afford any reasonable grounds for uneasiness to the Merchts or
any Person else as it is only calculated to prevent fraud between
the Mercht & factor wch might otherwise have been carried on
to the Detriment of the too credulous & honest Planter — As
to the Testamentary Act which prefers Country to foreign
Debts I observe the preference is not so great as it might be
apprehended, for all Country Debts are not thereby preferred
to all forreign Debts. The Preference is only given to Country
Debts where they are of the same Degree or nature with for-
reign ones; as for Instance Country Bonds are ordered to be
payed before forreign ones, but Country notes or Book Debts
are not preferred to forreign Bonds, & indeed this preference
is in practice found to be very little more than nominal, for
the Act of Assembly does not make any Distinction between
Residents in the Province & foreigners; but between Debts
contracted in & out of the Province, so that all Bonds passed
in the Province to foreigners are upon the same footing with
Bonds passed to Residents, & all Book Debts contracted with
Factors here are considered as Country Debts sic de similibis,
& therefore there is no preference except in the few Cases
where the Bonds are actually passed & delivered out of the
Province or where the Demand stands merely upon the Merchts
Books at home, & the facility with which Merchts may have
their securities taken in the Country or their accounts setled
here by their Factors makes the Distinction of very little Con-
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