The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-07-29 00:00:00

THE LAW OF DEBTOR AND CREDITOR,

The two bills introduced by Lord Brougham in the House
of Lords last week, on the subject of the law relating to
debtor and creditor, have been printed. They have refe-
rence to insolvent debtors, and are to facilitate arrange-
ments with creditors in the nature of trust deeds. It is
proposed to give the working of the measures to the Court
of Bankruptcy, and from the observations that fell from the
noble and learned lord on presenting them it seems that
they have been framed by one of the commissioners of that
court. It will be recollected that Lord Cottenham has
given notice of his intention next session to bring forward.
the subject of imprisonment for debt, and in the interim the
present measures have been introduced, with which Lord
Brougham expressed his satisfaction. The principal bill is
the one relating to insolvent debtors, and the other has
reference to trust deeds, giving debtors certain powers to
arrange with their creditors, under restrictions of the Court
of Bankruptcy. The preamble of the first-mentioned measure
states " that it is expedient to protect from all process against
the person such persons as have become indebted without
tiny fraud or gross or culpable negligence, so as their estates
may be duly distributed among their creditors." There are
twelve sections, by the first of which any person not being a
trader, on giving notice, may present a petition, stating the
debts owing to and by the debtor. The notice of the in-
tended application to be given in the London Gazette, and
two newspapers, and a form is annexed of the notice re-
quired. The judge or commissioner may on the petition
grant a protection from arrest. It is further proposed by
the bill to appoint a hearing, to grant an allowance, and to
indorse the protection for a subsequent examination. There
is a power to commit to prison for a month, on the ground
of prevarication. On passing the final examination, the
estate is to vest in the assignees. By the Bth section, the
future estate of the petitioner, real or personal, is absolutely
to vest in his assignees. This is a most important clause.
The subject of subsequently-acquired property has been
much discussed. Under a bankruptcy future property is
barred by the certificate ; but under insolvency the sub-
sequent property is liable. In the report under the
commissionf relating to bankruptcy and insolvency Mr.
Commissioner Law (of the Insolvent Debtors' Court )
strenuously insisted on the liability of future property, and ad
duced a number of instances to show its efficacy ; but the other
commissioners were of a different opinion. There is a pro-
vision made in the bill to rescind the final order, for the ap-
pointment of assignees, and rules for the management of the
business to be created, which rules are to be approved of by
the Lord Chancellor. By this bill, the privilege to be
allowed is denied to persons who have contracted debts by
means of a breach of trust, criminal conversation, seduction,
and other grounds for which remands are pronounced by
the Insolvent Debtors' Court.
The other bill contains 14 clauses, by which meetings of
creditors are to be held, and arrangements made, under the
guidance of the commissioners of bankrupts.
The main feature in the bill relating to insolvent debtors
is to provide a hearing without going into custody in the first
instance.

STATISTICS OF MUSCULAR POWER.—Man has the power
of imitating every motion but that of flight. To effect these
he has, in maturity and health, sixty bones in his head, sixty
in his thighs and legs, sixty-two in his arms and hands,
sixty-seven in his trunk. He has also 434 muscles. His
heart makes sixty-four pulsations in a minute ; and, there-
fore, 3,140 in an hour, 92,150 in a day. There are also three
complete circulations of his blood in the short space. of an
hour. In respect to the comparative speed of animated
being and impelled bodies, it may be remarked, that size and
construction seem to have little influence; nor has compari-
tive strength, although one body giving any quantity of
motion to another is aid to lose so much of its own. The
sloth is by no means a small animal, and yet it can travel
only fifty paces in a day. A worm crawls only five inches
in fifty seconds; but a lady-bird can fly twenty million times
it own length in less than an hour. An elk can run a mile
and a half in seven minutes, an antelope a mile in a minute;
the wild mule of Tartary has a speed even greater than that ;
an eagle can fly eighteen leagues in an hour ; and a Canary
falcon can even reach 250 leagues in the short space of sixteen
hours.—Bucke.

(AeeOnt.
ceßislD INA R Y . —Among the
HYPOCUONDRIACISM
phiIosophicaIEXTRAORDINARY.
with which Mr. Neal's
abounds, we think
sleigh-riding and
rdereye,o volumesain t, and o
t "Charcoal
man's e'n?s tv,la,Luhr'i I believe,
gotthis . s, o
spilt,'liloi y i
sof i
inimitable
oli
iotaafbelre,
:w__h::
It's
sd
and we can't help it nohow. As for me, I
g
—there's some sense :in being a pig wot's fat ; pigs7as don't
have
have to speculate and burst—pigs never go a sleighing, quarrel
with their daddies-in-law wot is to be, get into sprees, and
make tarnal fools of themselves. Pigs is decent-behaved
people and good citizens, though they ain't got no wore.
And then they haven't got no clothes to put on of cold .
morn-
ings when they get up ; they don't have to be darninj'oin
patchin' their old pants ; they don't wear no old hats and
their heads, nor have to ask people for 'em ; cold wittles 'n
plenty for pigs. My eyes ! if I was a jolly fat pig belongingis
to respectable people, it would be tantamount to nothir't
me who was president. Who ever seed one pig sittin' on to
cold curbstone a rubbin' another pig's head what got chucked
out of a sleigh? Pigs have too much sense to go a ridin', if
so be as they can help it. I wish I was one, and out of this
scrape. It's true," continued Dout, thoughtfully, and pull_
ing Timpleton's nose till it cracked at the bridge
"It's true, pigs have their troubles like humans—constables
catches 'em, dogs bites 'em, and pigs are sometimes almost
as doneover suckers as men : but pigs never runs their own
noses into scrapes, coaxin' themselves to believe it's fun, as
we do. I never sees a pig go the whole bog in my life, 'sept
ma rum cherries."—American paper.

INTERVIEW OF DEPUTIES PROM THE PRIN-
CIPAL MANUFACTURING TOWNS WITH SIR
ROBERT PEEL.

(From the Morning Chronicle of Tuesday.)
Yesterday a deputation, consisting of delegates from the
great manufacturing towns, had an interview, by appoint-
ment, with Sir Robert Peel, to lay before him the alarming
distress prevalent amongst the population generally in their
respective districts. Those gentlemen were expressly. de-
puted for that purpose by large bodies of their fellow-towns-
men during the past week ; and the movement was inde-
pendent of the Anti-corn-law League, now holding their
sittings in the metropolis. The deputation arrived at the
Treasury at one o'clock, and were immediately introduced
to Sir Robert Peel. Facts showing the depreciation of
manufacturing property, the wasting away of capital, and the
poverty and misery of the operatives for want of employment,
were laid before the premier at considerable length. They
were summed up by Mr. Alderman Chapell in a few words—
" The manufacturing districts were on the eve of a general
bankruptcy." The result of this state of things was every
day becoming more fearfully apparent in the expatriations of
the most skilled workmen, the demoralization of the poorer
classes, the dangerous symptoms of dissatisfaction and vio-
lence amongst large bodies of the population.
Mr. Edward Akroyde stated, that on Sunday week there
was a gathering of from 12,000 to 15,000 chartists on the
heights of Blackstone Edge, on the borders of Yorkshire and
Lancashire, to consider the propriety of resorting to violent
measures for the accomplishment of their objects. They
were accompanied by bands of music, and banners bearing
such significant mottoes as " Bread or blood." The ap-
proach of winter would break down the feeble barriers of
famine, and the probable result would be general anarchy
and confusion.
Sir Robert Peel appeared anxious to show, that the govern-
ment had done something to avert and mitigate the evils
complained of, and, alluding to the new tariff, observed that
more had been done within the last six months than had
ever been done before.
Mr. Ashworth replied, that he (Sir R. Peel) had not gone
far enough • that the substitution of a duty of 13s. a quarter
would exclude wheat as effectually as a duty of 235. ; for six
feet of water would drown a man as well as six yards; and
that the reductions in the tariff upon French boots, shoes,
gloves, silk hats, and cosmetics, were not calculated to be-
nefit the poorer classes.
Sir R. Peel inquired if the introduction of animal food
would not be a good thing for the poor.
Mr. Ashworth replied, that, from what had taken place in
the House of Commons, he thought there was no agriculturist
who would now have the boldness to assert that he antici-
pated any material reduction of price. After forcibly de-
picting the mischiefs of what was called " protection." in re-
ference to our commercial intercourse with America, Mr.
Ashworth adduced a novel and striking illustration of the

benefits of a free trade in corn, as recently exhibited in two
of our eastern hemispheres. Some time about the years 1819
and 1823, the agriculturists of New South Wales had several
meetings at Sydney and other places, as the price of wheat
was then very low in the colony. A tender was made at 3s. Gd.
per bushel, which was refused by the government commis-
sary, who told them the price was too high, and he could ob-
tain it cheaper from Van Dieman's Land. This caused the
meeting of the agriculturists to apply to government for re-
lief, by excluding the Wheat of Van Dieman's Land, or put-
ting a fixed duty upon it of Bs, or 10s. a quarter, so as to en-
able the wheat-growers of New South Wales to compete with
those of Van Dieman's Land ; and telling the governor, that,
unless the prayer of the petitioners was granted, they would
all be ruined. The answer of the government was, that it was
a good thing to have a free importation of corn, and cheap
bread, which would be a means of prosperity to the colony ;
that government could not think of a duty on wheat, or a tax
on bread ; reminding them, also, that government was the
greatest customer, having so many prisoners to victual, and
must have cheap bread : and, if the settlers could not grow
wheat at as low a price as it could be imported, the govern-
ment could not take it of them. This answer, it was pre-
dicted, would be the ruin of agriculture in the colony. But
what had been the consequences? The agriculturists turned
their attention to the rearing of sheep, and the growth of wool;
the qualities of these became highly improved ; and their ex-
ports to London, Liverpool, and America, have annually in-
creased, in a ratio truly astonishing. Indeed, it was the first
thing to give an impetus and improved standing to the
landed interest, and wealth and prosperity to the colony,
greatly increasing the value of land, which has continued to
rise in value ever since ; and, following these free-trade re-
gulations, Sydney had now become the supplier of animal
food to Van Dieman's Land. The colonists also turned
their attention to the planting of vineyards and making wine ;
other capitalists turned their attention to whaling, which, in
many cases, has proved a source of great profit ; and although
some of the land may have gone out of wheat cultivation, it
has become enriched and more valuable for pasturage, for
vineyards, and for plantations of tobacco, &c. Wheat also
rose in price, thus benefitting the wheat growers of Van Die-
man's Land, and general prosperity had followed.
The delegates having concluded their statements,
Sir R. Peel briefly replied, that the topics to which they
had alluded were under the anxious consideration of the go-
verenment.
The interview lasted two hours.