Abstract
A simple model to study two overlapping compound-nucleus resonances is constructed. Expressions have been derived for the joint probability distribution of the spacing and the widths of the collision matrix for the elastic and inelastic scattering. In the inelastic case, we have considered only a two-channel problem. It is shown that the unitarity gives rise to the statistical correlation between the width and the spacing of the collision matrix. The model is also used to check which of the relations between the averages of the parameters of the statistical collision matrix, obtained using the ensemble of random complex orthogonal matrices, are consistent with the constraint of unitarity.