The Upper House. 421

By the Lower house of Assembly Aug^t 3^d 1732

May it please Your Honours.
We again take the liberty of Recommending to your Consideration
the Miseries of the poor Languishing Prisoners, and altho we agree
with your Honours that it is not Consistant with the Natural Justice
to deprive any Man of the least part of his right unheard (whicli is
what we Apprehend to be your Honours meaning with Regard to
the Discharging Prisoners for Debt) yet We beg leave to observe
that, that is not the present Case, and that no person can possibly

U. H. J.

suffer by the releasing poor unfortunate Men, Who are willing to
give up every thing They have in the world to their Creditors, and
thereby make all the Satisfaction in their power, That their Continu-
ing in close confinement will instead of increasing lessen their Estates
and Consequently be a detriment and not an Advantage to their
Creditors, besides as their future Acquisitions will be Subject to the
payment of their Just Debts, so the sooner they are Enlarged, the
Sooner they will be in a Condition by their Labour and Industry to
Satisfy their Creditors in part or the whole, Whereas a long Con-
finement will Certainly impair the health of such as may Escape with
Life, and render any Satisfaction being made to the Creditors wholly
impossible. This house is Informed that there are now above
Twenty Men in the Goal of Prince Georges County (and many more
Expected to be in the same Condition very soon) which number
being confined in so Narrow a Compass as any of our Goals, must
prove fatal to many of them, and the Maintaining so many ruinous
to the Sheriffe.
Your Honours are very sensible of the Melancholy Condition the
Count[r]y is in, and that great Numbers of even Industrious People
have been obliged to run in debt beyond what they are able to comply
with, and should their Creditors be rigorous and the Legislature not
Interpose great part of the Province would soon be depopulated, and
no new Inhabitants could be Expected in the Room of those that
would leave it.
As to the Prisoners who have Applyed to this Assembly and are
mentioned in the two bills sent to your Honours this House is willing
to come into any measures to Subject them to any Examination before
the County Courts or at the next Assizes to the end that if any of them
have Committed any frauds they may be Detected, and that such
as have clone so may receive no benefit from the Acts, which Expe-
dient this House conceives will Effectually obviate the Objection
made by Your Honours.
This Provision being made We request your Hono^rs will pass the
Bills
Signed p order M Macnemara Cl. Lo. Ho.

p. 222