The Sun.
London, England, 1844-04-19 00:00:00

IMPERAt'PARLIkkiii.

HOUSE OF LORDS, April 18.

Their Lordships assembled at the usual hour.
Messengers from the Commons brought up several
Bills;which wire read a first time.

The Mike of WELLINGTON and Lord !CNN TON pre-
seated petitions from Dover and Bolton-le-Moors,
against the Dissenters' Chapels Bill.
The Earl of MORLEY presented a petition from
Devon, against any alteration in the corn-laws. .
Earl CAWDOR presented petitions, praying for
an alteration in the new poor-law.
The Marquis of NORMANBY presented petitiori*
for and against the Dissenters' Chapels Bill froni va;
rious places in the north of England, and in doing so,
the Noble Marquis stated that on the whole his opi-
nion was favourable to the Bill ; at the same time he
thought there were great _difficulties to contend with
in legislating upon this subject.
The Bishop of LONDON presented a petition from
the minister and elders of a Presbyterian congrega-
tion in Ireland against the Dissenters' Chapels Bill.
Lord CAMPBELL presented a petition from the
north of Ireland,• praying that Presbyterian mar;
riages might be legalised; also, from an Episcopal
congregation who concurred in the prayer. The No-
ble Lord also presented a number of petitions against
the Dissenters Chapels Bill.
Lord LYTTELTON presented a petition from a
congregation of Protestant Dissenters in Dublin, in
favour of the Dissenters' Chapels Bill. The Noble
Lord said that the petitioners represented themselves
as the lineal successors of the original founders of the
shapel, and said that they had been buried .in the
burial-ground of the chapel all their time.—(Great
laughter, in which all their Lordships joined.)
DEBTORS AND CREDITORS.

Lord CAMPBELL said he begged today on the
table a Bill for the purpose of allowing proceed-
ings to be brought against British subjects resident
abroad, where cause of action had arisen within this
country. He hoped that he should not be suspected
of any party purposes in introducing this Bill ; but
notwithstanding the many imputations which might
be groundlessly brought .forward against him, be
should continue to use his humble efforts for the pur-
pose. of, improving the institutions of his country.
Some years ago, when a Member of the House of
Commons, he had brought forward a Bill to
abolish imprisonment for debt,. both upon mesne
process and upon execution. A part of that
Bill was adopted, while the rest was dismissed in
empty air. But great improvement took place
through the preventing of imprisonment for debt
upon 'mesne process, and at the same time giving a
more speedy and ffectual remedy to the creditor
as regarded , the property of the debtor. He must
owns however, that one thing was overlooked, viz.,
that great ay was given to the fraudulent .
debtor to leave this country, and reside abroad,
where he could. set • his creditors at defiance.
It had been . found by experience That this
facility had been taken advantage of to a
very great degree. Power, indeed, was given in
the Bill to arrest a person who was in midi-
talione Age; but if a man had a. fraudu-
lent intention he would keep it to himself,
he would not suffer his creditor to learn his secret.
He crossed the Channel to'Boulogne, lived there very
luxuriously, and set his creditors at defiance. Their
Lordships were aware- that, as the law now stood,
no action' could be brought in any Court in Eng-
land, unless process were served within the ju-
risdiction -of the Court, and if a debtor went
out of the: jurisdiction of the Court, there were
no means whatsoever of obtaining judgment against
him. If a man had landed property, or property in
the funds, or personal property to a large amount,
and he owed 1001. in England, he could go across
the Channel, and there he could not be reached
by any means whatsoever, except through the
precarious process of outlawry. Even if the outlaWry
were regular, the personal property being forfeited to
the Crown, the creditors derived no direct advantage
from it. The only course which he could pursue
was to petition the Treasury, as representing the
Crown, that a sufficient part of the property for-
feited might be allotted for the payment of his
debt ; but this mode • of proceeding was found in
practice to be wholly. unavailing. There was an-
other most grievous inconvenience—viz , that the
statute of limitations was in the mean time running.
If a debtor went abroad and remained there for six
years, the debt was satisfied; there was no remedy
to recover it. The creditor must sue out writs and have
them returned by the Sheriff of Middlesex ; but that
was such an uncertain, fruitless, and expensive
proceeding that it could hardly be considered a remedy
at all. There could be no doubt in fact that great
abuses at present existed, that fraudulent debtors were
encouraged, and creditors grossly defrauded. What he
proposed by this Bill was, that, with the concurrence
of the Courts of Westminster Hall, when a cause of
action existed against a debtor whe was abroad, pro-
cess might be served upon him in a foreign country,
ample time being given to him to make his appear-
ance, and his defence, if he had any to make;
and that after it bad been proved to the satis-
faction of the Court that he had been served
with process abroad, the action should
proceed against him as if he had been
served within its own jurisdiction. The Noble Lord
then read a statistical statement as to the number of
English subjects resident in France on the Ist of
January, 1844, making a total of 66,000. In -addi;-
tion to the number of residents in that country, 't-
wits calculated that there were 40,000 persons who
were there merely for seine temporary pur-
pose. The expenditure of English residents in
France exceeded it appeared the annual suns of
5,000,000/. sterling. Now be (lid not contend that
all those persons were fraudulent debtors, but he
believed that a considerable proportion of English
subjects resident in France were there to set their
creditors at defiance, and if there were only one hun-
dred who had left this country with such an object
in view, he thought the Bill which he proposed to
introduce would be a salutary measure, and, under
these circumstances, he begged to move that
the Bill be read a first time, and printed.
The Noble and Learned Lord gave notice that on
Friday se'nnight he should move the second reading
of the Bill which he had introduced respecting writs
of error.

Their Lordships then adjourned.
HOUSE OF COMMONS, April 18.

The SPEAKRR took the Chair at the usual hour.
The Birkenhead Improvement Bill was read a third
time and passed.
NORTH BRITISH RAILWAY BILL.
On the motion for bringing up the report on this
Bill,

Mr. LOCKHART moved that it should be post-
poned until that day six months. This Bill could
not possibly be of any service to Scotland. Al-
though fifty-six miles long it only came sixteen
miles southward. As a local measure it pos-
sessed hardly any recommendations. The railroad
would go, along the . sea-side the whole - distance.
Another objection to it was, that it would pass close
under Holyrood Palace, and would therefore intrude
upon the privacy of her Majesty. -It would have to
pass a strong arm of the sea, and could not therefore
be continued with benefit to Scotland. Aline had lately
obtained the sanction of the House, running from
Lancaster to Carlisle ; and there would, therefore, be
a direct line of railway from EustOn-square to Aber-
deen. A number of lines were projected, which
would ultimately turn out to be 'Competing lines.
Under these circumstances be hoped the House would
the Bill before
.
not sanction this Measure.
Mr. P. M. STEWART said it would require strong
nerves in any Hon. Member 7to Bt9l°
the House in its. presezit stage.—(Hear, hear.) A
few years ago a Commissioner was appointed by Go.
vernment to report on the best line of communication
central line
use .
with Scotland, and that Commissioner reported strongly
and ' objecting to the
As the Caledonian line
eoffor a e
had not only the sanction of the Go
oinne now favour
before
of an overflowing body ofGovernment, but the
subscribers, and
therefore might be considered
as a competing line,
he wished to express a hope that , . that
line, whenever it came before the House,
g
should not be prejudiced by allowing the Bill now
before them to pass through its present stage. He
claimed for - Scotland a fair consideration for every
line of railway that might come before the House;
and that should one or two lines be brought forward
next session they should be opposed (if opposed at
all) on other grounds than that this line had •been
already sanctioned by; Parliament.—(Hear, hear:)
Mr. 11. HINDE hoped the House would accede to
the present motion, but must say that nothing. would
give him greater pleasure than to see Other lines 'in
connexion with. Scotlandbrought before
the 'Rollie.
Mr.' GLADSTONE was not quitel confident lie
Should be acting right in saying anything on the matter
before the House, but as he had been appealed to, as a
Government Commissioner 'had . reported : upon ,the
subject, and as he perhaps might save the House the
trouble of a division, he would, venture:to 'express -an
'opinion. He thought there •vas no doubt, if there were
to be only one line to Scotland; the House considered
that line should be a north7western one. Whateier
was done now, or whatever had been reported by. the
Commissioner, ought not to prejudice the fair consi-
deration of any future line. He quite' agreed
With the Honourable Member for Lancaster (Me.
Stewart), that -any line . that might hereafter
be brought forward ought not to be resisted by those
who now prOmoted the one then under consideration.
....,(iNar, heat.) ' Any oppoion 'that should: be*-
: tempted Would not, he was Stst.e,:--teeeive the:Ooniti-
nance of the House --(Loud cries of "-Hear; tear")
_The amendment was 'then 'withdrawn' by consent,
and the report was received, :. .-:•H,'. • ,-, •-: • , , •
On the motion 'of. Iit,HARDY; the -Northern
Coal-inining Bill was read :1k third time. • • ' .• .• -
• ' Mr. WATSON presetttea • a petition' against the
-Shoreham and Christthuroh Railwayi , , ~ .--