The Statesman.
London, England, 1819-03-01 00:00:00

gt ESMAN

RENEWAL or Tia INSOLVENT ACT.

Doss at applowiss. sf soikeiisi primal ow-
laussat 'limits did rilikifest watertioni whirl,
sritkost k, is wadi set silk*/ et, Is otbor words,
is tie seismal sr dos Iseskset Act ckskabio, or k
it silt

DiScolds of as encetemew isahrte Weed the
calve &melee of this guidon ; one of the chief of
which le, that those by whose lelleesce it will pro.
Witty be decided, us the very persons most In.
terested against the renewal of the Act; t►ey are a
powerful arid pessimist hody—tin coaneerchil
world ; whilst the advocates in its kaiser are few
sad powerless, being so other than the dates this.
waft, who are at remelt smarting seder the lash of
lurea limited CONfielliallig end lobes 'merest la the
genetics is Daly cotemperery with their owe nil-
,
gurisoes.

Ts qualify himself for Considering the subject
fairly and rationally, the merdstie, the opulent
trader, should reflect upon the iostabillty of holoso,
cud particularly of commercial affairs; he should
ideally •achaoge places with the iosolveat, when Id
recoiled, that the failure of a particular boom, losses,
et an enfortosmo spontlatista, may, in a moment,
lower him to the level of she person span whose
fate be is to decide; this reflection should be placed
sling tide of ths• natural hostility against debtors,
be they enfotionate or not, which iediscrialeately
taint, the minds of creditors the most impartial and
humane.

Liberty end life are the most vetoed and valuable
gilts of the Creator ; each may be takes assay by the',
authority of the State; bet, in the teepee of Mr.
Justice BLACCIITOIII, when legislating nn either of
such important 'objects, Statesmen would do well to
look lete the aunt of their warrant ; strictly and
conscieetienly to empire whether • privation of a
get, the snood in value, conferred by his Creator on
man, be demanded by say string sad paramount re.
qaisition of piddle utility.
Whether the lusolvent Act shosid receive men-
list modifications, le a questiee widely different from
that which asks, whether it should be renewed at all.
Never, since &Wend was a country, had distress
grown to such a merlin& as it had attained pre.
sloes to the establishment of the Insolvent Collet.—
Oink of the odium under which insolvents labour
would be diminished, were tile difficulties of the time
fairly taken into account. There is besides, an im-
patience of attaining mishit among tradesmen, u hick
I isdecee them to risk ling credit on the chance of
lam ',turns ; a dangerous experiment to which
Iwo !mat oartly through the want of that 'wintry
old hookyteat marked their more plodding sores.
tors, sod to „dm, they may be partly driven by the
necessity of meeting DK. urgent demands of the State.
The consignment of •
debtor, to the walls of a
prison, is the first step towarts.' making him u reseal ;
it may be observed, that be we one already; this
trite and sweeping sod, of trite is unworthy
of moo ; it has been so repeatedly sao satisfactorily
answered as to disposes with any call to be aliment'
spew.
What would be the public indigestion al Ike tien•
truce of a Judge of unlimited imprisonment op.ak, a
person who should have !Nonfatal! conrided of al.,
most any crime short of stouter, or of some,
other of the highest atrocity ? Would it not borrow I
the language of an unfortunate Monarch—the psi-
othisment, methinks, *needs the offence; but whet
Is to be said in a case where promoter, judge, and
jury smite in one person? The many unfortunates
' who have rotted in a jail, compose ample moiler for
{synching the humanity of creditors, for staggering
the reliance which is placed upon it.
Reverting to toy sasertins, that the coosignment
of a man to the walls of a prison is the first step
towards making him a rascal: the expression is
coarse, but correct ; and when the voi:e of society
rails so loudly for a revision of the Criminal
Cade, does not any facility to the !ammo
of vise deserve the severest regard of the Le-
gislature ? A prisoner under such circumstances,
is worse then Neutralised ; there is an end of what.
ever honest efforts he might have made to extol-
cote himself from his difficulties. end a commence.
mint of all that ere profligate and vile ; sift his con-
duct before you consign hien to moral death : let him
be made to answer what it hes been, his past yid
present views and means; his mode of life: who
he 'cold undertake to do, with an exposition as to
the probability of its being done: this criterion of
character and intention should be afforded to him
through the medium of a mere impartial jurisdiction
than that of on interested and irritated creditor, be.
fore he shell be doomed to a fate, ikaay case bet his,
foreign to the law of England.
A debtor is either unfortunate or criminal; sum-
mon. him before the exec-test auditors, and seaman
which : prove him to be the first, then geed sense
and humanity point out the proper read; establish
him as the second, sad looking to one of the capital
ends of punishineut—Reform, do sot throw him into
the sink of idleness, crime, or despair ; make him de
something good, lest he should betake himself to
something bed.
It mast be apparent to the dispassionate, to the
disinterested third person, that there should be pre.
Heileman to the incarearetion of a debtor, which, in
boilable (that is, in attestable) cases there are not.
In other cases there are some which are as excellent
as they are simple, and in every day's practice, be-
fore then useful jurisdictions called Coons of Con-
scieace. A party is summoned before them ; en.
Betties are mode as to his capability, and payment of
the debt is awarded accordingly.
Perhaps apprehension of the person should be sob-
stinted la place of the process by summons: the
complicate nature of large debts might not either ad-
mit of such summary proceedings : the wisdom of
the Legislature would devise others more fitting;
where too a person ahoold not be required to be.
come responsible for the whole of a debt, but only
for the payment of one moderate instalment, with on
option after that to continue his responsibility. In
suck a con, friends and persons interested in the
stress of a debtor would baserd a smell respoticibi.

•-•-•••• • •• - • .

arlieb, looking to Gt. Kir3t ow., to wish they
Sr' ..V liable as bail, they Ira reedy Niliing to
aossais.

Oise mode of precede,* would, thoosh apparently
hush, be rosily the west salutary and full of mercy.
The system of lock-up hoes.. should be abolished :
i Orient arrested should be immediately Convoyed
to prises ; sad the attaching efilcers to the prison.
wise, at regular hours, mad moderate and regulated
feu, should mediate between the debtor end his cre-
ditor, would be attended with the most beneficial
result,. The money which at present is griped by
extortion, would be made honestly applicable to
purposes of liberation, slid, in many cases, towardv
the payment of the debt.
Professioual men of respectability eve averse le
prison negotiations; they are not to be blamed, fe-
what can he more retrolliog to their feelings ih% •
even the passing through such society as is ton fie-
qmpoily found there; independent of the dream.
stencil., !hat their exertion*, if paid at all, are on-
likely to receive an adequate recompowce; while.
elsewhere, they are in the habit of receiving the most
II ample.

What follows ? thins ere. en ellb•rrY Ina"
is wlthoot the means of treaties with his creditor
1 A letter is commonly disregarded; or if it shoot,'
aasco to receive !mention, bow few nn draw up
such an ?wore of their situation, no eal'ibit se rho'.
fel a statement its would be effected through the me-
diem of some delegilesi representative.
They abandon the thins too son.; despondence
unstrings ilia nerves of their exertion ; They fall kris
a slate of gloomy listlessness, or are roused into unu
of desperate guilt.
Does the creditor profit by either alternative?
Does the country suffer? The essouinst:on of Ono
question's is of site! iosportaor*: public 1111•'“lier ii
earnestly invoked to them, soil hereafter they mey
possibly receive mote of that of

CHAIWN.

A Sneer' ASSletCts Straf4 Fitin tvr!—Th•
Americans are now anoslruclsoic anoti.er steam fr;.
gale, open a large seal.; it will hove tern Italy,-
wiverrir, with barricadoes on the outside of them, five
feet in thickness, to defend them from the shot of
Ike enemy. Th..ngin. and morthioery fur this tea-
sel are Weedy In considerable fuewardoess.
lloenter.a Meentla—On the 14th alt., an In.
quest was held on the body of SarahWark, who was
found dead on the floor of her house, situated about
nine miles from Belfast. Front the nature of her
dealing.' she was occasionally absent for dogs loge.
thee, and from that the neighbors were and.r no fear
for her safety. In the end of the linage as. a saws
window, nearly filled ep 'till' stones; but a dog,
probably attracted by the smell of the corpse, had
got into the haute through it. Not being able to
get out again, it harked, and a person looking le at
the hole, discovered the body. The neighbours forced
I the door, when n melt sharking spectacle presented
itself. The body lay on the floor, and close by it a
I hatchet. One of the hands, apparently cot of by
the wrist, lay io a perfect, state osier to the body ;
the other hand was not to be found. O• the right
side of the forehead the skull was deeply knocked
in, and there was also a large wound a little below
the chest; and, what sided I. the revolting spec-
tacle, a small pig ebb* had belonged to the woman
was resod in the house, sad had devoured almost
'the whole flesh of the face, the arms, and the ripper
pert of the body. From all the rircemstaisces, the
Yon- bad no hesitation its returning a verdict--
. Am. the deceased had been murdered by some pa-
son vs- persons unknown."
Last week a man, named !lards, ass apprehend.
ed at Easter, under suspicious circumstances, having
in his posession swirl.), valuable articles of plates
which he had pinned fur sale. On his examination'
before the Chief Magistrete, nn person appearing to
criminate him, he was discharged ; bat finding that
the plate was detsinett, he refused to leave the Conn-
-141 Chamber without it. and immediately knocked
down Nosworihy the Police officer. who ran fur as.
sistance. 'lle Prisoner then threatened to Lill
, Mayor, whose presence of mind, In intimidating;
him, prevented his earning his threats into emu.
tion.—lle then rushed out of the room, and, wills
his bludgeon, knocked down several persons, but was
st lergth secured. Harris was committed to prison
co.. the us.,elt, and the goods found on him wive,.
14,4. 015 Senility, a Mr. Doan, of Chard.ter k arrived
at Exe!er, and identified the property, which haA
been stolen from his hoes* by the Prisoner, who has
since been committed to Dorchester jail for trial at
the ensuing Assist...
The subscribers to the projected Colchester Intl
Estes Infirmary, have resolved to erect that edili,t•
oft the road towards Leyden, the rsterior to be • r
brick, and the whole to be erected in a plain and
substantial leaguer, seder the direction of an eminent
architect.

Lost week, Mr. Josarst BROWN, lankflorer In Wi.-
ton, dog op a geoid!), of hiss oats potatoes in ono
of his field&
Coos Exultation. Masco I.—Wheat at hut hherbw.
priers.—Fine Bade, said at fall a. Rona Isms as an ibi,
se'rsiglit.—thats Is. Motu.—la Berm, Peas. sad Mx, Nlt,.
des Ito amerattoo.

Maras ( Mehl) .... 70 79 Grey Pew .94 6.7
New dike
Mita (Vertigo) .... 7t) NU Old do.
aye 50 51 TIN do
Barley 49 54 rats ..... ......... 5V r.t,
New ..... ...... — rise de. ....
Mak _ 74P '
1...

Poland .... ,O

Wilke Pens hi Ili Feed
I'ou
M.
New ditto . .. s••• •—• Five r . 66 ;0
Ditto Dollen B6 MI Sevilla'. •
SarrilVttLe Mllpra Willem I.—Oer Market title wen.
leg tint wee, trait *NY prime Reash.shich aret ready
•Nie tit latt Mamie) • prieva—Thr slum uf Sheep was litre,
hot Ike pikes were sallow lOwer.—Veal /tidiest') sale at bight r
purrs, hot I'nrk rewinitts awebeil et per {e.g.
The basins in the Hey market Iwo. rash. r dolt. the rice . f
that article haw* rises shoot 10. per lead asset teat kleetlar.
—Clever era. elms higher, sad but httle demi ia 'liar milete.—
Straws was h.. higher. hut was heavy •rrite NI that price.
The nooreed is a correct slaleateat of the cumbers sail prices
at lias ket 1—

' • To .ink the 01Id. per store et Om
•
-See '.:„4. '4f. 6t. to 5.. 4.1 Heed 4 COM" eh Mow .
ileum ..ba. tt I. N. fid. 4. rtimi• • l3 0
Veal ... Sr. 14. to 7s. tM. Sleep sed lawili,••-•61194•1
Poet • ....5.. lh. to is. Al. Qolmo i 150
Web... a% OE to Os. ad. re..••••.!•••••or sear eme 200

BAT-MARK IC?.
lily ....... a. 0.. Of. 40 71. 7e. 114.
•••
WET .... 71. 14,.. N. 1.. M. Y. id.

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