The Sun.
London, England, 1818-06-26 00:00:00

FOR. TUE SUN.

- ,
• hltt. ErlTow,--71 have read sotrte'.Litters
your Paper signed -M., on the subject of Agents
appointed by the Court for relief- of Insolvent
Debtors, and agree with hint that the practice of-
. the Court would be rendered less objectionable
if it was confined to those who, foam Education,
a regular Clerkship, anti mfinission iu the snpe-
rim. Courts, may he fairly presumed best qualified.
-r" act iu this bosiness ; but I am afraid if your
Correspondent's, -efforts should be cm owned Willi,.
the 'success he anticipates, and these agents---be
Stont In their legaVeareer, '' To seek a living•ia
;:9, humbler path," still that it -.would be only
palliative to the numberless evils arising from a
continuation of the act •
I shall confine myself to a few observations on this Act;
which I have. always considered as a severe blow to the credit
and general trading interest of the kingdum, but beg li.ave to
premise, that I have not the most remote wish 4 intention to
cast the slighteSt 'reflection on the original prouroters of this
law (who, I have no doubt, were actuated by principles of
pure humanity, and a full conviction that it would be for the
benefit of the creditors as well as the debtors), or on those
intrusted with time administration of its pros isions, which I
am well convinced have been invariably dispensed with thg

nicest kliscrimination, impartiality, and justice.
To the mere Philanthropist it must be matter of exultation
to see thousands annually discharged from imprisonment; but
the Philosopher, the contemplative mind, is led to consider
whether the Act which discharg•s these persons is nut the
sole cause of a very large proportion of them being in prised
at al! ? Whett.er it is not an encouragement to improper and
dangerous 'speculations u vice, pi ofligacy, and prodigality?
Whether the shortness of punishment (if indeed the rules of
the prisons can be so considered),"is not a strong in-ducement
to unprincipled persons to endeavour to obtain crtdli by false
appearances of splendour and independence ? AniJ il, instead
of a fair and speedy diStribution of effects, the debtois d i nut
in nine eases out ot ten protract their s'urrt,nder to priso t till
they have little dr Malting left, or have devised means of se-
curing the property fur their own future benefit?
As an answer to theselluestions I state the following case,
and submit to the candour oft he public, particularly the Pro-
fession of the Law, is not a fair itpresrutation ot the
conduct of many -debtors who have sought the bruetit of
Ibis Act

‘• A. possessing a few hundred pouffds, sets Op in business
as a shopkeeper, is inecesstol, but -extrackLahce swallows all
his profits ; he soon heconies efuhariasseo, is arrested,appliesi
to triends to bail hini.;—if
_they cats lie :srocured wed, it not
hail roust be had at aoy expeuce ; toe next cifirsideration is
how long he can keep on bffsiiiess add him...elf out of Orion;
'File first Term is generally gut over by sham
.pleas, demurrers,
or other fruitful sources of delay; in the second' (it the plain 7.
tiffs are diligent and possess pecuniary mean.), pidginL.llr is
obtained, then collies a writ of error; the third 'Ferni is gut
over by transcribing the Record;- the fourth, by alledgiug
diminution and in the fifth., the original judgment is athrob7
ed. 'nen follows Set/Vac/as, or actions' Ull the lectogi:;iatice
of bail. I.lv this time at least 14 or 15 mouths have elapsed
since the arrests. The defendant's raciiis now run,and roust
lately all his effects exhausted, or put out of the reach of 1111
real creditors, by pretended payments to sham ones. The
bail then surrender their pr ineipal to tl4 King's Beoch, .zco,t
that there may be lid obstacle tin bis pal t, agree to become
bail for the Rules; the debtor then eirkovs himself three or
four monthS in the salubrious air of St. George's Fields, and.
presents a naked schedule to his detaining creditors, who must
submit, not only to the loss of the briginal rlebts, but to all
addition of 501. or 601. expended by each of theinin their una-
vailing snit,"
If such is the practice of modern Insolvents, if it cannot he
clearly and unequivocally niaile evident that the greater part
of the debtors discharged under the Act had been compelled
to seek its benefit by misfortunes or unavopabli, losseS, let 11;1
humbly hole and implore that the Act nitty lie permitted
quietly to expire ai the time limited fur continuance, viz. the
50 November next, or the end of the-,following Session of
Parliament, that no attempt may be niadelu-prolong its ex-
istence, or rake up 'from its ashes any thing that way bear the
slightest resemblance to its parent.
City Chambers. , ERCATOR.

*** We have to 'apologize -to our intelligent
(;orru•pondent fur an accident which so lung de-
layed the insertion of Ii Letter.

I~LDLaI'K(ANISM.

GRAND FEAT Between Itnyx v. a, the Kentish Tan; and BtuM.
SELL, the Painter, for One. Hundred Guineas, Teo Milts

oistaitee, pit the Rumford Rood.
Yesterday afternoon the Essex road was one continued
scene of bustle 'and gaiety, from the 'numerous -vehicles,
horsemen, &c. hurrying along ;to witness the abuse exploiv
between those celsbrated pedestri.,ns. Rayner, whose hone
as arunnet was Considered perfectly established, had under-
taken to girt! Biumsell the extraordinary advantage ,of Iwo
minutes and a half at starting : and so sanguine vrcN, his
friend's of the certainty of his success, that betting tfagreatei• '
extent before the day of trial, and upon the ground; 'has' not
been witnesses! fur many years. Two to one was' current
betting, and•in titan) instauccs higher; in fact, so.ntuch did
this confidence even operate upon the takers, who bad hi-
therto' fancied tkie painter, 'that in a few minutes not a bet
could he obtained, The capabilities of films-men the Sport-
ing,WKl4l were,nu strangers to, from his having recentl) rua
nine sulks through the streets of London and up Highgate-
hill, also against had weather, iu fuur 'Minutes less than aa
hour.' Still the speed of Rayner was so -much valued as to
overcome- every other -consideration. At half-past seve,i.
o'clock, Bluinsell appeared at the sth mile stone, with only.
tvery short pair of drawers 'on and light half himts, and start-
ed. The distance Wag one mile ont and back again. Rayner
was. as lightly etad as his opponent, and when the two ini7
untes and a half had elapsed, he set out to overtake Blom-
sell. The followibg is the exact time. of their performing the:two

BLUASELL.
Svc.

Alin:

Miks.

RAvNieR.
Stc. Miles.
17
12 l4.
11' • ' "15 ,
12

. '2

11 6
11

19 94. 2
12 56.

It will be seen froth" the abuve statement, that instead of
Rayner's iarpioi'ing, up,in his adVeriary; so as to fetch up the
two minutes and &half; he lost 46 secouls the first eight
Rifles: shortly. after this period he Willed RlA'y and fell its
a ditch, hot he ‘lzis Rii,t twig in extrickainglimself front this
situation, and contirmed the Contest. be, however, soon
atterwaids gave. up the race. It is impossible to describe the
twig facc.v; the . el.e.q4ing (?:et wa's immense; and the--club
completely Itayher alipeaied too fat,-and not in gond
etrnifition; sittos itey 'were 'won oft ibst 'respect-
ing the t;nte the :tv,tinet •ivoolcfperforui Alie ten suites. _Blom—
sell was in the tinest,order,.,he staitett with the fleetness of s
gr4lionlid„ [Seres' fid‘geed; and cauu in with the swiftness of
Shouts' aiirtause. of the Spectators. A
new match it Ss-expected will shortly 1).,e made.

On Tuesday-inorning, about three o'clock, John
Iteardou, toreman, to Alessls. Barton', dyers,
Soutittvark, at ose in his slts',•p, and- precipitated
ltimelf from the first floor windows of his house
in Montague-close into the-street : his 'groans
'brought the watchman to Ole sp.-A, wi,cn it was
discovered that 'he had fracured a thigh and an
arm; and, wss hr.rwise striou3ly imjn: ed. He was
taken to St. Th6c.pa*'s aospicat iu d very ((auger-.
Ott) litute.

TUE c• OUNTR Y.

11 +e been obii4ed fur some time to suspend

Crit' ryt racts f row Prot itiCial Joni mils ill this

(.;ea: ittya.!nr of our Paper, and we sincerely regret

tiye ot:casioti which it4dtices us at present to re-

Bat the outrageous fact which we have

DllllPt 11.

now to state is trilling compared with the canse
produced it, ifiz. Popish nnaticism, and
with the dreadful consequences which might ensue
iF Popish Ambitiou could be permitted to partici-
pate H I:oliticul rower. 'We have. taken the fol-
rkvi-otz- article trout The (Dublin) Correspondent
of the 22•1 inst., a Journal distinguished for its
I!.valty, public spirit, and the great ability with
whit;:h" it is uniformly conducted.