The Sun.
London, England, 1844-07-11 00:00:00

IMPRISONMENT FOR DEBT.

TO THE EDI7'OI? OF THE SUN.

SlR,—One error makes many ; the vague language
of the reports on insolvency, contrary to fact, and
I contrary to right reason, however conformable it may
be to certain grimgribber principles of musty law
ore, ha've caused much false thinking and acting
thereon. Without any regard to the general good,
without any rational sympathy for unfortunate per-
sons, and with the sole object of relieving the aristo-
cratic classes from the personal penalties due to their
extravagance, sensuality, and dishonesty, a series of
very maleficent changes in the insolvency laws are
persisted in, by which, in the end, all power over the
person of an unfortunate debtor will be removed, and
nothing left to the creditor but the effects, the pro-
perty of the debtor, the apparent increased power
over which had deluded creditors to allow without a
murmur the removal of every form of imprisonment,
while the power over the effects will be found prac-
tically a power of words, a worthless bit of parch-
ment, only a mere cheat and fraud. Bad as may be
the ill-conduct and insolvency of young divines at
Oxford, or of the gentleman class in general, it bears but
a small proportion to the total of the insolvency of the
country, which is that of merchants, bankers, manufac-
turers, tradesmen, mechanics, operatives, employes,
and the like, who in general have dissipated their ef-
fects. These remarks are suggested by the recent
debates in the Lards, as well as by the objections
made against the County Courts Bill, because of the
penal clauses. Unless imprisonment of the non-
paying debtor be enacted, those Courts will be utterly
useless. The class of persons who will be summoned
therein, are those who have very few effects. Their
incomes consist, e. g., of wages earned week by
week, and they will have no objection to a sum-
mer's full work and plenty of wages spent week
by week, and the enjoyment increased by as many
debts as they can contract with small shopkeepers—
in riotous living, gross sensuality, and frolics to
Gravesend and Hampton Court, silk gowns and good
coats ; and then when the winter comes pro-
ceedings in the local courts will take away, for the
benefit of creditors, all of their effects, which have not
been already disposed of in anticipation, of some few
shillings or pounds' value, and so _pay their debts with-
out any inconvenience whatever. Thus live many
thousands of clever mechanics and operatives, whose
really valuable effects are concealed in their fingers
and heads ; whose property consists of their ingeni-
ous handicraft, to whom the boon of non-imprison
ment for debt, will grant complete impunity to sen-
sual indulgence, fraud, and folly. Such persons will
roam from one end of the kingdom to the other, and
victimise with impunity the tradesmen of the provin-
cial towns.

I cannot hope to find the columns of a newspaper,
at this time, open to the further discussion of the in-
solvency fallacies, which are so rife abroad, im-
portant though they be. The mischievous errors of
the reports of the various Common-law Commis-
sioners, are evident in the effects they have produced
on the mind of Lord Cottenham, whose two speeches
are made up entirely of the report of 1840, which is
but a specimen of the popular reasoning on the
matters of debtor and creditor—popular reasoning,
but not of the opinions of the people, which are humane
and correct. These reports are full of errors and
false reasoning, chiefly in applying the term " unfor-
tunate" to cases of insolvency, and then appealing to
the public sympathies on behalf of persons whom they
have so represented. Insolvent debtors are unfortu-
nate, just as all evil-doing persons (criminals) are un-
fortunate, but not in the sense in which the Commis-
sioners (to serve the interests of this class) use the
word. This is a question of evidence, and does not
rest on mere hypothesis. Insolvents have become so vo-
luntarily, by a course of conduct which they pursued
either before or after the contracting of their debts, or
both. They willed to become insolvent, just as, but
not with an equal degree of criminality, the pick-
pocket or the forger willed his deed. Insolvency,
larceny, felony, are each one, only the last acts, the
fruition, the social evil-doing of a long course of con-
duct more or less vicious. Let the causes of insol-
vency be honestly examined, and they will be found
to be, in nearly all cases, idleness, extravagance, spe-
culation, gambling, and dishonesty, vices in which
men will freely indulge, as theyare more or less liable
to punishment. The pickpocket obtains the products
of his neighbour's industry by creeping behind him,
and taking it unawares ; the insolvent does it by a
promise dishonestly and deliberately given, which his
neighbour accepts, and then, as has been above stated,
by a series of voluntary acts, he renders himself un-
able, or he will not fulfil his bargain, a bargain which
it is of the very highest importance to society should
be fulfilled; and, therefore, all men who do not fulfil
it, but who voluntarily break it, are punishment-
worthy, and will be punished in a virtuous state of
society, where the interests of the whole people, and
not the interests of a select class, are legislated for,
The censures about facilities of gaining credit are
absurd, and also much else of the report of the Com-
missioners ; were there space, it could be easily shown
to be idle nonsense, unworthy even a school-boy's
prize essay. However, folly and humanity-monger-
ing will have their course, and when millions and
more millions have been wasted, and illicitly distri-
buted—that treasure which has been created and
hoarded, and thus made into capital by industrious,
ingenioui, and self-denying men, perhaps the public
voice will swell with righteous indignation at this
corrupt legislation, and demand punishment due—
exemplary and sanitive—against all public enemies,
whether they be insolvents or pickpockets.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
Brixton, June 30. A VICTIM.

CHATHAM.
JULY 10.—The Commandant, Sir Thomas Wilshire, Bart.,
K.C.8., issued garrison orders this day to Major J. Casimer
Harold, commanding the 74th, to hold in readiness a detach-
ment of his corps to proceed to Harwich to relieve a com-
pany of the 58th, that returns to this garrison.
This morning the following detatachrnents from the pro-
visional battalion marched from this depot en route to Graves-
end, attended by the drums and fifes of the battalion, when
they embarked from the Ordnance Wharf on board the ship
Owen Glendower, for Bengal : their strength consisted of 61
men of the 10th Regiment, and 58 men of the 62d, under the
command ofCaptain Stanter, of the 10th ; Ensign Fitzgerald,
39th ; and Ensign Bruce, also of the 39th. A medical officer
proceeded with the troops to inspect them when on board.
Colonel Kelly and Captain Jackson also went with the men
to see that every requisite accommodation was afforded to
them on board.

%The casement barrack at Brompton, which has been
fittedlup at a considerable expense fbr the accommodation of
invalid soldiers, is now so crowded that it was found neces-
sary on Monday to apply to Sir .Thomas Wilshire, Bart.,
for additional barrack room. There are at this time nearly
1,200 men of different corps in these barracks, although they
were fitted up for the accommodation of only 840 men. The
inconvenience felt is very great,
The late Sergeant-Mt& Valance, of the 12th Lancer:,
who, it will be recollected, was tried at Chatham on the 6th
of May by a Court-martial, for an alleged attempt to bribe
Major Mayer, :of the cavalry depot at Maidstone, and who
was reduced to the ranks, has since been sent to his regiment,
and returned again yesterday to be discharged; he has been
in the service twenty-six years, fourteen of which he was
troop-sergeant, has been nearly two years sergeant-major,
and during the whole period of his service had conducted
himself in every manner worthy the character of a British
soldier; owing, however, to that charge against him, he will
only be allowed a shilling a day pension, which it is under-
stood will be granted to him.

LIBRARY OF TILE LATE DUKE OF SUSSEX.—Yes-
terday the sale of the extensive and valuable theological por-
tion of the library of the late Duke of Sussex was continued,
at Messrs. Evans's, Pall-mall ; and many of the lots fetched
equally high prices as those disposed of on the preceding
days. (1,413) New Testament, Latin and English, translated
by J. Hollybushe.. Nicholson's July edition of 1538, " im-
perfect." 141. (1,426) Holy Bible, with all the Holy Scrip-
ture, truly and purely translated into English by Thomas
Mathew, extremtly rare, with wood cuts; 14 leaves of pre-
liminary matter wanting. The title a pen and ink fax-simile,
several leaves damaged and stained. 1527. The real name et
the translator is said to have been John Roger, who was the
first martyr in Queen MAry'il reign. 221. 10s, (1,429) Holy
Bible, translated by T. Matthewe, \req. rare. W. Hyll andT. Reynoldes. 1549. 191. 10s. (1,430) Holy Bible, wiiri Cran-
Mar's preface, rare; imprynted by Whytchurche. 1549. At
the commencement i. the Common Prayer, 1689. 21/.
(1,435) The Bihlei Genevan version, with profitable annota-
tions ; the first Bible printed in Scotland. The first title is
4 factsimile by Harris ; very rare. Printed in Edinburgh,
the Old Testament by Arbuthnot, 1579 I the New Testament
by Bassandyno, 1576. This copy wants the address to King
James, two leaves, part of the map at p. 82, and one leaf of
a perfit supputation at the end. 12/. Iss. (1,651) The Byble,
in Englyshe ; Bishop Cranmer's, first edition, extremely
rare, fine copy. The leaf of title is an admirable fac-simile.
A few corners of the kalendar and of the first leaf restored
by fac-simile. Grafton and Whitehurch, finished in April,
1539. 70/. (1,658) Holy Bible ; Cranmer's, quite perfect,
very rare. Whitoburch, November, 1541. 194 10s. (1,669)
Holy Bible, 2 vows„ ruled with red lines. Oxford, Baskett,
1717. This Bible is designated the vinegar Bible, from a
misprint of " vinegar" instead of " vineyard," on the top of
the 20th chapter of St. Luke. 12/. 12s.
AMERICAN CIAACIES.-1-A novel species of clocks have
recently been introduced from the United States. These
clocks are shaped something like hall-clocks, the principal
novelty of them consisting of a sheet of plate or looking_
glass being fixed in the door under the face. These mirrors
vary in size from a few inches to two feet in length. On
the first importations of the article, it seems that the officers
at London and Liverpool, uncertain as to their correct deno-.
mination, delivered them on payment of the duty as goads
manufactured, at the ad valorem.duty of twersty per cent.
The matter has since been brought under 'ale notice of the
he charged on the clocks, wit
Board c:44.' Onstoms, and they have directed that in ever
instance the ad;valorem dut
the addition of the duty on t e plate-glass of 4s. a foot. The
importers have remonstrated, and have requested to be al-
lowed to scrape the silver oft; which has been refused, and
the parties informed that they can only be allowed to remove
ethloecksg exportilse n theve
rysacnione.sidTerhaeble,a importationparcel ar r
iovfi
nthese
y
lashassainadtely
almost every American vessel.
ANTI-CORN-LAW MEETING.—A most important
Anti-Corn-law meeting has been held at Lynehani,
North Wiltshire, The district it a purely agricultural
ire, And the por3Qlls ^f 'whom the meeting was com-
posed were farmers and farm-labourers, chiefly the lat-
ter. About one thousand were in attendance, and but
for the exceedingly unfavourable state of the weather
the meeting would have been a very large one. Reso-
lutions were unanimously passed in favour of free-trade,
a significant indication of the progress of free trade doc-
trines amongst a class for whose benefit the landowners
have the impudence to affirm the corn*laws were enacted.
--Bolton Free .Press,