The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1808-05-14 00:00:00

INSOLVENTS.

Upon the mntioa of Lord ELLENSOILOUGH, for
the tieroad reading of this Bill,
The Earl of Alums rose, ead stated, that there
were reasons to induce him to express very strongly
his objections to thus still. lie thouht it a mea-
sure caiculated to inflict `eery cruet puni,!mieut
upon those whose misfortunes were such as to en-
title them to compassion: The pmvili ins of
the bill rendered the innocent and the guilty
equally liable to severe pueisnment : fur it cer-
taluly could not be contended that duress was no
puuishinent. What was the object of i;iiprison-
ineiit in general ? Undouturdiy to uhiain that
p:.,:strty, of M iihl, a fatedilla.4 debtor n..- odes-
to aeraisc his Crt(ill4:. But 16 the laiv

had hitherto stood in respect
appeared that such severity
punish the fraudialeat debtor.
that he had always endea, owe
the innocent, but unfortunate, ,
fro* that imp►isonmeut, which k.
a7.elied to a different character.
proposed to their Lordshil
'oetateu the snail who had

taLentioliad deception, &ltd.
might have «attracted a tie,
bocoate iumpahls of &ocher*
sided, that every person co
certain atuouut, might
year, and thou
«tortuous crimes, such as

dear LOD.4lrips would call
could be iurprtotted wit
nits• of answering the charge—ti
main out,aud after he •

right of bmiaqf broii4ht to
tieing admitted to bail.
debt, wilboot the charge I
any didihetion between

man was Liable
matt remain there for
the pnuithuseut at' emed

the t..rontractor of a small

As much as he respectfli
Frisitd, be
oppoiition to the bill,
opitlious whit* he had
meta of our laws. It

early iulhe au.xt Setwiere
the whole question
that House. fur th. puriore
the iuwoceut and eufferir

Earl apologised for his
Lordships' tiinu find q:ui
huswever sorry he vrns in

and Learned. Friend, tv:

as lie did upon thi3 :iubject,
oppo,,ition to the bin.
Lord ELI

of the innocent, iu cares

*nig with thus: of an opoob-o
of thobe trretoeditiole '

possible to avoid.

It would

extrerady daficult to

by vhich• the truudull

imbibed ; and a., difficult,
debt had beta contracted F

misfortune, or fraud.

posing aliy additional ,
persons, as far as it iv,
froui a snore severe
the lsiw uow stoat he
had no doubt but his

attention tovracdi the
is,a,itesed yj they most
this coulitiy, and every othei where credit formed
the hail, of our general transactions, it was of the
utmost inspoinume that every should Li •
n‘lopted which might prevent its destruction. His -
Noble Friet,d, on other °cessions,' had impressed
his iniud very much with the representatiou be had
given or the wisrortunes au.l miseries of those who
w,:re co,,stfned to prison thr debt, and it bud su tar
cogagisl his attention, that he had submitted to
the cousideratioo of the other Judges, how far it
might be practicable to make such alterations as
would nutmeg the hardships of those people. From
all he had heard and known upon this subject, he
could not go the length his Noble riend intl.
'mated, fur be was inclined to think, that even
where there was no fraud, too much lenity might be
sheiiii to the contractors of debts, awl it was for
that House to consider the result of freeing our
prism's of confined debtors, whose hardships might
appear great: the consequence, in his opinion,
would be, that the debtor would no sooner leave
the. prima, than his situation would be oeeupied by
the creditor. He was somewhat surprised at the
opposition shewn by his Noble Friend, fur he must
contend, that this Bill was so far an amelioration of
the debtor's situation, that he would now be con-
• fioed only for a limited time, and it was extended
to the fraudulent, ao well as the innocent coo-
tractor of a debt, because it was upon most occa-
sions extremely difficult to know in what way, and
by what means, a debt had beeu contracted. ‘Vhst-
ever (Onion he might form of his Noble Friend's..
isacritled ineamre, he felt himself disposed to sup-
port that till which was now before the House.
Lord EIVIIME expressed his great readiness, at
all tinsels to give his *Assent to, and promote those
measures, wh:ch amisted them's(' of humanity, in.
relieving the distresses of oar fellow creatures. Ile
felt himself on that account friendly to the present
Bill ; hemline, so far it breathed the spirit of hinno-
nity, that where by the law a creditor might have
arrested Isis dqbtor, *hese case was worthy of corn-
paw on, thrown him into prison, and there de-
tained Lint for any length of thee, at his own ills-
creton, it was here provided, that worthy of com-
ps...iron or not, he could not suffer the confinement
of a prison fur a longer period theta one year. It
was, he thought, an erroneous idea which some
people adopted, when they divided this clsss of
aualikiud ions debtors and creditors, ao.I it iell to
mistaken emiclusions, if we considered dein iu that
point of view ; for the general part of creditors
were also debtors ; and if that security which they
poseesised of imprisoning their debtors were taken
away, mast probably men! olio are nbw creditors,
would soon become ruined dehtors. He would oft,
at this time, pledge himself as to any particular
line of conduct he should pursue, when the Noble
Earl (Muiral, should bring his proposed measure
bethre that linage ; but, in the present instance, be
should, even for the sake of homaility, give his
cordial assent to the Bill introduced to that House
by his Noble sud Learned Friend
The Loan CHANCFLT.OI4 in differing from the
Noble Lord who had thought proper to oppose
this Bill, could riot help pa, ing him this tribute
of respect;—ha bad been 6,4 acquainted with

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PR ICE STX•T E NCR.
!sped to imprisonment, it
..
•ity was ased in order to •
hi,,r. The only alteration '
au on: ed to effect was. that . '.'
ulnae, slight be relieved u .
:, which ought only to be
.. ~ •
character. I lie buil now
hips, made no dietitictiogi '.4
ad been guilty of the most
id.ain innocent person who
debt, and afterward, bate
ischarging it. For it pro-
contracting sineill debts to .
ht be imprisoned for one
led. In eases of the taws •
ih high treason and &ion*
:all to mind, that no taw
ithent having an opportne ..
rarge—that charge mad be l '
was imprisoned. he he 4 a
to trial without delay. or 4 . k
ii. but here, for a erialt.
;e being made out, without , • I,
in, the mnucent and the ,
e to be cast into prison, and l
one whole year. Besides,
ito be inure severe agusud
II debt than of a large one. s'
d the character of hie Noble • ;
be must express a decided
'
fur it was contrary to all the 1
•
formed upon that depart-
cerL inly was his intention,
on of Parliament, to bring
debtor and creditor before s
rive of obtaining relief for .
ffering debtor. The Noble •i..
I occupying so much of their i
inucluded by observing, that ‘i. ,
in dithering from his Noble. •" i
ii.: was in duty bound, feeling
,bjeet, to exprtess haa decialed ... :, ,
4
cn observed, that the liability
.es of debt, sometitues suffer.
upeeosite description, was one .
calamities w hide it was hes-
would be found, he heliereder .
devise any legal provision.. •
lent debtor alone in rid to -
if/it:lilt, to ascertain w
:led from venial extras" t • ,'
This Bill, so far frnisi imp* - '
ha-dship upon test ease of
went, ...:er'analy /e11er...11 the- .
:vere punishment, wiiich, us r..
e might ,e b u tkj ecte d to. ik , .
Noble Friend oval, is all bar ,
inisfei•tonat of these peoples •
4 Ibinsevolact motives; bet's •
eery other where credit forured
ral transactions, it wits of the
that every ineasu•s• should be •
prevent its destruction. kits ,
..:)ar occasions.• had irrinn......v.4