274° ANNUAL REGISTER, 1797. 
of adminiftering juftice in commer- 
cial affairs, and, in. the other cities 
at a diftance, under that of the ma- 
giftrate of the city;'and the bufi- 
‘nefs fhall be carried on according 
to the laws which are, or fhall here- 
after be made upon that fubjeét. 
If, however, Britith merchants, ob- 
ftinately refolved not to become 
bankrupts, fhould refufe to pay 
their debts either into the banks of 
his Imperial Majefty or to indivi- 
duals, it {hall be permitted to arreft 
a part of their effects, equivalent 
to their debts; and in cafe thofe 
effects fhould prove inadequate to 
that purpofe, they may arreft their 
perfons, and detain them until the 
tnajority of their creditors, both as 
to the number and value of their 
re{fpective demands, confent to li- 
berate them : with refpeé to their 
effects which fhall have been arreft- 
ed, they fhall remain in the cuftody 
ef thofe who fhall be ‘appointed 
and duly authorifed for that pur- 
pofe by the majority of the credi- 
tors aforefaid ; and the perfons fo 
appointed fhall be obliged to ap- 
praife the effects as foon as poffible, 
and to make a juft and equitable 
diftribution to all the creditors, ac- 
cording to their refpeétive claims. 
"The fame courfe fhall be purfued, 
in fimilar cafes, with regard to 
Rufhan merchants in the dominions 
‘of Great Britain, and they fhall be 
‘protected therein in the manner 
regulated in the preceding article. 
XIX. In cafe of complaints and 
‘of law-fuifs, three perfons of irre- 
proachable charafer, from amongit 
‘the foreign merchants, fhall be, ac- 
eording to the circumftances of the 
cafe, appointed by the college of 
commerce; and in fuch places 
where there is none, by the magif- 
trate, to examine’ the books and - 
papers of the complainants; and 
the report which they fhall make 
to the college of commerce, or to 
the, magiftrate, of, what they fhalf 
have found in the faid books and 
papers, fhall be confidered as good 
proof. 
XX. The cuftom-houfes ~ fhalf 
take care to examine the fervants 
or the clerks of Ruffian merchants 
at the time of their enregiftering 
their purchafes, if they are furnifhed 
for that purpofe with the orders 
or full powers of their matters ; 
and if they are not, they fhall not 
be credited. The fame meafures 
fhall be adapted with the fervants 
of Britifh merchants; and when 
the faid fervants, they having orders 
or full powers from their matters, 
fhall have enregiftered the mer- 
chandife on account of their maf- 
ters, the latter fhall be refponfible 
therefore, in the fame manner as if 
they had themfelves enregiftered 
them. With refpect to the Ruf- 
fian fervants employed in fhops, 
they fhall, in like manner, be enre- 
iftered by the tribunals eftablifhed 
for that purpofe, in the cities where 
thofe fhops fhall be; and their 
mafters fhall be refponfible for 
them in matters of trade, and in 
the purchafes which they fhall have 
made in their name. 
XXI. In the cafe of Ruffian mer- 
chants who are in debt to Britifh 
merchants upon bills of exchange, 
or who have made contracts for the 
delivery of merchandife, not pay- 
ing their bills of exchange, or not 
delivering their merchandife at the 
place or at the time agreed upon 
and mentioned in the iaid bills or 
contra¢ts, the college of commerce, 
after complaints to that effect fhall 
have been made, and proofs given, 
fhall fummon them three times, 
granting them a fufficient time to 
appear in perfon; and if they ne 
i 
