The Sun.
London, England, 1858-06-23 00:00:00

that the treatment of 'undies under the authority of the
Court of Chancery was much worse than the treatment
of other lunatics. It was impossible for the Lords
Justices to bestow sufficient attention on the matter to
discover all that was going on. One thing which ex-
cited his suspicion in a lunatic asylum was the circum-
stance that whenever a patient attempted to speak to
him a keeper immediately came up and said, " Take
care of him, sir, he is a very dangerous man."
Mr. TITE said, in accordance with the suggestion of
the Solicitor-General, he would withdraw his motion and
renew it next session.
The motion was then withdrawn.
BANKRUPTCY AND INSOLVENCY.

Lord J. RUSSELL moved for leave to bring in
bill to amend and consolidate the laws relating to bank-
rupts and insolvents." The noble lord said he made this
motion at the instance of a body of gentlemen who met
some time ago at Birmingham to consider the subject,
and who had asked him to lay the bill before the house
in order that it might engage the attention of the law
officers of the Crown. It appeared that at present the
expenses of bankruptcy proceedings were so great that
about 30 per cent. of the realised assets were absorbed in
them. Three or four remedies were suggested in this
bill. One was to put an end entirely to the distinction
between bankruptcy and insolvency by providing that
the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Courts should be united,
and that all persons who became insolvents should be
deemed to be bankrupts. In the next place, it was pro-
posed that the creditors should have power at their first
meeting to appoint a creditors' assignee, instead of an
official assignee; it being the opinion of the promoters
of the bill, that although in many cases the official assig-
nee was a man of knowledge and ability, and managed
the affairs entrusted to him skilfully, in other casein
through indolence or carelessness on the part of that
officer, a great deal of the property of the creditors was
wasted. It was further proposed that the process should
be very much simplified, and made cheaper than it was
then, and in pursuance of this last object it was proposed
that in certain cases the creditors should have power to
resort to the county courts. There were various other
provisions, including one for placing retired allowances
on the consolidated fund. The main feature of the bill
was the consolidation of the Bankruptcy Court and the
Insolvency Court. All he proposed to do now was to
introduce the bill ; he did not expect to proceed any fur-
ther
with it in the present session, but he hoped it would
receive the fullest attention from the Government before
any alteration was proposed on their behalf.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said the attention of
the Government had long been directed to this impor- -
tent subject, and, as the noble lord was probably aware,
a bill was about to be introduced by them in the other
house of parliament, which it was hoped would remedy
most of the exi,ting defects. He was surprised that no
attempt was made in the bill of the noble lord to amend
the state of the law with regard to insolvent joint stock
companies. At present it was impossible to do justice to
the creditors and the shareholders without instituting
proceedings both in the Court of Bankruptcy and in the
Court of Chancery ; and the consequence was a conflict
of jurisdiction, of remedies, and of officers, involving
immense expense to the parties interested. Re should
refrain from expressing any opinion with regard to the
provisions of the bill until he bad had an opportunity of
examining them ; but as regarded the proposed abolition
of the distinction between bankruptcy and insolvency,
he might observe that the bill must go a great deal fur-
ther than that if the noble lord sought to make every
class of British subjects liable to be made bankrupts.
Mr. HEADLAM agreed with the Attorney-General
as to the necessity of legislation with regard to insolvent
j oinestock companies, but thought it undesirable to mix
up that question with the subject of the bill.
Leave was then given to bring in the bill.
CORONERS INQUESTS.
Mr. COBBETT moved for a select committee to co'.
Sider the state of the law and practice as regards the
taking of inquisitions in cases of death, the appeintment,
duties, and remuneration of the officers employed there-
in, and whether it is expedient that any and what alter-
ation should be made in such matters. He said the coin-
mittea that he asked for was one to revive a committee
appointed appointed in 1851 on the motion of the hoe.
membsr for Lewes. The committee sat for a con- •
siderable time, took some evidence, and reported
hastily just before the dissolution, recommending '
that the evidence should be printed. The evideeces '
however, never had been printed. A great feud
non existed between the coroner and the justices in .
no less than fifteen counties, and the question was fb
question of fees. The 25th of George 11., chap.
29, gave the fee of one pound and an allow-
ance for mileage on all inquests which have been
duly held, and which should be paid out of the county ,
rate. This gave the justices a supervision. The let
Viet., chap. 68, enacted that the expenses attending the
holding of inquests should no longer be paid out of the
poor rate. That act of course threw a greater burden
on the county rate with regard to inquests, and front
that time to this there had been a growing disposition
on the part of the justices to cut down the expenses of
inquests. With regard to the expenses under the let
Victoria, the magistrates bad no discretion, but with -
regard to the fee of 1/ and the mileage, they had, there
having been discovered lately an old decision of the •
Court of King's Bench, by which on the word "duly"
it had been held that the justices had jurisdiction. The
rule of law was that there should be an inquest in all
cases of sudden death, or death from violence, but the
rule of the magistrates was that the inquest should not
be bead except there was some suspicion of criminality.
The justices of Yorkshire had given directions to the
constables to inform the coroner of casts in which they •
thought there was suspicion, so that the constables were
made the judges of the necessity, instead of the coroner.-
A commission having issued, be believed that the right
hoc. gentleman thought that a committee would be
useless—(hear, hear)—but if a hope was not held out
that the commission would go fully into the whole
matter, he must press upon the house the necessity of
appointing a ceiumittee.

The CLLANCELLOI2, of the EXCHEQITER said,
considering the number of hours the house had sat, the
lateness of the hour, and the fact that there must be a
debate upon this matter, he would move that the debsta
be adjourned. There was a sort of understanding that
matters of this sort should not be taken after midnight.
The debate was accordingly adjourned until Wedging..
day.

SALE OF GRAIN.
Mr. M`CANN obtained leave to bring in a bill for
the sale of wain, meal, flour, butter, and potatoes, and
other agricultural produce, by the pound avoirdupois, _
the score of twenty pounds, the hundredweight of one
hundred pcunds, and the ton of two thousand pounds.
The toll was read a first time.
COUNTY PROPERTY CONVEYANCE.
Mr. PALK obtained leave to bring in a bill to pro.
vide for the conveyance of county, city, and borough
property to the clerk of the peace or town clerk of the
county, city, or borough.
EXPJRING LAWS.
Mr. HAMILTON moved for a sabot committee to
inquire what temporary laws of a public and general
nature were in force nu the let day of January last, and
what laws of the like nature expired between the time to
which the last report on the subject was made up and
the said let day of January, and also which of the said •
laws in force on the said let day of January last_ are
limited to expire at particular periods, or in consequence
of any contingent public event, and to report the game,
with their observations thereupon, to the house
Hamilton, Mr. Fi!zroy, Mr. Attorney-General, Mr. -
Solicitor-General, Mr. Adderley, Mr. Cowper, Sir Was.
Jolliffe, General Peel, Mr. William Williams, Lord
Naas, Lord John Manners, and Mr. Hardy : pawee to
send for persons, papers, and records ; five to be the
•
quorum.
The committee was appointed.
The County Management Bill was read a third time
and passed..

The Railways Act (Ireland) Continuance Bill was read
a second time.
THE NISI PRIUS COURT (IRELAND) BILL.
This biil, as amended, was considered.
JOINT STOCK BANKING COMPANIES BILL.
On the motion for the third reading of this bill,
Mr. COWAN moved that it be read a third time that
day six mouthF.
The house divided—
For the third reading 6O
Against
13-17
The bill then passed, and
Tile house then adjourned at a quarter before one.

Sir James Matheson has paired for the remainder of
he session with Lord Alexander Gordon Lennox.

DEATHS FRO/St SIINSTROICE.—On Wednesday last two
men near Rumford, in Essex, and a man near Mayfield,
Sussex, met their deaths from sunstroke. Farm stock
i❑ Essex suffered severely from the same cause, not °DIY
bullocks, cows, and pigs, but ducks and geese, dropping
down dead through the heat of the weather.

BIRTHS.
BowDEN--On the 20th inst., at Preston, the wife of Major
Bowden, 22d Regt., of a son.
HARDINGE—On the 20th inst., at 20, Hanover-squaret
Viscountess Hardinge, of a son.
KNATCIIBULL—On the 19th inst., the wife of Major Reg'
nald Knatehbull, of a son.
MAYOR- On the 21st inst., at 45, Park-street, Grosvenor.
square, Mrs. P. J. Mayor, Esq., of a daughter.

MARRIAGES..
CORNWALL—WILSON—On the 19th inst., at Dublin, b 1
special license, Major G. Cornwall, 93d Highlanders,
to Augusta Annie, second daughter of the late Brigadier
Wilson, 64th Regt.
STEEL—WOOD—On the 27th ult , at St. Martin's-in•the•
Fields, Charles Steel, Esq., Captain 17th Lancers, o'6
eldest son of Major-General Sir Scudamore Winde Steele
K.C.8., to Anna Caroline, third daughter of the Rev
Sir John Page Wood, Bart., of Rivenhall, Essex.