The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-11-01 00:00:00

POLICE.

• atalltlON./100111t.
TINCLAIMF.D DIVIDENDS.
Within these few day. a system of hand, of a novel de;
irruption, has been de to-loped al this office, is, a Renee of
therges watered ngsiust a person of respectable impair,
ance and address. who stated himself to beluog to the *Kieft
of Friends or Quaker:, tor having ',foamed motley tinder
false peel. nee...
The tint charge preferred against the Defendant was made
by a pour women, 'voiding st Clapham. She stated, sitar she
had formerly poswswd male money is, Ike funds, but *lode
"be had loaf( since sold out A few til,' ago she received :1
lefts, staling, that the w.iter could her of *ono-thin:
to her advinelsgr, if ale would call at his office. She went
lir the place appointed, where she saw the DelOodant, old
told her, that if she would give him fife dnlhug., he would
inform her of something which would produce her • great
deal of moory—he did not know how touch. She, at lion,
objected to part a ills her money for the promise of ibis at-
delistile sum, whets be lull It. r, 110 t upon the information
which he should give, she would obtain at least two or three
pound at all events, more than would cover the expenses
of her journey to town. She gave biro the sum denisodeil,
when he informed her, that she was entitled In an un-
claimed dividend at the Bank, the amount of which I.e dui
not know,lnat hail no doubt but that it was something great.
Big with expectation, the Complainant and her husband
left their labour for se-creel data to astead • train of ease..
tigatien which they had caused to be commenced at the
Umiak, when, after a world of research mid elaborate inquiry,
Übe found that der, was due to her the 1111111 of is. .141. S..
that instead of receiving a larze sum, as she had bans !. d s t
eipelt, she found herself minim 111 the amount of several
days' labour, which she and be/ husband Mat by aitseding
to the loosities• of the iavestigattoo, sad which to these fa-
mily was by so means a trifling loos. She had thought her.
felt bound by a sense of remise justice, and to 001-VC.II nth. r
poor iscraoss like herself fwers being defrauded in the .anie
matinee, to bring the matter before the Lord Mayor,
Mr. Pitt, • Geutleman belonging to the Bank of England;
Stated iti explauatiou that a Int of werelainitil dividend*,
with the wattles and addresses of shore to alum they •rre
dire, was published at certain periods by the gook. Tina
list contained many thousands of names, and the De;
resident Made a trade of writing to the perooida in.:
eluded in the list its the manner described by she con,-
plaivant, and no doubt Ise made it amuse Imitative trade it he
extorted the same (soot every one whom he sent to the
Some persons be hail drawn as far as from Scotland and Ys•rli.;
shire upon this errand, who upon going to the Bank per-
haps Mood that the dividend had hero received, or that :1
was a mere trifle, which would not pay a tithe of their ex-
penses. These were caws of daily oCcureenee; and the
tlemen at the Bank were cortinualiy annoyed l.y applicant.,
of the Defendant's sending. &molting ouch' to be done to
put a stop lo this iniquitous trade of the Defendant's, and
to prevent unwary individsiats from being put to scrtous
pease and disappointmeut. AO, pretence of insuring to the
individuals a particular sum
cause 110 issue could tell what she suwant e any d:sidet..l
was, and no clerk was allowed In etre any Inintni.lll,ll oyes
the subject at the perA of his ,litiatium All that a pri-nt.
had to du who found his name on the list of unclaimed di
demist, was to go to the Bank, gird write his num, on a ptose
of paper, When, if the Accouniant-Geheral rusted the •tioni-:
lure to correspond with the signature of the transfer, the
amount was paid without bmitatiou.
The Defendant eon...oiled, skit the information which he
gave was such as ally man might honestly expect to lie paid
fur. He denied braving obtained the motley under false re-
traces, for he had merely told the courplatimat what be *op-
posed she would receive, soil, in fact, the *bole was a 44
has-gain. He had, iu some insmorts, obtained, by the infer.
maims' which he gave, large sums of moues for itidividesolai
From this information, he slated, that ;he old Candor
Baron Le Mesurier had obtained • dividend of 3,0001.
The Lord Mayer was of opinion, that the tale appsnad7;
ed as *early as possible to a case of obtaining money under
false pretences, and had it beets a shade stronger he reet•itilv
should have thought it Isis duly to have edmmitteel she
fendant to the Old Dailey, that a Jerry might determine
upon his guilt. As it was, the best the Defendant en.. 1.1 Ju
was to make repstatioa to the poor wood's for the loss which
she had sustained.

this the Defendant readily performed. when he we. dig-
charged. after a severe reprimand from the Lord Mayor.
Several complaints, bare, however, been subsequently
made to the Lord Mayor, that the Defendant was pursuarg
his trade with the same alacrity as ever, notwribstauditte the
reprimand which he had received. Ho. Loidthipiraretted
that he was astable to afford any re.lress to the Complain:
ants, aud that he knew of uo way of pultiug a stop to his
trade escerthy a public rani .
The following is the form of the Circular which has heed
received by many rudividwala :—" Sir, The usiders.gnrd esti
inform you of something to your aJesat,-- ywi
. _