The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-05-13 00:00:00

TO TILE EDITOR OF THE BRITISH P,
--..m.mi...---

Ste.—Amattempt has been made by the Equitable Lou goo,
Company to invalidate the testimony of a most irreproachable .it,
nese (Mr. James Basnett), and with • rancour suitable to the dia.
appointment of the Company, whose extravagant assertions of the
large profits made by Pawnbrokers the testimony given
measured
teTrhals.thonest and disinterested witness is abusT:tet:ni7.
The writer of that malicious attack, which has appeared at great
length in different Journals, signed "J. T." is 31r. Jelin Taylor,
a principal officer in the new establishment. That vitaperanon
altolt,iilpdancoymheufrofnoui
nsudrshupanpoirtnedrsividpuriani icispanitiityabtyallinispoursairitittndTehee.
lusion: its operation commenced with hypocrisy, and has been
carried on by slander and continual perversion of truth ; and she
servants and agents of it know well, that the moment those decep.
twos are fully detected and exposed to the world, the union
rcheme will fail, and the agents and abettors of it will lose the be.
nelicbl places their very peculiar service* have procured than in
the new establishment.
Hence the pamphlets of cases against Pawnbrokers, printed at
great expense and distributed gratia—hence the tamp ering with ve„,
porters and nuigistrates' clerks (I could go further)—benee
whole system of persecution which the Pawnbrokers have been ex.
posed to from persons expressly engaged for the purpose. gland,
has been at a high premium. The Company has been very biena
of the Shareholders' money that way, and calunnuaton have
profited by it. The pious Institution commenced its organises.
tion by breaking the Tenth Commandment, end has ever since
continued to encourage its emissaries in setting the Ninth at de.
fiance.
Constantly engaged in such practices, can it be wondered at that
the agent for the Company should, so unhesitatingly, make povi,
live contradictions to cts, which, should occasion otter before the
proper tribunal, will be again advanced and supported beyoed all
means of refutation ?
The Company, in working the Bill through the Commons, has
resorted to such means as to create in my mind such an opinion,
both of it and its agents, that I feel it a personal degradation to be
at all in collision with them ; and with that feeling preva'e tt, I
should not have noticed the statement of J. T. but from a sense of
justice due to a faithful and experienced asaistant,
Mr. Barnett, whose testimony (against the Bill) is attempted to
be impugned, is a just and upright men, of too virtuous principles
to pervert the truth for any purpose whatever; and I with confidence
assert, that if the promoters and agents ef the Equitable Loan Bank
Company possessed even a tithe of his moral rectitude, the public
would never have been insulted by the proposals of that hypouttical

Abusing Pawnbrokers will not make the Company a righteorte
institution. It must obtain character by works—not by prcfes.
sions. Let J. T. support the pretensions of the Institution to itu.
maculate virtue and correctness, by answering the questions pro.
posed to the Company, in a letter signed " Castigator." which ap.
pealed in different Journals last week let him distribute the copy
of the Deed among the Shareholders, with the same zealous alacrity
as the slanders against the Pawnbrokers hare been distributed;
let the Shareholder have the opportunity of learning therefrom his
absolute dependence on the caprice of the Board of 31anagnannt,
and the situation his property is placed in.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant.
JOHN ORTON ILIRRISON.
95, Wardour-street, Soho.

DESPERATE ATTACK AND HIGHWAY ROBBERY

From the Dublin Freeman's Journal of Tuesday.)
It has long ben matter of surprise that there still exists within
the city boundaries, notwithstanding the efficiency of the Dublin
police, a colony of freebooters, affording refuge and asylum to
the most desperate characters, who both find them a aerate re.
treat from the vengeance of the offended laws, and a convenient
4- fortress," from whence they frequently sally forth, and con.
mit the most alarming outrages upon the inhabitants of the sue.
rounding neighbourhood. It is not an uncommon occurrence
in the receptacle of vice and villany (Alin' Island), wherethose
desperadoes cengregate, to supply "slatiot,g" detachments, who,
for a given price, will undertake to cudgel any person or persons
who may be pointed out to them, or execute any other desperate
purpose. Perhaps it is owing to this spirit of brutal ferocity that
Mud Island has become so renowned for having given birth to the
most celebrated hireling ruffians of the Irish " Fancy." But to
whatever source of immorality may be traced the outrages of the
Mud Islanders, the following, in addition to the " thousand aid
one" similar acts of atrocity by the same mate, demonstrates the
necessity of some vigorous measures being adopted ter the pro.
tection of life and property within their control :-.-
On Sunday night, or rather yesterday Blowing, between the
hours of one and two o'clock, a party of five gentlemen and four
ladies were returning to town from Phillipsburgh Avenge, where
they had spent the evening. They had crossed Itallybough.
bridge and reached Mud Island, when they were attacked by a
considerable number of men, all armed with bludgeons, who had
about them right and left, until they knocked down every oat of
the party. They then beat them with the greatest violence, having
prostrated them, and rifled their pockets. Mr. (Mass, of Portland..
place, one of the patty (and who, it is remarkable, had twenty-
five pounds in bank-notes in his pocket, which escaped their
search), was so severely beaten about the head, that up to a
late blur last night there were no hopes of his recovery. MT.
Andrew Ferguson was also beaten so inhumanly as to leave little
hope of his recovering. Mr. Ferguson Was robbed of a silver
snuff box, and was found insensible on the read, yesterday mom-
mg; by a gentleman driving in his gig, who at first thought he
was some drunken person, until he discovered that he was welter.
ing in blood. Every one of the party received some ; and
but for the sound of approaching horses, which occasianiut the
ruffians to fly, it is thought they would not have escaped without
even worse treatment. The fellows succeeded in obtaining some,
property.

MEETINGS OF CREDITORS,
AT TIIE BANKRUPTS' COURT, BASINGIIALL-STIIEET,

TO-110110W.

TIIIRD NEETIYOS.
Abrahams, M. No. 56, Blanselbstroet, lfoodman'a-fields, oil-

,
- merchant . - 1
Barker; J. Clare-market. potato-merchant • • lit
Fentum, J. Strand, shopkeeper . . . 12
Garner, R. 11. Deal, Kent, merchant . . pi
Hawkins, .1. s'. Alban's.. Harts, shopkeeper • 10
Hyde, .1. Winchester, grocer - 4 . 12
lacy, T. liaainghall.strect, Blackwell-hall facto, - 1
Robinson, S. Fenchurch-street, stationer - . 12
SECOND MEETINGS.
•
.
Bally, J. Bristol, merchant . - 12.
Gardie, L. Regent-street, jeweller . . . 10
Hart, G. Church-street, I)cptford, and Pittock, W. Dartford.
. brewers - . . - 11
Halford, R. Orchard.strcet. St. Luke's, Old-street. jeweller lit
Haswell, J. F. Fox and Hounds yard, Curtain-road, Shore.
ditch. horse-dealer - . - I:
Hurd, B. late of Charlotte-street, Blackfriars-road, but now
of Windsor-place, Middlesex, dealer . - pt
Henson, S. Brownlow-street, Holborn, tailor
Marta. T. E. Carshaltnn, Surrey, corn and coal merchant 1
Patsy, J Staines, :Middlesex, draper . - I
Smith, R. Northampton, lace-dealer • 11
Sheppard, C. China-walk, Lambeth, leather-. dresser - 11
Vandermolen, V. L. Castle-street' Houndstlitch, warehouseman 11
Wright, W. C. Paternoster-row, book,eller - 11

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