apa. THE BEE, OR Feb. •23, 



too fine, or too coftly for the occafion, tliefe may be re- 

 tained, if the creditors ILall fo incline ; r.nd others more 

 plain, though equally lervicei;ble, to be fubfiltuted in 

 their flead. In every cafs, the whole goods excepted 

 fhall be enumerated, and fpecially defci/otd In the act 

 of furrendry ; and any unfair concealment in tltis re- 

 pe£t fliall be accounted a fraud, and fhall be liable to 

 be profecuted as fuch. 



21. Should thefe regulations be adopted, though it 

 would not be poffible in any circumftances to compel zxiy 

 creditor involuntarily to grant a difcharge until his 

 whole claim was paid up ; yet it is by no means in- 

 tended to prevent a debtor from obtaining a relief froin 

 the preflure of his debts by means Qf a voluntary difcharge 

 from fuch of his creditors as might choofe to grant it, upoix 

 finy terms ofcoinpclition they fhall think proper to accept. 



By thefe few regulations, it appears to me, that 

 the per/on of a debtor would be as much protected, as 

 juflice and found policy could demand ; and his power 

 of enjoying life as mucii preferved, as fcems to be con- 

 fifteni with the juft rights of his creditors. Fraudu- 

 lent bankruptcies would in thefe circumflances be 

 much lefs eafily carried into effefl than at prefent, and 

 creditors would have a far better chance of obtaining 

 payment of their debts, than they can ever have under 

 our prefent fyflem of laws. 



It will be readily remarked, that thefe regulations would 

 be beneficial, chiefly in regard to debtors in thclower ranis 

 of life ; who are, according to our prefent fyflem of laws, 

 particularly liable to be oppl'bfled by fmall debts, and the 

 community thus deprived of the benefit of their labour. 

 It is fuch perfons chiefly, who, fromtheirbeingunobferved 

 by the great body of the people, are allowed to pine in 

 thefe manficns of mifery and villany, while their wretched 

 families, deprived of that labour v.'hich fhould be their 

 fupport, become an oppreflive burden on the induflri- 

 oos part of the community, or a fevere fcourge on the 



