1806.] Experiments on the Bespiration of Vegetables. 341 



the aflignees are about to compound 

 debts due to tlic general mafs. It would 

 open a way to many abufcs it' jull claims 

 luigJit be given up, or partial favour 

 ftiewi to fraudulent debtors, without 

 a(king the advice of tlie creditors. At 

 all fuch lueetings whatever is decided by 

 a majority of votes becomes an ablolute 

 rule. 



Befides the above, the alTipnccs are 

 obliged, according to law, to I'jve every 

 three months an account to the creditors 

 of their proceedings relative to tlic gene- 

 ral mafs. 



The affignecs are finally obliged to give 

 tm account of the conduct of the bank- 

 rupt, and of the caufcs of his failure, 

 which report is referred to tiie confide- 

 ration of the Senate, who decide what 

 puniflimcnt he lliall fuffer, if any. The 

 law divides bankrupts into three clafles, 

 the unfortunate, the iuconfiderate, and 

 the fraudulent. With one of thele qua- 

 lifications the name of the bankrupt is 

 polled up at the Exchange for a fort- 

 night, mentioning at the fame time how 

 much per cent, he has paid. The care- 

 lefs bankrupt is lometimes puniflicd vvitlj 

 imprilbnment, hut the franchilent always. 

 The aifignees are freed from their re- 

 fponfibility by a decree of the Senate ; 

 and as a recoinpence for their trouble 

 tiiey are allowed two per cent, on tlie di- 

 vidends. 



• In Hamburg the creditors enjoy a par- 

 ticular right, called the right of after- 

 claiming their former demands. It is 

 not fullered that a bankrupt, who has 

 been freed from his debts, Ihould enjoy a 

 larger income than is rerjuired for the de- 

 cent fupport of liimfclf and family, till he 

 has paid his debts in full. The law there- 

 fore obliges the bankrupt who again ac- 

 quires property to make an additional 

 payirfent to his creditors. If the debtor 

 does not remember this his duty, the 

 creditors have a right to admonilh hiiii 

 . by fuimnons before a magiftrdte, where 

 they can not only put a lunit to his fu- 

 perftuous exper.diture, but alfo force him 

 to the payment of a fum according to his 

 circumiiances, which i'um is proportion- 

 ably divided among the creditors. This 

 flemand cannot however be made upon 

 the bankru|)t until five years after his ha- 

 ving received his certificate ; and it then 

 de])ends ujioii his own declaration on 

 path, whether, after maintaining himfelf 

 and family, he has it in his power to 

 juake any payment to his creditors, and 

 jjgw uiuch, Ev'Jiy five ycurs the bank- 



rupt may be again called upon to mak« 

 this declaration. A bankrupt, however, 

 whom the magiftrate has declared unfor- 

 tunate, or whole hypothecary creditors 

 have received oO per cent., and the 

 book-creditors 40 per cent., is wholly- 

 free from fuch after-demands. The rea- 

 fon of this indulgence is, to encourage 

 debtors, for the greater benefit of their 

 creditors, not to delay their petition for a 

 commifiion whenever they liiid their af- 

 fairs deranged and their property decli- 

 ning. 



More particulars may be found in a- 

 very valuable work intitled E?-lihclerung 

 der Hainburgifchen Fut/ifen-Ordnung, 

 von Tlieoilw Haji/a', L.L.D. Hamburg, 

 printed lor Hi)lfnian and Perthes, 1797- 

 1805, 3 vols. 8vo. 



Total amount of the failures (petty 

 ones not included,) in Hamburg from 

 17i>8 to 1804. 



1798 

 1799 

 1800 

 1801 

 180g 

 1803 

 1804 

 1805 



about 



JB. M. 

 4,645,454 

 37,(325,442 

 3,839,000 

 5,359,785 

 (3,463,600 

 5,181,17r 

 5,'i 18,996 

 7,400,683 



For the Montkli/ Magazine. 



EXPERIMEN'TS OR the UESPl RATIOIT of 



Vr.OKTAISI.ES. 



DELAMETIIERIE demonftrated, ia 

 1788, ill a work on the difterent 

 kinds of air, borrowed chiefly from Priell- 

 ley, that vegetables refpire in the fiime 

 manner as animals. Tliefe experiments 

 he afterwaixls conlimied, in an efl'ay in- 

 titled Confiderutions on the Nature of 

 Organized Bodies ; fince which hq has 

 been engaged in making additional re-^ 

 fearches into the nature of the trachea,- 

 or air-\"e(lels, of vegetables. 



He formerly agreed in opinion with 

 other authors, that thefe velVels were dif- 

 tributed in the fibrous and ligneous parts 

 of the plants ; but he is now fully con- 

 vinced, from recent esperiinents, that 

 they arc not to be found in the former, 

 or fibrous part. 



If >ve break (fays he, when treating on 

 this fulijcd,) a young braiich with care, 

 we readily perceive the trachea", or air- 

 vefteis. They may be likcwife f.'en on 

 bending a leaf, and breaking the rib 

 half through, which fbiins a coi.tiuuation 

 ol tliu petiole; but it i» fomovliat JilEcult 



to 



