The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-31 00:00:00

CHILL

Mr. LIDDELL asked the Under Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs whether it was true that the Chilian Mi-
nister had demanded his passports ; and, if so, what were
the grounds for this rupturo of friendly relations with that.
Government ?

Mr. LAYARD said the Chilian Minister had not de-
minded his passports ; but he had presented a letter of re-
call. His Excellency did not assign any reason for such a
proceeding. From communications that had been received
by her Majesty's Government, he did not anticipate any
interruption in the friendly relations that at present existed
between Chili and England.
VISITORS FROM CHINA.
Colonel SYKES asked the Under Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs whether Pint and his sou Yo-ho, and their
Tartar and Mongol friends from Pekin, who have accom-
panied Mr. Hart, the Imperial Inspector of Customs, and
were now in England, were accredited to the British Govern-
ment in any official capacity, or were merely recommended
to its courtesies as travellers from China ?
Mr. LAYARD had to state that these Ohinese gentle-
men are not accredited to this country in any official capa-
city, but they had come on the recommendation of the
Chinese Government to soe the country and the inte-
resting features in it. Her Majesty's Government under
such circumstances would do all they could to make their
visit pleasant. (Hear, hear.) He believed in a short time
there would be a more formal visit, which he hoped would
lead to a state of things which would be of great benefit
to both countries.

iteagmueerlaifw thweheCt
dhl teu'plrici: hrEe R,S .ore
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cAt b
do
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ra e Bt
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el
Mr. P. SURTEES asked the Chancellor of the Ex-
ohmeerpliritlUsmoß•orCyullidC
vicar of Stockton-on-Tees for the time being of the sum
of £2O a-year, which was settled on him "for ever here-
after" byan Act of Parliament passed in the reign of Queen
Anne ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the
matter was entirely beside the influence of the Compulsory
Church Rate Abolition Bill. If the hon. gentleman should
feel disposed to move the insertion of clauses to meet the
matter, such clauses would receive the best consideration.
THE REFORM BILL.
Mr. GOLDSMID, onithe motion for going into Com-
mittee on Representation of the People and Redistribution
of Seats Bill, moved " That this house is of opinion
that, if the proposal of the Government to group
boroughs having, according to the census of 1861,
a population of less than 8,000 be adopted, it
is expedient that all boroughs which then had a popula-
tion above 8,000, but under 10,000, and which return two
members, should henceforth return one only ; and that all
groups of boroughs, the combined population of which,
according to the said census, was above 10,000, should iu
future return two members to this house."
Mr. GOSCHEN said the amendment of the honour-
able gentleman who had just sat down was re-
markably distinguished from that of the honourable and
gallant member for Wells, because in the one there
were a number of vague generalities, whilst in the other
the honourable gentleman who had just sat down thought
he had discovered a bolt in the bill and he had gone directly
to it. He thought, however, that the hon member who had
brought forward the amendment was rather in a pecu-
liar position of hardship, because he himself represented
one of the boroughs which came just within the lino
lof the Government measure. ifoniton, Bridport,
and Lymo Regis possessed as large a populaton, it was true
that no great measure could pass through Parliament with-
out inflictigg hardship on some parties.) (Hear, hear)
However, there was one consolation to the small boroughs
its was proposed to group, and it was this, viz., that in
place of disfranchisement, which they must have expected,
they were to be banded together, and thus, to a certain ex-
text, retain their voice in the Legislature of the country.
He denied that the Government had arranged the dis-
tribution of seats upon any but the fairest principles, and
instead of attacking the principle of the bill the great party
opposite confined their powers to matters of. procedure
and obstruction. The amendment of the hon.
and gallant
member for "Wells was neither more nor less than a mo-
tion for delay—(hear, hear)—and one of its great charac-
teristics was the circumstance he had stated. The Go-
vernment, in framing the bill, had been actuatedhe bduetfie/
one principle, that was impartiality—(hear)—and
i rtion of the
hon. gentlemen opposite
to showproposal ores not the bill where that great and just
Government measure.
dis-
tinguishing characteristic of the Government
considering
the bill
He thought one
of the grounds of the boroughs grouped,
was the distance from each other
that
the
boroughs in
but hon. seemed to forget
eh
greater
distance
Scotland were situated
at
those dealt with in
from each other thau (Hear, hear.) He
the bill of the Government.
had been fairly dealt with
that the counties c .
of "No, no" from
contended ,
Cites
in the bill of the Government.th,At was not the fact, where was the
the Opposition')
If
amendment complaining of the injustice done to the
from Ministerialists.) The amend-
counties ? (Cheers gallant member for Wells did not go to
the principle of
ment of the bo.t a
hiti, d
bin,
and the Government would there-
fore on such a proposition, because it
fore not accept a
dealt with matters i which could be disposed of a) m..
n
inittce

Iciation of Trade Protection Societies.

Yesterday the annual meeting of the members of
this association took place at the Westminster
Palace Hotel—Mr. Robert Wells, of Hull, in the
chair. Amongst the other members present were
_.Mr. 11. F. Pankhurst, Manchester ; Mr. Henry
Whitworth, Manchester ; Mr. John Ciipps, Liver-
pool ; Mr. A. Hardwick, Liverpool ; Mr. George T.
Bathgate, Edinburgh ; Mr. Wm. Johnson, Leeds ;
Mr. W. H. Chamberlain, Leicester ; Mr. John D.
Paul, Leicester ; Mr. Edward Gripper, Notting-
ham ; Mr. Joseph Roberts, jun., Leicester ; Mr.
John Parsons, Bristol ; Mr. John Miller, Bristol ;
Mr. Thomas Blakeman, Mr. Henry Evanett, Mr.
P. A. Taylor, M.P., Mr. J. D. Harris, Mr. Mac-
alister, Glasgow and West of Scotland ; Mr. J. H.
Dixon, Sheffield ; Mr. W. H. Barrow, Mr. J. L.
Longstaff, Lord Amberley, M.P. (Nottingham),
Mr. Thomas Angell, Mr. V. Pococke, Mr. Lewis
Waterman, Bristol ; Mr. Robert Mellors, Notting-
ham; Sir F. Crossley, Bart., M.P. (Halifax), Mr.
E. Baines, M.P. (Leeds), Mr. Graves, M.P. (Liver-
pool), Mr. Beecroft, M.P. (Leeds), Lord F. Caven-
dish (North- west Riding), Mr. Norwood, M.P.
(Hull), &c.
The CHAIRMAN said the first business before
them was the consideration of the Bankruptcy Bill.
The committee met on the previous night, and drew
up a short report of the expression of opinion which
they had elicited from the various societies. It
would be entirely impossible for the meeting to go
seriatim through all the clauses of the bill, but there
were certain great principles of a most important
nature to be submitted to their consideration.
Mr. MELLORS, the secretary, then read the re-
port, which recommended that the bill should re-
ceive the support of the commercial community,
subject to such modifications as were named. The
committee approved of the realisation of the assets
being left in the hands of the creditors, who were
to appoint inspectors and trustees ; but such ap-
pointment should be made by a majority, in num-
ber and value, of creditors, and not by a majority
in value only, as proposed by the bill. They ap-
proved of the disqualification of relatives as trustees.
They thought the trustee should be paid either a
sum in gross or commission on the sum realised, to
be fixed by the creditors at the time of the appoint-
ment of the trustee, and not by the inspectqrs after
the estate had been realised. They regarded the
distinction between trader and non-trader as unne-
cessary, and desired non-traders to be liable to a
summons similar to trader-debtor summons. No
debtor should be made bankrupt under £lO or £2O.
The present law as to imprisonment for debt, and
the discharge of debtors from prison, should remain
unaltered. As to the adaptability of county courts
the committee were not agreed. No priority of full
payment of trust funds should be permitted, except
in cases under wills and settlements for widows and
children. The discharge of a bankrupt should be
given upon payment of 6s. Bd. in the pound, or the
adoption of the Scottish system, viz., at any time,
by the assent of all the creditors who had proved ;
after six months, a majority in number, or four-
fifths in value ; after 12 months, a majority and
two-thirds in value ; after 8 months, a majority in
numbers and value ; in two years, by the court,
after due notice to the creditors and a hearing, and
that without the certificate of the trustee being
necessary. The criminal sections had not been
amended. The addition of clauses to include a
deceased insolvent's estate the committee considered
desirable.
The various recommendations in the report were
then discussed, and the results were that the meet-
ing approved of the proposition respecting the reali-
sation of assets being left in the hands of creditors,
but rejected the suggestion that the appointment of
inspectors and trustees should be made by a majo-
rity in numbers and value, and not by a majority in
value only, as proposed by the bill. The sugges-
tion that the trustees should be paid either a sum
in gross or by commission was also rejected. 'The
proposal for the disqualification of relations as trus-
tees was agreed to. It was unanimously agreed that
the distinction between traders and non-traders was
unnecessary. The clause in the report to the effect
that no debtor should be made a bankrupt under
£lO or £2O was negatived. In regard to the law
as it affected imprisonment it was thought that the
present power of imprisonment for debt in the supe-
rior courts on final process should be retained. As
to the adaptability of county courts as a machinery
for bankruptcy administration, the meeting was not
agreed, though several of the delegates were of
opinion that county courts might be so constituted
as to render them fit for the purpose. After a long
discussion, it was agreed—" That no priority of
payment, as proposed by sec. 249 of the bill to be
given to friendly societies, be allowed." As to the
clause relating to the discharge of a bankrupt, it
was agreed that the requisition of payment of a divi-
dend of 6s. Bcl. in the pound as a condition prece-
dent to the right of a bankrupt to procure his dis-
charge be expunged, and that in lieu of the mode
of obtaining the discharge of a bankrupt, the pre-
sent Scottish system of assent of creditors be substi-
tuted. Upon the question as to .the imprisonment
for debt a variety of suggestions were made, and at
length a resolution was proposed—" That in the
opinion of this meeting some provision should
be made for the punishment of the several offences
mentioned in division 3, sec. 159, of the act of 1861,
and also for the punishment of fraudulent pre-
ferences." It was felt desirable that an allowance
to the bankrupt should be made as under the old act.
Mr. Miller suggested that half-a-dozen professional
men, two from London and the others from the
country, should meet for the purpose of considering
the " little details" of the bill, especially the forms ;
such gentlemen to be paid by Government. Mr.
Pankhurst thought that this was a most unlawyer-
like suggestion, and one which the Attorney-Gene-
ral would not think worth a moment's consideration.

The meeting then adjourned till this morning.
In the evening a deputation, consisting for the
moat part of the gentlemen who interested them-
selves in the meeting, waited upon the Attorney-
General in the Earl Marshal's room, House of Lords,
for the purpose of him
acquainting with the result
of their deliberations. The deputation was augmented
by the following
members of tip
E.
James, Q*C" Parliament :—Mr.
Phillips, Mr. Bazley, Mr.
Lord
Milton, Mr. Barnes, Sir M. Peto, mrlld
lion. Mr. Egerton, Mr. Horsfall, mr. Turner,afeld, the
`
Graves, Mr. Graham, Mr. Hibberd, Mr. / Berke-
ley, Sir F. Crossley, Bart., Mr. Harris, &c..
The deputation having been formally introduced
by Mr. Norwood, M.P.,
Mr. WELLS, the chairman of the meeting, read
the above resolutions to the Attorney-General,who,
in reply, said he could not then enter into a discus-
sion upon the several points which were contained
in the resolutions ; but he might inform them that
these points had not escaped consideration. Some of
them indeed had been very carefully considered.
private
were two on which he might say that his own
opinions ;were very much in accordance with
tec4ethetileY„had expressed, viz., the one which related
He had distinction between trader and non-trader.
He
eeuicTi' jtrejudice in favour of that distinction.
positively whether it would be
better to do what they
to the clause affecting
wished or not. With respect
ground for consirodeirgalitohne
friendly societies there was
in what they had submit-
ted to him. It
ou gh t inconsistent with
the engagements of those societiesprivileges
that they should
take away from them
tre, be regarded
possessed by law. It might, Pegrhsawhich they now
present
tht a
as retrospective legislation against
Te hx at
et n thedea
compromise be effected in this wayra?.
privilege should be continued to the
cieties for a limited time, and be BO-
to those which might be formed hereafter. As to
imprisonment for debt, he saw no prospect whatever
of being induced to waive that portion of the bill.
He did not think the objections which had been
urged
were sufficiently solid to remove the reasons
which had induced them to make the proposal. Re-
specting the dividend, that was no doubt a very im-
portant and difficult matter, as to the fixed dividend
which would entitle to discharge. He had no doubt
that they had well weighed their Proposition. The
object which they (the framers of this bill) had in
view was, by having such rules, to discourage that
class of trading commonly called "reckless trading,"
and to make it not too easy for the bankrupt to en-

ter into business again. Whether they or the Govern-
ment were right he would not attempt to say. He
should like to know what the views of the associa-
tion were, supposing a compromise of this kind were
entertained—to retain the present clause as to the
general sale, and giving such power as they sug-
gested to the creditors within a limited time, and
then to the court to dispense with the dividend, or
the six years' period, if it was thought that the con-
duct of the bankrupt had been unexceptionable, or
his losses due to unavoidable circumstances. He
should be very glad to hear their opinion upon it.
Mr. WELLS said the association would meet in the
morning, and would then take the matter into con-
sideration. He would beg to ask the right hon. gen-
tleman if there was any particular reason why the
amount should be fixed at 6s. Bd. ?
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said that was one-third
of a pound—that was all. It was possible that some
persons might actually endeavour to increase their
assets with the view to getting that dividend-6s. Bd.
—if they contemplated bankruptcy ; but he would
be quite ready to make the punishment clause more
stringent.
Mr. WELLS said the difficulty was to ascertain
whether such was the intention or not.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL—Certainly.
Mr. WELLS further pointed out that, in certain
cases, the 6s. Bd. clam would bear very hard.
After some further conversation, Mr. Norwood,
M.P., thanked the right hon. gentleman for his
courtesy, and the deputation withdrew.