Lords Sitting of 17 July 1855

MINUTES.
PUBLIC BILLS.—1a Merchant Shipping Act Amendment; Turnpike Acts Continuance; Turnpike Trusts Arrangement; Militia Officers' Qualifications; Lunatic Asylums (Ireland).
2a Public Libraries and Museums; Burials; Lady Raglan's and Lord Raglan's Annuities; Turnpike Acts Continuance (Ireland); Coal Mines Inspection.

BILLS OF EXCHANGE AND PROMISSORY NOTES BILL.
LORD BROUGHAM,in moving that the House go into Committee upon this Bill, said, it contained a portion only of the provisions of a measure which had twice received their Lordships assent. Its object was to give summary process to creditors upon bills of exchange and promissory notes. At present a creditor could only enforce payment after the delay and expense of an action, before the termination of which the debtor might become insolvent, in which case the creditor would only come in with the rest of the creditors;
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and the object of the measure was to assimilate the law of England in this respect to what he believed was the law of every other country in Europe. The Bill on this subject, which had been sent down to the other House last Session, was not passed. He thought that Bill was more complete than the present one; but at that late period of the Session he would not expose the Bill to the risk of being rejected by those who were adverse to all measures of this kind, when it went back to the other House, by proposing any addition to it in Committee. He would, however, at a future stage, move some Amendments, without any expectation that they would be adopted, but only to show that he abided by his preference for the original measure.
House in Committee; Bill reported, without Amendment; and to be read 3a on Thursday next.
House adjourned till To-morrow.