The Sun.
London, England, 1868-08-31 00:00:00

COMPOSI77ON DEEDS.

Mr. Justice Willes last week emphatically de-
scribed composition deeds as " legalised highway
robberies," adding that he meant what he said,
that his opinion of them was the result of long ex-
perience.
That opinion will have the entire concurrence
of our readers. The profession have been
unanimous in denouncing this great abuse, and
have endeavoured year after year to procure
from Parliament a reform of it. Had the
remonstrances of the solicitors been backed by
the mercantile community redress would have
been conceded long ago. But there has been a
lukewarmness upon the subject on the part of the
trader world, which raises a suspicion that this
legalised system of " highway robbery" was not
altogether distasteful to them, possibly in the re-
flection that some day they themselves might find it
useful. The toleration of such an abuse for a single
year is in itself a painful illustration of the degra-
dation of British trading morals in these latter days.
Twenty years ago a whirlwind of indignant remon-
strances would have swept such a law from the
statute-book in a month.

An endeavour has been made during the last
session to amend some of the most manifest
evils of the system, but it is very doubtful if
enough has been done even to stay the plague,
for cured it certainly is not. Mr. Moffatt's bill,
which cut at the root of the evil, was pared
down by the influence of representatives of the
mercantile community, who manifestly desire the
minimum of reform. We are inclined to think
that the entire system is wrong ; that it is incap-
able of substantial improvement; that it is based
on false principles, and requires entire reconstruc-
tion. It is an important question whether the law
should interfere at all between debtors and cre-
ditors, and whether it can do so without
injustice to one or the other. Is it just that
three creditors should be empowered to com-
pel a fourth coeditor to do what may be advan-
tageous to them, but injurious to him? Would
it not suffice for the ends of justice that the law
should provide efficient means for collecting and
distributing an insolvent's estate equally among his
creditors, and for punishing fraud on the part of the
debtor, leaving all the creditors and the debtor to
make among themselves any arrangement to which
all assent, in default of which assent there would be
the remedy of equal division ?
We trust that these important questions will be
discussed at the coming session of the Social Science
Association.—Law

A gratifying tribute of goodwill was offered on
Thursday to Lord Castlerosse by the inhabitants of
Killarney. A public meeting was held, presided
over by the High Sheriff, and representing all
parties, at which an address of congratu'a►ion on
the escape of Lady Castlerosse and his family
from the late terrible railway disaster was unani-
mously agreed to, and the warmest expressions of
respect for Lord Kenmare were embodied in the
address. Among the speakers were the Right Rev.
Bishop Moriarty, Colonel Herbert, M.P., Lord
Headley, Mr. Leahy, Q.C., Mr. John O'Connel,
J.P., and the Rev. Richard Herbert. A similar
demonstration was made in the county Limerick.
The tenants, to the number of 400, met in the
hospital, and then proceeded to the Roman
Catholic Church, which was brilliantly lighted up
and decorated for the occasion. The very Rev. R.
Slattery, P.l'., addressed the congregation from
the altar, and responding to the invitation they
all joined heartily in thanksgiving to Almighty
God for the providential escape of Lord Castle-
rosse and his family. They afterwards adopted
an address of congratulation couched in cordial
terms.

THE EQUESTRIAN STATUE OF THE DUKE OF CUM
BERLA.ND IN CAVENDISH-SQUARE.— This statue, which
stands upon its stone pedestal in the centre of the enclo-
sure, and which was erected in 1770, has become so
dilapidated that it is about to be taken down to be
recast.