The Sun.
London, England, 1818-12-15 00:00:00

FOR THE SUN.

INSOLVENT PEBTOBS' AGENTS, AND TIT E BANEFUL

EFFECTS OF THEIR iItACTICE.

GEx:fiov.

" What are these,
So tv it h I'd and so wild in their attire,
That look not like th' inhabitants o' the Earth,
And yet are on't ? Live you? or'are you aught
That man may question ?" SHAKSVEARE.

MR. EDTTOR,-Truly, my good Sir, your Cor-
respondent under the signature of " An Agent for,
trmi against Insolvent DL-btors," admits that there
ore persons who practice in every Court, and are
pest ; observing, also, " that if people in general
had theit-deserts, few would escape lashing."—
.I subscribe to the first part of his assertion ; but
cannot approve of what appears a libel on the
People ir. general do not deserve the rod
of criticism for.the malfeazances pointed out in
the practice of Agents O.e. the Insolvent Court, but
that these Agents merit castigation I have no
doubt will he proved, and it will be indifferent

whether such Agents are traced to the purliens of
Fleet-lane or the more fashionable resm t of Lam-
beth-road and its vicinity.
I have no wish to ntediatize with the avengers
of the cause of Self and Co., and if n►ediarizatit,n
has been entered on, I shall be no advocate for

its continuance. The Public and the Legal Pro-
, fessiOn are identified,as injured
_parties in the mal-
feazauce and corrupt conduct of illegitiniateand
self-constituted Agency, and completely contrary
to the rules and orders of every Legal Tribunal ;*
and this will appear on proper investigation. To
particularize would be invidious. To generalize
is subject to scru•iny. lam not surprised at the
enstver of Self and Co., for, as GAY says,
" When you tali: of vice or bribe,
'Tis so pat to all the Tribe,
•
" Each cries 'twas levelled at me."
Self and Co may Essay as much as they please
to dupe or mislead your Readers, but they will
find very fete, if any; who will subscribe to the
Budibrasiic couplet—
" To some the pleasure is as great
" Of bein cheated as to cheat."
The Agent who addressed you on the Ist inst.
has only manifested to the public his individual
the inefficacy of Public Appeal, and
urrog,-,ntly avert, he knows it to be ineffectual ;
if does know it, he (mght to inform your
Readers why that course is known to be inefrec-
foal. lit the absence of profs, his egotism and
hht be credited. And as he ad-

Tll>tSr ;at•hase Practitioners called Agents, are a
pi.st to society, lie might have given his (lowa-
-6911 from Sti AKSPLARE, by way of parody or pant-
plat asc, thus—

" May Practisers of fraud be punish'd for't,
Aud Lash of Law exclude them from the Court."

In anticipation of no answer to my letter of the
'lst instant, I may venture to prophecy as regards
the Agents of the Insolvent Court generally. The
embers of their hope, like the last glimmers of
a dying taper, seem struggling to the last flaslr,
reluctant to expire. They cut a poor figure, and
are unworthy of your notice, as they are incapa-
ble of expressing their poignancy, which so long
wrapped up in a delusive and too flattering dream
of, expectation, now awakens to a painful re-
verse which it is not in their power or yours to
assuage. I would therefore express a charitable
wish, that in their adversity they may find proof
of what has been said by moralists-:

". If there is a greater object in the Universe than the
Human Agent struggling with adversity, it is the HUMANE
Agent who steps in to relieve him."

Your intelligent Correspondent, Attornatus,
lias manfully advocated the cause of his Profes-
sion, and in so doing he has very properly invit-
ed the public to a protection of its own rights ;
whilst the administration of legal practice is con-
signed to, or surreptitiously embraced by charac-
ters of the description alluded to, the Insolvent
Act will operate merely to discharge Debtors,
without realizing the hopes and just expectations
of creditors. Therefore, as Anornatus justly
says,

" the %thole race of Agents ought to be
exterminated." And to stew the justness of his
conclusion, I trust his able endeavours svill be
continued. If he will favour the public with
souse of those instances of abuse which have oc-
curred to Lis own experience, the public will be
enabled at once to decide on the propriety of his
conclusion—as facts are always superior to Jui-
madecrsions. The vast number of persons ad-
mitted to practice as Agents would on disclosure
astound the coMmunity. 1 have not the means of
ascertaining them, but a Committee or ,-.lrliament
may probably call for a return, and for evidence
of their qualifications, which will be found to em-
brace a contused medley of diameters, including
Bankrupts in fortune and reputation, discarded
mechanics, artizans, handicraftsmen of the
Lowest description and most illiterate habits. In
the meantime, it is an of !white justice to
evince their pretences by exposing their conduct.
Attornatus has truly declared, that these In-
solvent Agents have beets sheltered by permission
to practice in the names of Certificated Attor-
niei, who have beer, reduced by encroachments
on their practice to the necessity .of obtaining-
sods Certificates at the hands of those whose
intrusion has contributed so to reduce them : and
it will be found, that the Agents themselves have
for the most part been, in their own language,
white washed, which forms their principal qualifica-
tion to act illegally for others.
It is of the most vital importance to the com-
munity, that the counteraction of illegitimate and
corrupt Agency should be vigilantly promoted
and encouraged, otherwise the low and base ma-
chinations of fraudulent characters must defeat the
wholesome provisions of legislative enactments.
In all the superior Courts, regulations for ren-
dering the Law pure have been the constant ob-
ject qf attention, and from time to time restric-
tions and remedies have been devised and applied,
to mitigate abuses and obviate evils. The pre-
judice which many erroneously entertain against
the Legal Profession, has arisen from the mis-
guided advice of those who do not belong to it; and
thousands have joined its the clamour ; imputing
blanic to the Practitioners legitimately appoint-
ed, for every failure, inconvenience, or disap-
pointment resulting Irons the mazes and obscurity
of legal proceeding* into which they have been led