§ On the motion for going into a Committee on this Bill,
Sir S. Romillysaid, be should be extremely sorry that a question of such great public importance should pass over like a matter of course without any observation. Although the passing of Insolvent Bills, from time to time, became necessary from the defect of our laws, the very necessity of them was a reproach to our law. He thought that it would be infinitely better, that some general act should be passed on some fixed principle: for example, that after an imprisonment of twelve, or six months, or any other fixed time, any debtor should be intitled to his liberty on his giving up his property. By the existing law the creditor was entitled to imprison his debtor for life, yet the legislature found that this was a system on which it 744 was impossible to act. It appeared to him, that it would be much better to amend the defect of the system by a general law; and he highly approved of the principles of a Bill brought in in another place'(lord Redesdale's Bill), although he thought it was capable of improvement in some of its clauses.
§ Sir T. Turtonhoped, that by the next session gentlemen would be disposed to acknowledge the propriety of passing some general act upon this subject; as the Insolvent acts now operated, they did almost as much evil as good, as they certainly let out a great number of fraudulent debtors.
§ The House then went into a Committee on the Bill.