The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-20 00:00:00

not to be two laws for bankruptcy and insolvency.
Whenever a man is :unable to meet his liabilities,
take possession of his property—realise, and fairly
' distribute it amongst all his creditors. If he has
meritedpunishment, let him receive it, but on a fixed
scale, decided by the presiding Judge. But, when-
ever he has expiatedhis offences—when he has paid
the allotted penalty—return him to the world of
industry perfectly clear from all former
liabilities. Let not his future efforts be paralysed,
let him not be discouraged from saving a portion
of his earnings by the notion that any degree of
prudence or good fortune on his part will only lead
to new and vexatious inquiries, and the absorption
of the money for the old creditors. As Mr. Com-
missioner FANE truly remarks, " creditors are
nearly as much to blame as debtors, and ought not
to be permitted to oppress those whom they have
misled by their own carelessness."
But if there should be but one law, there
should, as the learned Commissioner clearly ex-
plains, be two courts, and the present establish-
ment in Portugal-street should be maintained for
those whose assets are insufficient to meet the
demands of the more aristocratic tribunal in
Basinghall-street. A vast number of the suit ors in
the Insolvent Court are small tradesmen owing less
than £3OO, and the expenses of going through
bankruptcy would be sufficient to meet all their
liabilities. There is also a great distinction between
men who have been engaged in trade and com-
merce and others who, although unable to pay
their debts, may not have committed any commer-
cial offences.

No man should be permitted to levy a fi. fit. on
the goods of his debtor. They may be seized and
sold, but the proceeds should be paid into Court ;
and the simple fact that they had been
disposed of by the sheriff should be re-
garded as an act of insolvency, and compel
the defendant toappear in court. We have re-
peatedly put forward this view of the case, and we
are happy to find that it has obtained the high
sanction of Mr. Commissioner FANE.

The remaining, and one of the most important,
features in the plan is, that any one who was
unable to satisfy every just demand, or any.unpaid
judgment creditor, should be entitled to bring a
case before the Court, so that it might be properly
and fairly adjudicated upon. Mr. VANE'S views
have been well considered, and, if adopted, would,
we have no doubt, prove beneficial to all classes,
not only to debtors but also to creditors.

Esquimault gives good promise of becoming very
rapidly what was predicted from the first—the
Queen of the Pacific. There already, upon a rocky
plateau on its border, is growing up swiftly,.to the
rasp of the saw and the clink of the hammer, a fine
new city, by name Victoria. So speedily is this
future maritime metropolis of Vancouver rising,
that whereas exactly one year ago there were some
300 persons collected together upon its site, hud-
died together gipsy-wise in tents, Indian-wise in
wigwams, and otherwise anyhow almost—there are
now.' according to our last advices from Quadra, in
this new town of Victoria no less than 3,000 inha-
bitants. And, what is more, this population of
3,000 citizens or burgesses are settled down not
merely in a phantom city, a city existing only on
paper, like the Eden of MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT, but
Victoria' is taking rank already as a substantial
town, remarkable for its orderly arrangements. It
is laid out upon the plateau already mentioned
over a space of one and a half square miles. This
area is subdivided into upwards of 1,500 blocks and
lots—nearly 1,150 of which had already been pur-
chased by enterprising adventurers. It is being
intersected by roads—these roads being carefully
macadamised. Peace is preserved among the
3,000 inhabitants by the watchful care of
some twenty policemen blue-coated, baton
in pocket, glazed hatted, like our own fami-
liar Peelers. Three conspicuous spaces are
reserved upon appropriate sites in this new town of
Victoria—for a green that may eventually become
a park—for a school that may arise to the dignity
of an university—for a church that may ultimately
expand into a cathedral. Besides the 3,000 resi-
dent inhabitants, there are some 500 diggers per-
petually fluctuating to and fro as a surplus floating
population. The panoramic view obtained from the
elevated spot selected from the open ground for
recreation is described as magnificent. There is
Nature in all her wild luxuriance. Yonder, upon
the verge of the vast horizon, stretch in a vast
semicircle the snow-peaked mountains of Washing-
ton Territory. Yonder, in the direction of the op-
posite coast, the entire extent of the Straits of Fuca
—the entrance to the waters of Puget Sound—the
mainland of the north Continent. Victoria has
been thus rapidly developed, moreover, with the
perfect preservative hitherto of order and good
government. This—thanks to the good sense of the
gold hunters attracted to the new El Dorado of
British Columbia—thanks to the respect and confi-
dence inspired by the fluttering symbol of the
Union Jack—thanks to the energy, the prompt
and resolute determination, the sagacity, cou-
rage, and ready tact of the noble Scotchman
who happily chanced at this imminent period of
transition to bo then entrusted with the weighty
responsibility of regulating and guiding:the machi-
nery of administration.. His Excellency Governor
DOUGLAS has earned for himself no fugitive repu-
tation as the first ruler of the new colony of British
Columbia. He has acquitted himself, from first to
last—in a position, be it remembered, of extraordi-
nary difficulty—to the complete satisfaction of her
MAJESTY'S Government. Nor can the hearty
ap-
proval accorded to Governor DOUGLAS, by the Secre-
tary of State be any matter of surprise—if it be
only borne in mind that order has, been hitherto
maintained in the new colony by his Excellency,
and for the most part by his Excellency single-
handed. We have yet to hear of the arrival in
British Columbia of Colonel MOODY, with his
sappers and engineers, with his marines
and surveyors, with his abundant supply
of all the wonderful material of civilisation—
sleepers and iron bars for railroads—steam .engines,
stationary and locomotive—batteries and wire-coils
for the electric telegraph—types and rollers for
the printing press—camera and collodion for the
magic apparatus of photography. Judge BEGBIE i
had yet to make his appearance in the new colony,
whither he had been despatched to administer the
laws of England. There—awaiting the support of
his various subordinate officials—the Governor of
British Columbia continued still, by our last news 1
from Vancouver, to maintain law and order among
the motley population under his authority. This,
moreover, in spite of the disgraceful and formidable
incentives to insubordination scattered among the
American diggers by the lawless band of the late
United States' agent, Mr. JOHN NUGENT. Success-
ful in maintaining tranquillity in the new Colony,
when alone and unaided, under these peculiar. cir-
cumstances, Governor DOUGLAS, we may rest con-
fidently assured, will at the least be none the less
successful when he finds himself supported in his
important position by all the machinery of a well-
ordered Government.

Another and an eloquent plea has been advanced
with a view to the development of our system of
ragged schools and juvenile 'reformatories. The