Lord Brougham,in moving the third reading said, he would, with permission of their Lordships, take that opportunity of tendering to her Majesty's Ministers and their Lordships generally, the sincere and their Lordships generally, the sincere and heartfelt thanks of a large but unfortunate class of their fellow-subjects for the passing of this bill, which amounted virtually to the abolition of imprisonment for debt, and which would secure to the creditor a fair distribution of the property of the debtor. The relief given was only to such debtors as were guilty of no fraud or crime, and who gave up their whole property to the creditors, to whom, in reality, it belonged. Imprisonment would henceforth only be inflicted as a punishment, or in order to compel a surrender. He had, fourteen years ago, given his support to this principle, and he hoped that it would meet with the same favour in the other House which it had received from their Lordship. It was a measure of the very first importance in every view.
§ Bill read a third time and passed.