MR. DIGBY SEYMOURthen moved for leave to introduce a Bill "to make fraudulent dealings with regard to Bills of Exchange felonious in certain cases." The object of this measure was to check the proceedings of the sharpers who were in the habit of inducing young persons to accept bills of exchange, for which they received little or no consideration. These were then passed about from hand to hand, and the unfortunate acceptors were compelled, often without notice, to answer for their full amount. Every one conversant with the proceedings in our courts of law, must be aware of the ruin and misery thus entailed upon young inexperienced or imprudent persons. The cause of Sherwood v. Meikham, very recently tried in the Court of Exchequer, furnished a good illustration of the practices of the persons to whom he had referred. The defendant in that action, a young man, gave a bill to a person named Elliot, in order to get it discounted; the latter endorsed it over to other parties, who sued the payee, although he had never received a farthing on account of the bill. It appeared to him that the character of our legislation was brought to a certain degree into contempt, unless such proceedings could be checked by the strong arm of the law. It was competent, by very simple legislation, to meet attempts to frustrate justice by bringing technical objections, and to defeat the ordinary tricks practised in such cases as had lately come before the public.
THE ATTORNEY GENERALsaid, he had no doubt that most nefarious frauds were perpetrated by a class of persons who pretended to be bill discounters, but were, in fact, bill stealers, and any measure to make the law more stringent as regarded these persons, must be productive of great benefit to the community. At the same time the House was not in possession of the details of the sub- 91 ject, and he apprehended that serious difficulty would be found in dealing with it. It was far from his intention to offer any resistance to the proposal, which should be received with indulgence.
Motion agreed to; Bill ordered to be brought in by Mr. Digby Seymour, Mr. Atherton, and Mr. Bowyer.
§ The House adjourned at half after Eleven o'clock.