month to three months, but sometimes com mitment is for six months. There are generally two parties, one to prosecute, because they have not been bribed, and the other to endeavour to get rid of the evidence that might have been brought forward against the accused party, either by calling the witnesses on one side, or by using means to persuade them to go out of the way People have taken things out of a ready furnished room, and pledged them to make up money for the Lottery. If an adventurer loses four days, he never can recover his loss; and as to the Insurer, his risk is so great, that by one day's ill luck he may be entirely ruined. EXPENCES OF OFFICES.. Those offices which share no more than thirty Tickets at the Stamp-office (the number required by law to entitle them to a licence) cannot have sufficient business in that way to support an office, as their profits upon them, and upon any proportionate number of whole tickets which they sell, must be so very small, as to make a certain loss by the legal part of the business. The expence of an office can scarcely be less than £500 per annum; and, if much business is done, considerably more; which £500 may be set down as follows: Rent and Taxes..... Licence Seat in Hall Clerks (at least). Porter....... £. 200 ***** 50 10 ..200 50 Those office-keepers who do illegal business are protected by the inspector, who may be seen daily and nightly at their offices, but seldom in any of the offices where tickets and shares are sold. The expence of propagating a Lottery of 60,000 tickets within the last ten years, has not exceeded £7,000; whereas the expence of the four last Lotteries, on the part of the contractors and office-keepers, has not been less than £70,000 or £80,000. There are upwards of 100 country newspapers, in which, in the course of a week, the Lottery advertisements are in general inserted twice. These practices set people against the Lotteries. Lotteries are now so frequent, that the public cannot recover from one Lottery to another. pence he must necessarily be put to in the sale of his Lottery, and the profit which he naturally expects on such a concern. The Lottery is sold pretty well of which four-fifths of the tickets are sold. The contractors for the present Lottery, it is imagined, will sell about 17,000 tickets out of 25,000. The profit derived by letting seats in Guild hall, made part of the revenue of the corporation of the city of London, and amounted to from 4 to £500 per annum. There is an incorrigible propensity in the middling and lower classes to game in illegal insurances. The public has a comparative advantage in point of price or premium in insuring, preferably to buying legal shares; for the disadvantage of the adventurer on insurance never exceeds 20 per cent. or thereabouts, and sometimes is so low as 12 per cent. whereas in the purchase of legal shares they encounter a loss of 100 per cent. This high price of legal shares originates in the middle hands through which the tickets and shares pass. In the present Lottery, the chancellor of the exchequer sold the tickets at 17 and a fraction. Those tickets were not intrinsi cally worth £10 each, when it is considered that the contractors lay out their money in prompt payment, and there is an interval be fore they receive it back again. Thus there is £7 added on the true value of the ticket. The contractor sold it again to the licensed Lottery-office keepers at £20, 19s, between £3 and 4 more than the contractor gave for it. The licensed office-keeper puts another profit on it, which, though small on whole tickets, (only 1s.) yet when divided again in to different kinds of shares, gives 1 more. The lower class having this propensity to gaming, are, from the high price of legal shares, shut out from the fair market, and are therefore induced to resort to the unlaw ful practice of insurance. The Lottery schemes of the present day contain too many large prizes, £10,000 should be the highest prize; and there should be no prizes less than £50, or £40 at the least, for the legal adventurer, who now pays 283. for a sixteenth, in case it comes up a 21 prize, gets only 26s. of his back again, money and in case it comes up only a 15 prize, he gets only 18s. of his money back again, which gives great dissatisfaction among the middle and lower orders, particularly when we take into the account the vast number of blanks compared to the prizes, which appear to be in proportion of three to one. Mr. Wood, the Lottery, inspector, was PROFIT OF CONTRACTORS, OFFICES, &C. charged in the court of exchequer with receiv The general advance put upon tickets bying bribes, some stated to be directly received the contractors has been about £3 per ticket, as bribes, and others as loans; and Mr. Wood, not varying much under of over. This is in in his answer upon oath, contented himself consideration of the certain loss on such tickets with swearing, that he verily believed that as the contractor is not able to sell, the ex- "the object of that application to the court LEGAL OPPRESSIONS. over the kingdom, and occasions the high price of tickets; but no person could make shares, or such chances as the act permits, without a licence, and giving a bond of 10001. to the stamp-office. Mr. Wood. By the power given by this act, the common informer was authorized to issue process at his own discretion against any persons he might think proper, specifying therein the amount of the penalties sued for, whereof an affidavit should be first made and filed, and to arrest them for the same; and in consequence thereof, the process of the court, in the hands of the common informer, assisted by professional men who employed themselves in these kind of proceedings, became a nui sance of the most serious nature and complaints were made of the abuse of their process from all parts of the metropolis, and amongst others from the sheriffs of London and Middlesex, who represented that these actions were so frequent, and the responsibi lity of themselves and their officers so great, would be found to execute the office of under that unless a stop was put to it, no person sheriff, without the risk of being totally ruined. Mr. Estcourt. In 1787, insurances were punishable in two ways, one by writ of capias, the other under the law. This vagrant power given to every person to arrest his neighbour for 5001. set all the qui tam attornies to work, and caused hundreds of persons to be sworn into prison, upon the oaths or pretended oaths of people that could not afterwards be found, and which was done only to extort money. These capias's were so numerous, that they employed all the sheriffs' officers in London and Middlesex to execute them; until at last, As we recollect the penalties of illegal in 1791, the sheriff complained, as I was insurance sometimes amounted to 5001. be told by the under-sheriff, that his officers fore that statute, it was the custom for com could do no other business, and obtained from mon informers to sue out writs of capias government, in 1793, a clause to prevent against the same person for several penalties, any person suing for penalties by capias, ex- to prevent the possibility of procuring bail cept the attorney-general. Between that time without the consent of the plaintiff or his atand 1802, considerably more than 1000 per- torney, the price of which consent varied sons were imprisoned for offences against the according to the supposed ́ability of the delottery acts, some at the suit of the attorney- fendant; it was enormous; from 201. 10 501. general, and others as rogues and vagabonds, according to circumstances; on payment of at an immense expense to government in which, the party was liberated, and no furhiring informers, constables, &c. and at great ther proceeding took place. These arrests danger to the person who held the office of were usually on a Saturday evening, in order inspector, and that without effecting the least to keep the party in custody on Sunday, as the abatement of the evil of insurance. In 1802, most favourable for the prosecutor to make Irish lotteries were abolished, and English his terms of compromise; and there was too lotteries were new modelled; the long draw-much reason to believe that some of the she ings were reduced from forty-two days to eight days; insurances dropped in the same proportion, and the profits to government in creased to nearly double what they were before. The old regulation laws respecting lotteries became of course a dead letter, and were. repealed one by one until they were all out of force, except a few old clauses which were necessary, and were continued in the new acts; and it was the desire of the then lord mayor and other city magistrates that the whole might be put into one act, and thus all the clauses for creating and regulating the lotteries for each year appear in the act for that year. In 1806, every person might sell | lottery tickets or shares or particular chances without a licence; which plan of allowing every person to deal spreads the market all fiff's officers were in collusion with the con mon informer or his attorney-Messrs. Bir❤ shell and Sayer, Under-Sheriffs. An attorney of the name of Sandbich, ano. ther of the name of Crosley, and one of the name of Clement, were in the habit of suing a great deal under this act of parliament; and made no scruple of sacrificing the interest of the King to the interest of their client; for instance, they took 101. or 201. in an action brought for 5001., by which the King only got 10l. and the plaintiff 101., but the attor ney received a gross sum for his costs, not only that his bill was never taxed, but that no bill at all was frequently made out, but a gross sum pitched upon for costs, infinitely bevond what he ought to have had, had his bill been taxed, Mr. Wood being jealous of the right which I defendant has been illegally put out of the the public at large possessed of prosecuting lock-up-house, and sent about his business, offenders of this sort, wished to divest the without the sheriff being ever called upon to public of that right, and to substitute in its make any return to the writ, without any stead a close system, by which the right of further proceedings being had upon it, and prosecuting should be confined to himself, without its ever having come to the knowand to the commissioners of stamps, and to ledge of the solicitor of stamps, for of the His Majesty's attorney-general; and the esta- commissioners, or of this Majesty's attorney blishment of that close systein enabled Mr. general, that such defendants bad at all been Wood to make it, when he chose, a system arrested; and that upon such occasions, the of favouritism and protection insomuch, officer has been rendered secure by Mr. that Mr. Wood was regularly pensioned by Wood's promise, that he would take care persons engaged in lottery speculations, both that he (the officer) should never be called of a legal and an illegal nature; yet, though upon for the return of the writ.-Mr. Bellis, he had received great bounty at their hands, heretofore Assistant to a Police Magistrate. there was great ingratitude about him, for that, in spite of all that, he was now and was now and then endeavouring to cramp their proceed 32 of The licensed office-keepers who are engaged in this sort of traffic, it is said, "send a list, or in some other way communicate to Mr. Wood the names and places of abode of those Morocco men, in order that he may know that those persons so contained in that list are their subordinate agents, and must not be meddled with; so that Mr. Wood knows exactly what proportion of persons belong to A, a licenced lottery-office keeper, and to B. a licenced lottery-office keeper, and so forth. About six years ago, Mr. Wood seized was with a sudden fit of severity, and, in the course of one term, he caused to be arrested No revenue has been o obtained to the state by writs of capias perhaps from 300 to 400 at half the expence, in point of pecuniary persons; which, with the exception of a very sacrifice to the public, independent of the few, perhaps about twelve, were persons of excessive injury to the morals of the people, the very lowest class of life, many of them as Lotteries in the manner they are now conamarried women, and many of them washer- stituted. They have been a productive harvest 2 women, chair-women, and persons of that to the most idle, the most profligate, and the description; so that government, necessarily most abandoned and depraved members of the had to pay to the solicitor of stamps heavy community, many of whom have, through costs, for having instituted so great a number this medium, acquired princely fortunes with of unproductive suits, and the Treasury was in the last thirty years. These successes have greatly displeased. The poor were put into stimulated others to follow the evil example: sprison, and, after remaining there, some a great capitals have been employed in the trade month, some two months, and some three of illegal insurances, and long practice has months, and so on, Mr. Wood, either by enabled these mischievous agents to systema bhimself, or by his brother, or father, or some tize their designs in so perfect a manner as to relation, told them they had better petition elude detection. Their profits on the money the commissioners of stamps, stating their received during each Lottery are estimated at indigence; and when, the commissioners 335 per cent. clear of all expences. From came to know what sort of wretched beings 7 to 10 per cent. is generally allowed to they had in prison, their humanity urged morocco men, who go about for the purpose them to set them at liberty by degrees.But of soliciting persons to insure, A very cons in some justances, Mr. Wood made, mis-siderable proportion of women who can write, takes, and arrested some of the subordinate and know a little of figures, are employed in agents of the lottery-office-keepers, supposed this nefarious trade, and when any of them to be, on terms of friendship; and when it are convicted and imprisoned, there is gener was intimated to Mr. Wood that he had done ally a stipulation, with their principal, that wrong, by the licenced office-keepers, the they shall be allowed two guineas a week oddani quiltire se vay of alde Jon 28w on during the term of their imprisonment. It is not easy to estimate the annual expence which Lotteries cost the public, the following statement, however, is hazarded band tad tushelish || 41,070, but that number will do for the purpose of explanation. It happened, that the number came up a prize of above £15, and when the man claimed his money the next day the insurer shewed him a book where it was not 1,070, but 11,070, so he had prefixed a in the book to alter the number.. Adi to 100 - wetx.... wo...mi...d.save 211751000 Total........ £1,109,000 The public are supposed to pay for 1), ad tedi The lower class who insure are 1,275,000 $4,000,000 supposed to pay...... ཕ་ཇ་༣ £ £2,275,000 Deduct prizes... 750,000 Deduct hits obtained by inferior classes who The distress occasioned by dealing in the Lottery among the lower order of housekeepers prevents their being able to pay their taxes.lobert Baker, Esq. Magistrale I have been frequently applied to "for aid, having a benevolent society at my chapel, and I have in general examined the eases myself; frequently I have had the persons with me, and sometimes I went to them to ask the source of their distress. It often happened that their distress arose from the misconduct of the husband, and sometimes from the misconduct of the wives, in their going to insure in the Lottery, in St. Giles's parish, somewhere near Seven Dials, with the persons who had the habit of collecting in public-houses, where those called collectors of insurance used to come." After they had drank a little at those 1,000,000 places, they were more inclined to embark, until all the money about them was expended in that way; and several instances have come within my knowledge of their returning home, and selling their property to raise more money, when the children perhaps have been starving, at least wanting the common neies of life. Cessaries A 5,000 state, year-£1,275,000 Patrick Colquhoun, Esq. Magistrate. I remember one very strong instance of distress arising out of the transactions in the lottery, four or five years ago. It was the case of a journeyman who belonged to a club, which club purchased a ticket that came up a great prize. The share of this man was £100, or thereabouts'; he had been an industrious working man before, and he was persuaded by his friends to invest the money in the stocks, In the joint names of himself and his wife, in order to prevent his making away with it. He did so, but he soon got into habits of idleness now he was possessed of the money, and he wanted his wife to join in the transfer of ft. That occasioned quarrels, which proceeded to assaults; he changed his habits of industry to those of drunkenness and idleness, and destroyed all his domestic conforts. It was the ruin of the family." The persons insuring are principally women y women of a low description, about nine Women to one man evil 'the disit occasions between the women I knew a widow, in a good line of business as a silk dyer, which I suppose brought her in about £400 a-year clear. She kept a very good house, and I was in habits of intimacy with the family. The foreman she had was in the habit of insuring, he was led astray, and they insured to the amount of £300 or £400 a-night, although the foreman had only £30 a-year wages. It appeared, on his decease, he had insured immense sums of money. Within the last year of his life, I found that he had spent upwards of 100 guineas in the lottery, purchasing one ticket at 16, and insuring away the rest. It came last, verily believe it the death of him. He died insolvent, I was ed as his executor, and paid three or four shillings in the pound for him. He had received a great many bills for his mistress, which he had never crossed out, and he ruined her. She was not able to pay three shillings in the pound. She was obliged to go into an almshouse, and she died there in four or five months. They would send all the plate she had to raise money to carry on an insurance, which had begun perhaps at a low price. relied upon paying, by getting what is called a hit" in the lottery; he got nothing, and hung himself directly. The bill purported A gentleman who drew him into the snare, to be signed by somebody else. Another unwas ruined by it. His wife had 400 a-year. happy man, who kept the White Conduitand it was settled upon her. He sold his life-house at Pentonville, a man of great property, interest, and she was obliged to live upon cha-possessing the land all about his house, he rity during the last seven or eight years; he died within the rules of the Fleet-prison. He formerly kept his carriage, and lived in Queensquare. It was like intoxication with him. If a man gets into the habit of it, he does not leave it. I know of another very remarkable case. The man was a coachman. The family cousisted of the man, his wife, and an orphan child they took care of. This was two years and a half ago. They resolved, as soon as they bought some tickets, to insure them, which they understood was legal; they insured, and kept on insuring during the eight days (the lottery was eight days drawing), and on the eighth day they got all their money back by insuring. They took care to cover the premium of the day before on the suc ceeding day, they got each of them 1-16th of 20,000 prize, the coachman, his wife, and the child. From that period the man became a noted gainbler in the lottery. He did not know what to do with the money, and he was going to spend it all that way; which she entreated that he would buy into the stocks; and after £200 was gone he bought into the stocks, and soon afterwards he went out of his mind, and he was always raving about the lottery. He has since reco vered his senses, and he comes to my chapel. The wife fretted herself to death; the last stage of her illness was the dropsy. I attend ed her in her last moments. on To one woman I gave five shillings to buy bread with for herself and her children. 1 gave it as treasurer to a benevolent society. Her husband took it away, and went to one of those collectors of Insurances and laid it out, and they were obliged to go to the overseer of the poor to get relief thatnight, otherwise they would have been starved. There is another instance of a young woman now at Botany-bay. She had insured three numbers which she had dreamt about, and she procured money by improper means which led her to her fate. I knew her before she lived with the person whom she robbed.Rev. W. Gurney, Rector of St. Clements Danes, and Minister to the Free Chapel in West-street, St. Giles's. lost every shilling he had, and within these two years, I think, came to the workhouse; about two years since, I saw him in a wretched condition, with scarcely any clothes to his/ back. He was guilty of no other vice or extravagance that I ever heard of. A poor woman, who lived in one of the handsome streets leading down to the Thames, and used to let out in lodgings, lost to the last kept a house handsomely furnished, that she shilling, and is now in an alms-house. This three years, or less. But the general evil is circumstance has happened within two or whom women sometimes pawn their husbands to the very poor working people; among clothes, so that they have not had a thing to put on on Sunday when they came home. A woman, whom I attended at Hatton-garden before Mr. Baker and the magistrates there the other day, said she had six children, and that her husband would murder her when she got home, because she had been insuring in the lottery. Mr. Robert Holloway. extent; but since the offices have been put a Insurances now go on, and to a very great stop to, it is more private, and in its consewhen she begins to insure, is under the quence more destructive, because a woman, is a crime; she is therefore obliged to go step necessity of keeping it a secret. She feels it by step, and, as she proceeds, she will be tempted to purloin what she can. If she is a servant, she takes what she can out of the house. They have been known to go to distant places, where they could pawn property of the family, and then tear the duplicate, that it may not be discovered. Instances have occurred in Spital-fields, of insurances lately to such an extent, that women, after pillaging all the furniture they had that the pawnbrokers would take, even, when so re duced, they will club a penny a-piece, fo raise the sum of a shilling, to insure a number for a day. half ago: a man by his industry had saved I knew an instance about three years and a enough to purchase half a hundred in the consals, and he went to the particular drawer where he kept it, and to his surprise it was gone. Looking further, his linen was gone With respect to the evil of insurance, and when he questioned his wife about it, she there is no calculating the misery that it en- was obliged to confess that she had lost a tails upon the people; a man of the name of great part of it in the lottery. The money Lear, a baker at Walworth, two years ago being gone, he went away, and she was turnhad lost every thing he had by insuring, auded off from her work. If we find our workat that time he had a bill of 5 out, which he people are dabbling in the lottery, in shares |