40. (1) If any suit be brought by a creditor against any Administrator General, such creditor shall be liable to pay the costs of the suit unless he proves that not less than one month previous to the institution of the suit he had applied in writing to the Administrator General, stating the amount and other particulars of his claim, and had given such evidence in support thereof as, in the circumstances of the case, the Administrator General was reasonably entitled to require. (2) If any such suit is decreed in favour of the creditor, he shall, nevertheless, unless he is a secured creditor, be only entitled to payment of the amount decreed or ordered by the court to be paid out of the assets of the deceased equally and rateably with the other creditors.