The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-12-07 00:00:00

tile Lavv,

~, was read

A private meeting of the Committee of Management of
the London Law Amendment Society, and the Deputation,
was held on the evening of Monday, the 15th ult., Lord
Brougham in the chair, in order to consider the pro-
gramme and resolutions for the following day. Your
deputation, finding that the proposed resolutions referred
solely to the consolidation and assimilation of the mercan-
tile laws of the United Kingdom, remonstrated against
the exclusion from the programme of the present state of
the administration of mercantile law, the consideration
of which, with the view to the establisheaent of local tri-
bunals, with compulsory powers, and legal and equitable
jurisdiction over all mercantile disputes, the Liverpool
Chamber of Commerce had, both in their report on the
subject, and by express resolution at their last quarterly
meeting, decided to be, of all others, the most important
and urgent requirement in the course of law reform.
Lord Brougham, while admitting the importance of the
subject, and the difficulty of separating questions of the
procedure of Law Courts from the consideration of the
laws themselves, stated that the Law Amendment Society
was extremely desirous of securing unanimity in the con-
clusions to be come to in the approaching conference, in
order that its representations might be urged with the
greater weight on her Majesty's Government. He feared
that the introduction of too many qubjerts. especially
those on which difference of opinion might be elicited,
would tend to embarrass the proceedings. For these
reasons the managing committee had thought it expedient
strictly to limit the discussions on the morrow to the
subjects of consolidation and assimilation. If her
Majesty's Government granted the commission about to
be sought for, it would have power to entertain questions
connected with the administration of the law. His lord-
ship added that, in the meantime, the conference should
be adjourned after the discussion on the 16th to twelve
o'clock on the 17th, when the Liverpool deputation would
have an opportunity of bringing the subject of Tribunals
of Commerce before the meeting. Your deputation
acquiesced in his lordship's views.
Several other deputations from the country, especially
Scotland, brought forward the statements of grievances
under which their respective communities laboured, most
of which your deputation remarked were connected with
the present mode of administering the law, rather than
arising out of the law itself. For the proceedings at the
conference on the 16th and 17th ult., your deputation
refer to the newspaper reports of the day, to* which they
would add that the shortness of the time allowed for the
sitting prevented the subject from being fully discussed ;
but, as far as within their power, your deputation
endeavoured to impress on the meeting that improvement
in the administration of mercantile law, and the adjudica-
tion of mercantile disputes, was a subject which peculiarly
interested the commercial and trading towns of the
provinces, and in the pursuit of which they should not
expect much co-operation from the metropolis, the com-
mercial community there being exempted from many of
the grievances to which the trading classss in assize and
other country towns were subjected. Your deputation are
enabled to state that most of the representatives of the
Provincial Association concur in the views of the
Liverpool Chamber of Commerce:
They are glad to say also that both Lord Brougham and
Lord Harrowby have expressed themselves favourable to
the consideration of the subject. Your deputation have
reason to believe that sundry changes in the constitution
of county and other local courts are already under con-
sideration in different quarters ; and it is especially within
their knowledge that it is in contemplation to modify the
jurisdiction of the Borough Court in this town.
Your deputation are of opinion that the commercial
classes should have an opportunity of expressing their
sentiments on the proposed changes, to insure which they
would suggest a petition to Parliament embodying the
views to which the chamber has pledged itself; and,
secondly, a conference of deputations from all the provin-
cial commercial associations be held in Liverpool at a
suitable time, when every facility could be given for free
discussion and full publicity.
Your deputation, in conclusion, beg to state that they
met with great attentior. and assistance from Mr. Leone
Levi, who evinced every disposition to promote the objects
of the chamber.

Adopted, with the exception of the recommendations of
the deputation, which were reserved for consideration at
a future meeting. The best thanks of the Council were
voted to the members of the deputation for their interest
in this matter.

The communications comprised letters from the Antwerp
Chamber of Commerce on the false packing of cotton from
the United States : ordered to be brought under the
notice of the American Chamber of Commerce ; from the
Board of Trade, acknowledging the report of the council
on decimal currency, and stating that the subject was
one for the c3nsideration of the treasury ; from Sir John
Herschell and others on the same, many of which con-
tained suggestions upon the subject ; from Mr. James
Laurie, London, presenting a copy of his work, entitled
" Universal Exchange Tables," for which a vote of
thanks was passed ; from Mr. John Grantham, on the
subject of a high level railway for tho docks, which gave
rise to a conversation, when it was ordered that the plans
be laid on the table for the inspection of members.
Letters were also read on the subject of charters being
granted with limited liability to shipping companies,
upon which Mr. Rankin gave notice of the following