ve them
into Abbot's preserve, a circumstance which puts a temporary check upon
the sports--though if the Collegian is but up to the logic, he is very
soon down upon the coves his creditors,{1} bowls them out by harassing
expenses, and walks out himself, up to snuff, and fly."

1 Bowls them out by harassing expenses.--A proof of the
power which has been exercised under the existing Insolvent
Debtor's Act, will be found in the following extract from a
daily paper:--

An unfortunate debtor was opposed in the Insolvent Debtors'
Court, for having resisted particular creditors with
vexatious law proceedings, sham pleas, &c. The public is not
generally aware of the extent to which such vexatious
resistance can be carried. In the investigations that have
taken place before a Committee of the House of Commons, on
the subject of insolvent debtors, Mr. Thomas Clarke, (at the
time clerk of the Court,) stated, that in a debtor's book he
found a paper, 'wherein it was pointed out to debtors how to
harass creditors.' He had heard, he said, that it was sold
from one prisoner to another, in a printed form, for 6d.
each. That witness then delivered to the committee a book,
from which the following extract was read,--it is extracted
from the Parliamentary Report:--

'Law proceedings.--When arrested and held to bail, and after
being served with a declaration, you may plead a general
issue, which brings you to trial the sooner of any plea that
you can put in; but if you want to vex your plaintiff, put
in a special plea; and, if in custody, get your attorney to
plead in your name, which will cost you 1L. 1s., your
plaintiff, 31L. as expenses. If you do not mean to try the
cause, you have no occasion to do so until your plaintiff
gets judgment against you; he must, in the term after you
put in a special plea, send what is termed the paper book,
which you must return with 7s. 6d. otherwise you will not
put him to half the expenses. When he proceeds, and has
received a final judgment against you, get your attorney to
search the office appointed for that purpose in the Temple,
and when he finds that judgment is actually signed, he must
give notice to the plaintiff's attorney to attend the master
to tax his costs, at which time your attorney must have a
writ of e