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W. III. c. 1, for granting to their Majesties an Aid of four Shillings in the Pound, &c.[1]

The Editor, in short, hath been careful to insert all such Statutes, however antiquated, as appeared to him to contain any useful Information, or which might afford any Insight into the Constitution ; and he hath, upon the whole, endeavoured to render this Collection as compleat as his Abilities and Power of Attention would allow him [2] They who are best acquainted with the Difficulty of executing an Undertaking like This, will be most indulgent to its Defects.

    This Clause seems to have provided against a Consequence not within the Letter of the subsequent Statutes : For those Statutes only make it an Act of Bankruptcy to depart the Realm with Intent to defraud Creditors ; but if a Debtor should go abroad without such fraudulent Intent, and with the Knowledge and Consent of his Creditors ; and should afterwards remain there, and grow in opulent Circumstances, without paying any Regard to his Creditors : In this Case it might be doubted, whether he were a Bankrupt within the Defcription of these Acts. But the Clause above mentioned provides a Remedy against fuch, as; having withdrawn themselves out of the Realm, remain there with Intent to defraud their Creditors 3 and in this Respect is more full than the subsequent Statutes.

  1. The 10 W. 3. c. 1. in the later Editions, is said to be expired ; but it may be questioned, whether in Part it is not still in Force. With regard to the 4&5 W. 3. c. 1. all the subsequent Land-Tax Acts refer to it, and Assessments are made from it. Though, properly speaking, the 1 W. 3. c. 20. which is to be found in the Appendix, is the first Land-Tax Act.
  2. Among the various Proposals which have been suggested for the Improvement of this Edition, one of our Correspondents propossed our printing all the Acts relating to particular Manors. But such a Plan would have enlarged this Collection to a very inconvenient Size : As the Statute Laws of this Kingdom are now become so exceedingly voluminous, and are daily increasing, both in Number and Extent, it is almost: impracticable to retain those Acts which are merely local. For this Reason it has been usual in the later Editions to omit the Road Acts, and others, which, though they are declared to be publick Acts, are nevertheless of a local and private Nature. It has been thought proper, however, to preserve the Titles of such Acts in the present Edition ; and some of them having been omitted in the Table of Contents to the eighth Volume, they are prefixed to the Contents of this : Though, perhaps, had they been wholly left out, it would have been no Loss to our Purchasers ; as the Acts themselves are now never printed, even in the annual Collections

Middle-Temple, Nov. 28th, 1764,

OWEN RUFFHEAD