in its place, and none appeared likely to be so
efficient as that of registration. Again, the same evils
affected the owner in raising money by insurance. The ex-
penses augmented the interest from 4to 6 or 7 per cent., and
the landowners were still at the mercy of the insurance..
offices, for, though money might be got at a lower rate else-
where, it was better to be subject to a higher interest
than to bear the expense of investigating title again.
There was another evil where the same set of deeds repre-
sented lands in which a great variety of persons had different
interests. The vendor was bound by covenant to give at-
tested copies of the deeds, and produce the originals ; but the
registration would prevent the necessity of such an expen-
sive and troublesome course When he was at the head of
the Landed Property Commission he heard of a case where
a gentleman sold a small property, and entered into the
usual covenant to give attested copies, and produce the ori-
ginals of the deeds. This he found to be a most alarming
burden, and, having a sharp attorney to deal with, the latter
filed a bill in Chancery against him, and it was found the
attested copies would cost more than the amount of the
purchase-money.--(A laugh.) The attorney accordingly
said, "he would wave his right to the attested copies if the
owner would wave his right to the purchase-money," and
the vendor was delighted with the offer--(Laughter.) If
the deeds were deposited at a certain place, and it was pro-
vided no person should be affected by any deed not thus de-
posited, these evils would be obviated. He would state now
the machinery of the Bill, for he was aware the value of
such a measure depended on the mode of its being carried
into effect. The Bill, in the first place, provided there should
be one register-office in the metropolis for the whole kingdom ;
and he had no doubt that such a determination was wise,
and that one great central office would be infinitely preferable
to a multiplicity of local offices. When he was in the other
House of Parliament an offer was made to him to withdraw
all opposition to his Registration Bill if he would allow it to
be changed by establishing registration-offices in every
county in England, but he had refused. He believed not
only would the expense be greater in small local offices than
in one metropolitan office, but that there would be no unifor-
mity of system and satisfaction to the public. In
York, Middlesex, and Ireland, where registration of deeds
existed, it was sometimes usual to register only a memorial
of the deed, which gave a sort of abstract, stating the names
of the parties, and, occasionally, but not always, the opera-
tive part of the deed ; but that system had been found very
ineffective, and it did not answer the purpose of persons in-
tereeted to see the deed itself, arid it did not afford the infor-
mation required in its absence. The most effectual mode of
obtaining the real objects in view was to require every deed,
or a duplicate copy of it, to be deposited in the register-
office. It would be found the expense of making a copy was
less than the expense of preparing an abstract. The Bill
having, therefore, provided for the deposit of the deed or du-
plicate, the next consideration was to fix the districts ; and,
though there was to be but one office, t was proposed to divi je
the count.), into districts, and it had been suggested that it
would be convenient to adopt the divisions of the poor-law
unions. Then came the important question respecting which
the Commissioners were not agreed, and that was the mode of
registration. One of the most accu r plished lawyers ever
known, the late Mr. tluval, had invented a mode of indexing
which did away to a great extent with the evils and incon-
veniences arising out of th original mode suggested, which
was an ephabetical list of grantors. And here hecouldnot
but relate an anecdote of that eminent lawyer, whose friend-
ship he was glad to have enjoyed, as exemplifying the
He (Lord Camp-
earnestness and simplicity of his natured at his patience •
bell remarked to him once he wondere
with such unabated.pe.lar-
poling over papers day after (32. Y
a that recompenses
mode of
come upon a brilliant deed— the work
severance. " Ob," said Mr.
fDtahvatl, it is tedious,. to be
sure, but sometimes I
arrangement of grantodr
1 ue-h A
thwehoonleyxewcua,ted
indexing
deae
xg ir tediumne
ga tbmyca
thete master—mod
alphabeticalr s
. Ao
detsofoesrvheoarwlyl
how inconvenient it was they would just think the hun-
of
dreds
was by
finning out
eseS othreofall the
‘d.ereatrisilomf Sidmdiltesehsx:nadndJotuhesates
year is all the facts ab .ut one
going through all the deeds of all theon
Smiths in the register. Mr. Duval suggested
arrange-
ment of deeds by " classification," which to be
marked in each class by
a particular symwbac;. For-
merly.
there was a difficulty of identifying the land with
the symbol employed, on account
cesurvey, system of maps. That defect, however, had now been sup-
plied. There had been an Ordnanhe deficiencyandof a survey
nrvey
and maps under the Act for the Commutation our
Tithes and
the Poor-law Amendment Act; so that now there existed
public maps extending over a large proportion of England.
He therefore had no difficulty in proposing that maps should
be employed to carry out the purposes of this Act. For each
district these maps would be provided, divided into two com-
partments, one containing marks representing the land, and
the other an index of the land so delineated. Taking up,
for example, the map of a district, a person would see a mark
denoting the land he was interested in. He would there find
a reference to the index, and on going to the index it would
tell him whether there had been anything registered affecting
that land • and it would, moreover, indicate where lie would
find all the deeds that existed with reference to it. The de-
fect that most strongly applied to any plan without the
maps was, that there would be nothing to connect the deed
that was symbolized with the land that was to be conveyed ;
but, if the maps and indices were to be employed as he
proposed, that difficulty would be greatly ahnpli-
feel ( Hear, hear.) The next question referred to
the effect of unregistered deeds. The doctrine i
England WAS, that the person who claimed on
a registered deed was to be prejudiced and postponed, if it
could be shown that he had notice of the existence of a deed
that was unregistered. The uncertainty and litigation which
this state of the law created was very great, and therefore
the Bill proposed that no person should be affected by any
deed that was not registered, thus completely exploding
the doctrine of notice. With respect to the objections
urged against the measure, it was said in the first place
that this was a great innovation ; but he must eay it was
rather a return than otherwise to the ancient simplicity of
the law. Besides, the system had been practised in some
counties in England, for some centuries in Scotland, where
it had operated most advantageously, and had also been
found beneficial in Ireland. In considering this question
the important fact was ever to be borne in mind, that in
almost every country in Europe they had registration of
some character or another, and that in none of those coma-

6

tries had the system ever worked prejudicially for any class.
The Noble and Learned Lord, after replying to one or two
°tber objections against the Bill, concluded by observing that
there was no difficulty about the question before their Lord-
ships. There was no mystery about it, for any Noble Lord
who chose to give his mind to the subject was just as capa-
ble of forming an opinion regarding it as those who had
hitherto devoted the greatest time and attention to the
scatter.—(Hear, hear.) He then moved the second reading

of the Bill.
Lord BROUGHAM said his Noble and Learned Friend
was entitled to the thanks of the public for the pains he had
taken during so many years to obtain for this country the
inestimable benefit of a general registration. There could
be no doubt of the value of the principle of a general
registration of property ; but much, as his Noble and Learned
Friend must be aware, depended upon the details of the
measure, and a person might conscientiously approve of the
general principle, and yet argue that the proposed plan
would not work. Indeed, everything depended upon the
details. He had no doubt his Noble and Learned Friend
would have no objection to afford ample time for the full
consideration of his plan ; and there was one very obvious
addition which it struck him might be made. There was
no doubt that a registry-house, under a proper system, add
under the management of proper persons, would be most
valuable, and it might be made the depository for safe cus-
tody of other instruments besides those immediately con-
nected with land. It would be very desirable that wills
should be so deposited even during the lifetime of the party
making them. He knew one case in which the will of a party
was not discovered for many, many weeks after his death, and
it was generally supposed the party had died intestate.
Ultimately the will was found in an old chest in an out-
house. There was another case in which the party, having
made his will, placed it under his pillow. It fell down be-
hind the bed, and the housekeeper picked it up, and sup-
posing the paper to be of no importance, thrust it into the
grate. Now, let their Lordships observe on how slight an
accident its preservation depended. Had it been winter the
will would have been inevitably consumed ; but it was sum-
mer, and after a search was made the will was found stuck
between the bars of the grate. It was brought before him-
self and the other law Lords, and proved ; and but for that
the property, which amounted to a sum of not less than
160,000 L, would have been disposed of in a totally different
way to that which the testator wished. He hoped the pre-
sent was only the first step in the improvement of the law
relating to real property, and that it would be carried for-
ward vigorously and determinedly, but, at the same time,
prudently, and by that means confer a real benefit upon the
country. He would impress upon all improvers the necessity
of steering clear of two extremes—those who desired to see
no change in the law, and those whom no change or im-
provement would satisfy.
Lord BEAUMONT, as feeling a deep interest in the
question, and as being the only member of the Committee
which investigated the subject present, asked permission of
their Lordships to address a few observations to the House.
He was surprised that the system of registration had not
been adopted at an earlier period. True, there had been a
system of registration in operation in other countries for a
very long period; but it was not suited to a country like
this. The law of real property was in England so different,
so complicated, and so extensive, that the system in opera-
tion in other countries could not be applied to it; but the
more complicated and difficult the law with regard to real
property was, the more important it was that a judicous
system of registration should be adopted. One of
its advantages would be, that it would insure per-
fect security to those who purchased or lent money
upon landed property. It should be remembered that
the trust-deeds appertaining to property were fre-
quently secured in different parts of the country, and an
immense time was occasionally lost in collecting and then
investigating many deeds, which afterwards turned out not
to be essential ; the expense and delay thus entailed were
very great, and many persons were thereby deterred from
dealing with land who otherwise might be induced to do so.
Railways hail now provided rapid means of communication
with the capital, which would facilitate the means of enter-
ing caveats. It had been itated that the effect of the pro-
posed system would be to deprive country practitioners of a
great portion of the business connected with the sale of
property, but his communications with those who were con-
versant with the subject had convinced him that the con-
trary would be the result. Every person acquainted with
the mode of transferring property in Yorkshire must be
aware of the inconvenience of depending upon a memorial
instead of having access to the terms of the instrument
itself. A memorial in the first place require great skill in
its preparation, and was very often so drawn as to conceal
the purport of the deed. All that could be learned from
it, thesef re, was, that a certain deed was in
existence, and beyond this you were no wiser
than before. Nor was it possible to ascertain
where the deed itself was deposited from the memorial, which
moreover in no way dispensed with the necessity of an
attested copy, while under the provisions of the Bill attested
copies would be dispensed with. Another great advantage
resulting from it would be the shortening conveyances by
references to the register. Nothing could be more absurd
than the objection to the measure on the ground of the
publicity which it would give to transactions with property.
Even if the allegation were true, he could not see the dis-
advantages which would result from it ; but he denied that
any greater publicity would necessarily ensue than existed
under the present system. There was another point of great
importance to which he was surprised his Noble and Learned
Friend had not alluded, and that was the cancellation of in-
struments. it was most desirable that when the objects for
which deeds were drawn were satisfied, so that the deeds
were no longer of any use, the instruments themselves
should be cancelled, so as not to encumber and embarrass
future transactions. He contemplated great advantages
from the institution of the deposit department, which would
still further tend to render unnecessary covenants to produce.
Another point on which his Noble and Learned Friend had
not dwelt, was the system of caveats, which would have the
effect of dispensing with contracts for sale, afford all the ad-
vantages of equitable mortgages, and do away with all the
difficulties now created by the doctrine of notice. Of course
there must be some limit to the caveat in point of time.
Another suggestion made by the Commissioners, in order
to prevent the register from being overloaded, was that unre-
gistered deeds might be binding between the parties, but
still not valid against a purchaser. The great object ought
to be to give perfect security to the purchaser, and, this
point being attained, parties might choose whether they
would register or not. Another most important point, and
sae of great difficulty. was as to the effect of wills as
against registered deeds ; but he believed the Commissioners
had got over the difficulty by proposing that if a will
should be kept beck, and not registered within two years,
a conveyance from the heir- at-law should stand good and
the purchaser be rendered secure. A testator might
also deposit his will during his lifetime, which would get
rid of the difficulty. All, however, would depend upon the
index, for without a good index the register would become
a nuisance and a source of danger. The Commissioners had
come to the conclusion that Mr. Duval's system was not
satisfactory, and were of opinion that a map index would
alone afford adequate security. The plan proposed would
increase the value of land, which had been greatly depre-
ciated by the present system. Nothing could be more in-
correct than the idea that registration would be beneficial
only to the owners of large estates; on the c, ntrary, its ad*
vantages wculd be chiefly felt by the smaller proprietors,
who, under the existing state of things, frequently found it
impossible to sell their property. So strong was the feeling
on the subject, that within the last year or two strong repre-
sentations had been made to him by copy holders in manors
where the fines were acteally heavy, urging him by no means
to vote for any Bill for the enfranchisement of copyholds,
unless a system of registration were adopted. There were
many other points to which he should have been de-
sirous of addressing himself if time had permitted,
but he could not sic down without calling their
Lordships' attention to one circumstance of great importance
—namely, the effect of the bankrupt laws on the system of
registration. It was a question with the Commissioners,
whether an adjudication in bankruptcy caused by an act
which preceded the dealing with the land, should affect a
purchaser. That, no doubt, was a difficult question, but still
one which, in his opinion, was completely met by the Bill.
The purchaser who bona fide thought he was buying a good
property, and had paid for it, ought to hold it against all the
world, and ought not to be affected by any subsequent adju-
dication in bankrupty. Therefore, let creditors have the
power by means of a caveat of entering a kind of notice with
regard to their interests. At present it was well known that
great hesitation was a!ways felt in buying estates from per-
sons engaged in trade, who were thus made the victims of
palpable injustieJ. The great object was to protect the
bona fide purchaser, and on this ground he would suppert
the Bill.
Lord CRAN WORTH would not detain their Lordships by
any lengthened ob,ervat,ons, after the 'ull discussion which
the subject had already undergone. It might not, however,
be altogether useless to point out, in a word, to such of their
Lordships who were not of the le4al profession, that for the
future, if the system of registration sho ,Id become law, the
proposition to be established on any sale or mortgage would
be positive and not negative. Now, any person selling or
mortgaging land had to prove what, in truth, was an impos-
sibility, the negative —namely, that there were ni deeds
affecting the title ; but when every deed was upon the re-
gistry the obligation would lie on the other side to show that
such deeds were in existence. That was a very simple
mode of putting the case, and one which all their Lordships
who were owners of land should bear in mind.
Lord CAIIPBLLL expressed himself highly pleased at
the very pithy description f the effect of the Bill laid down
by his Noble and Learned Friend. As the principle of the
Bill had been assented to, all that rein-toed to be considered
were the details. These were still sub judice, and open to
consideration on all sides. After the few remarks made by
his Noble and Learned Friend., he should feel that he w uld
be best discharging his duty by proposing that the Bill be
`referred to a Select Com:nittee.
The Bill was then read a second time, and afterwards re-
ferred to a Select Committee.
Their Lordships adjourned at a Quarter to Eight o'clock.

THE 'Rim IMMIGRATION.—CIose upon 10,000
of the v,._ poorest and most destitute class of the Irish
peasantry have arrived in Loud, n within the last fortuight,
from kAirk and the ports tributary thereto. It appears that
they are carried from Cork—an extreme port from London,
it least three days, journey—at a shilling a head. Each
paupers if we may 1168 the term, receives hal&a•crown for
leaving his native soil, the miserable fare being also paid by
the givers of the
.uni, in question, who are agents in the
hands of the landlords, whose laudable object no doubt is to
lower his poor-rates at the expense of the Londoners. This
trick was
most Extensively carried out durirg the year of
famine, but Liverpool 7,x then the port made for. The
p LisEen gars
tr,e imported into Enland at a
unfortunate
Liverpool had
shilling a head, and the ra ,par,ra
of
to pay
heati to seau them back;thepretty so that the steam-
packet company made
inconsiderable itet'o at all unlikely that the native thinglrish I form, daring the
Grand Exhibition, no inco.
the the head of
strangers. It is hear observe the treatment which
board b
receive on the steam
trending to
-vessels
these wretched creatures
r idea of
Those who have not observed it can form but a par . , •
the reality,
THE GOLD USED BY
DFITIsTs.—The public and
the medical profession generally on
are not aware of a vti et.;
fruitful source of disease •. hich arises from the introduc
into the mouths of many thousand persons of metallic plates
and other apparatus for the secur'ng artificial teeth. These
plates, &c., are nominally constructed of gold, but in point of
fact, in innumerable instances, there is little or no gold used
in the construction of them ; silver gilt, or some still baser
metal, is employed, which being acted upon by the acids of
the stomach, produces a poison which insidiously
undermines
seal
the health, causing cancer, and other diseases. f,,
delicacy of the sufferer, and his ignorance of what causes
his complaint, prevent him from receiving such advice as
would meet his case. This imposition on the public admits
of a most simple remedy ; it is merely compelling all per-
sons who are employed it) the trade or profession of making
such plates,
springs, &c., to have them stamped at the Gold-
smiths'-hall, and a standard enforced which would guarantee
the security of those by whom they were required.
SINGLE TENANTRY.—TENANT FARMERS WITH
wrrEs WAITED.—It is a curious fact that, of all Lord
Dinorben's tenantry in the counties of Arglesey and Car-
marvon, there is not a married pair; all
widows, or widowers, together with a
are single, either old
anaids, bachelors,
age the whole. Malthusianism, in-
deed, is here realised.—North Wales Chronicle.