The Statesman.
London, England, 1819-03-17 00:00:00

INSOLVENT DP.RTORS' ACT.

The ATTORN IiV.GENFiItAL rose to ems the
reference to s Committee of the varies. lesolvency
Acts, sod the consideration of their elects, and pre.
feted his motion by some observations, bet ins tone
so insedible, that we were able to catch only a very
few words of whet fell from the lion cud Learned
Gestlemas. We belie,. thelion.enti Learned Gentle.
men entered into a history at the various legislative
proceedines on the subject ; and •nclerstood him to
Nate, that if the eaisting Act were permitted to ex.
pile without the enactment of a substitute, inch an
ocesirreoce would be highly injurious, as it would
temp.' a return to the old and ifljefielli system.—
The lion. end Learned Gentleman proceetied to de.
scribe the addition that bad at various limes been
made to the posers of the Judge of the Insolvent
Court. With respect to the eater* of aoy new mea.
We. he was desires. that it should be founded on
the li•port stile Committeeafter a deliberate inresti.

I Ration of the seitjeet, tether than on soy seggestiou
of his owe: Itnppiared to Wm, that a permanent
tan of semi sort o. ,ht to be iocerpwrated into the
system of law of the country. Dos int the last host-
dred years, Patliatnial bad from time to rime legis-
lated on the question. !loch a mode was how ever ex-
tremely isconvittient, and it was moth mori desirable
that • debtor and • creditor should always know dm
relative terms on which they stood. This would be
much better than ass appeal every three or User
yeses Its the humanity 'and justice of Parlisnitist.—
Adverting (as we understood the iloooorable and
Learned Gentleman) to some insinuations that had
beets thrown out against Is. administration of ;suite
in the Insolvent Court, he eipreseed his firm con-
viction that there was not a Judge in say Cook of
the land who would not be very happ7 to *me his
conduct on the Bench Investigated. The most up-
right hidee might occasionally be led into error;
but he was Fel evaded that the whole adadaistratiou
of justice its this country was free from the slightest
untie* hint. The lion. and Learned Gentlemen
concluded with moving, that a Select Committee its
appointed to take into consideration the state of the
law respecting lueolveat DeLtor., and more pesti-
cides!y into the Insoltency Ate of the 53d, 64th, and
56th of the King, sod the effects thereby produced;
to revert their ob ions thereon to the House,
and as to the best mains of rendering the same ef-
fect UR I.

Mr. Alderman WAITIIMAN began by observ-
ing, that it would he in the recollection of the [loose,
that on the occasion of the preeenistion of the first
Petition against the Insolvent Debtors' Act, he bad
given notice, if a renewal of slat Act were to bee
proposed, he shotild move the appointment of • Com-
mittee to enquire into the nature end character of
the measure, and Ilse effects which it bad produced.
After such a static,' he certainly did not expect that
Ilse Ilea. and Learned Gentleman would come for-
ward cod mote a Committee. pledged as het Mr. W.)
was to the measure. His object would have bete, if
be bad had the nomination of the Committee. to bars
proposed Gentlemen po ed of a prettiest know-
ledge of trod. and commerce. He did not wish to
speak with disrespect of Gentlemen of legal attain.
meat,. It was to be recollected, however, that thin
Act had been in force foul years, and thei awe at-
tempts at its improvement had already been made,
sod that notwithstanding it was in a most defective
Nate. Whether it was owing to the defective forma-
tion of the former Committees that thi grienetes
'slated •p to the present moment, he would not pre-
tend to say. Ile certainly agreed with the Hon. and
Learned G•ntlems• in many of the observations
which he had made. It would be said, pethaps, if
yew agree to the proposition of the Hon. and Learned
Gentleman, what is the object of your new address-
lug the House? Wittiest meaning to throw out any
reflections or Imputations ugliest she goose, he might
be allowed to say, that this was a subject which. by
the majority of the Members, was bet little under-
'stood. It was • subject which they perhaps thought
of no greet importance; bet • more importest sob-
jet, out never before the House, whether codsidered
in a moral or commercial point of view. Ile felt
himself parlicsiatly called on, as having presented
Petitions from various Wards of the City of London,
awl from mices other places throughout the teen-
: try, against the renewal of the Act in its present
situp, to explain what his views were to the Hesse.
And. In the first place, he would observe, thee
Ithe subject was brought before the House in the
fairest eat in which it could be brought. Thoigh
mine Members bad on • former evening dept.-
' cited the raising a clamour against the Insolvent
Act, he would say that no unfair meat,s had been
resorted to in order to provoke Pet!'' against it.
IThe subject came before she House is a way which
showed what the feelings of the People were with re-
, Insect to it. lie agreed with the Learned Attorney-
: General in thinking, that it was necessary these
I rhoold be some law on the Wires ; and if he recoi-
-1 hided ricl.tsy the os lure of thediderent Petitions which
bad been preseeted to the Horse, they all concurred in
expressing • nigh for what the !Immutable and
Learned Gentleman stated to be the object he had in
clew, namely, • measure for the security of creditors
and for the protection of honest debtors. The gees.
noes now for the House wet, what ouiht now to be
done? He hoped he should not be trespassing en-
necessatily on the time of the House, if he stated his
opinion of the Act as it now existed, end the sort of
I measure which he thueeht ought to be proposed in-
t steed of It. It had been said, the present measure
was equivalent to a commission of bankruptcy. New,
with defoiesce In 111,- honourable Member who
made this ob tion, he !could obesity, with re-
spect to the Bankrupt Laws, that whatever defects
they might hese, they wereyet founded in reason and
justice. And they possessed este advantage vetoes
did not belong to the Insolvent Debtors' Act
1 —that when • person had softened his property
loan insolvent, be had en opportuttity of stopping the
individual in his eatrarsesoce, tied preventing him
from going on till not nos farthinc was left In his
creditors. From the Papeete, 'Models pet it ;oat, and
the want of dee errangerlettnts, the sonkropt Laws
were not so beneficial as they might be; but lie had
never seen ea instance in .hilt, if 11l ease required
it, and the assignees were detersolitsil to do their
duty and to see justice done, the laimmissioners were
not reedy to de their duty. Thlis he (bought himself
bound in jestice to gay, th.oegls WWI Isersitofoo• eb-
I jecsed to theme of executinfthe Inekrept Laws.
end should hereafter endeavoist to pint nut their de-
fects. Bet he would ask any advocate of the present
Act, if any such advantages resulted frcus it ? Tito
greetest• injustice bud been 'committed under it that
pettishly Mr was infected on the country by any
Act of Pastimes,. There were indirideals in the
Liberties of the King's Bench and Fleet, who
owed tens Of thousands of pounds to their credi-
tors, oho had property to • I..rge amount, end
yet the creditor, hod no means of making theta
account to them. Ile called on the advocates of
this measure in 0016 If this WOO pet tin fact. He
bed reCeived P,
seated to
formality.

see wi; kepi

•An nirowd

collected •I
mold et WI

prison, whttre

sl a Petition, *bleb he shoold have 'me-
ths noose last night, but for s.inic
iit-
lt related to • particular mat. A ref.
opt a boarding school for young Ladies,
Wows two end stir,* thonsend pounds,
ill the gems ileig tit him from big sehiiiiie.
Lis ferieltorr, a 1 concaved to got loco
•
urre be lived within the rules, so the pro