The Sun.
London, England, 1841-05-22 00:00:00

USURY LAWS-REVENUE

TO THE RIGHT 110 N. THE CHANCELLOR OF THE
EXCHEQUER.
As it is your duty, and must be yogi • anxiety,
to attend usefully to the revenue of-this country,
you will feel no offence at a few hints from a
friend, however :humble or common-place.
It will not be denied that the greater the con-
sumption of taxed commodities, the greater wiil
be the amount of revenue, or that the power of
obtaining money at a moderate rate will increase
the circulation, and. consequently the consump-
tion of taxable commodities. These premises
being admitted, and in fact they are indsputable,
I would ask what is the cause of the general mass
of the people being so utterly destitute of money
as they now are ? That they are so, and to an
extent never before known, all tradesmen and
professional men can, if they please, testify.
Who will raise moLey for trading or other legi-
timate purposes at 40, 50, GO, and upwards per
Cent ? None but persons in desperate circum-
stances will do so, and then only to stop a gat),
as it is familiarly called. That this system is
become universal, every tradesmen (unless he is
himself a usurer, of which there arc many), will
admit. InstanceS of such horrible imposition
could be produced, that it would surprise even'
the advocates for what they call free trade in
money, but what I call legalized plunder.
The effect of such a course has been, to lock
up the capital ; those who have money with-
holding it until they can dole it out to their
wretched countrymen at a ruinous rate of inte-
rest, and those whc want it only borrowing from
absolute necessity, and from an immediate and
pressing occasion. No man will borrow at the
rates now demanded fbr the common purposes of
trade, or for the common purposes of life.
Money is in this way taken out of circulation, and
the consequences are, that trade is diminished,
the consumptio i of the necessaries as well as
of the luxuriesof life is enormously decreased
and the revenue, of course, suffers 'in .a propor,
tionate degree. Do not believe what I say
but inquire and investigate, not among what
is called the monied interest—such as hankers,
stock-jobbers, bill-brokers, or even pawnbrokers.,
who are making their fortunes out of this system
of legalised extortion—but among the general
class of tradesmen, and respectable professional
men.

Pawnbrokers were allowed by law 201. per
cent. upon their loans in that character, hut find-
ing that they can get three times the amount by

the new system, they make a secondary matter
of their pawnbroking business, or give it up al-
together, and become solely bill discounters.
Now, Sir, a repeal of the " repeal haw" will
remedy this evil, increase the circulation of
money, and the revenue will be benefited, pro-
bably to the full extent you require. M.

VICTORIA
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIR,—As an inhabitant of the borough of the
Tower Hamlets, I feel grateful to the Govern.
ment for their promptitude in affording to the
residents of the cast, a place where they may
may procure that essential of life, pure air. It
is, doubtless, the object of the promoters of the
Bill to render the Royal Victoria Park as useful
and accessible to all as possible, and worthy the
name it is intended to bear;. permit me to sug-
gest that an opening be made leading to the east-
ern end of Bonner's-field, of about 150 feet wide,
commencing opposite Crown-row, in the Mile-
end-road, crossing somewhere about the end of
Devonshire-street. If this road were planted with
trees, it would form a noble avenue, and the in-
habitants of Mile-end and Stepney would be
benefited at a very trifling expense.
Sixteen four-roomed houses, of the value, Der-
haps, of 1001. each, situated in Green-street, '
would be all the houses that would be required
to be taken down, the whole being open garden
ground and fields.
Yours, most obediently,
A CONSTANT READER.

THE PROTESTANT ASSOCIAT I ON
PROMOTES POPERY.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIR,-It requires little sagacity to discover the
truth of the above assertion. All over the coun-
try the Protestant Associations are advancing
what they profess to oppose. Show me a place
wherein they have been most active of late, and
I will show you an increase of Roman Catholics.
Look in this neighbourhood. In a circle includ-
ing Walsall, West Bromwich, &c., possessing,
but a few years ago, only one Catholic chapel,
we have had of late the Evangelists carrying on
a bitter crusade against the Papists, and already
there are five Catholic chapels in the circle
alluded to ! Wherever the Pope has an especial
wish for an augmentation of his flock, he should
get up Protestant Association meetings. These
drive the people to the chapels to ascertain what
i t is that is represented as so hideous.
I remember a Protestant Association meeting
at our Birmingham Town-hall. There was no
admission but for persons of the right sort. A
crowd stood outside, wondering what progress
of principle, and what sort of discussion, could
be effected amongst people all of one mind. A
poor man talked to the crowd. He said,
" There must be unfair play here, and that is
what an Englishman does not like." The crowd
cheered him, and he went on. "I hope I am
a good Protestant, though I don't pretend to be
better than other people.--(Cheers. Then
you are no cant.') But if I wished to convert
a Catholic to my opinio,n, would I fill my house
with Protestants, lock the door, and abuse my
Catholic neighbour ? No, indeed ; that would
be fbolish as well as malicious.—(Cheers.) I
would talk to him kindly, and endeavour to
show him his error, and at any rate, if I proved
myself a good Christian, in speech and
conduct, I should be doing my best to
convert him. But here they call a great
meeting to expose the errors of Popery,
and all that are admitted are already
convinced of those errors, so that not
one convert is made. On the contrary, those
who are abused in their absence cling all the
closer to their prejudices, and believe they are
persecuted for conscience sake.—(Cheers.) Why
do not these active spirits, most of them Irish by
the bye, move about in Ireland, endeavouring to
win the people to the truth ?—( Aye, why
don't they ?') Why, in my opinion, it is be-
cause they have a more profitable game in this
country. They find they can frighten the chil-
dren, and the old women of both sexes—
(Laughter)—by their bugbearnotions ; this brings
grist to their mill, and they stick to it, although
they may see, as plainly as they can see the nose
on each others faces, that the more they abuse
the Catholics in this way the more the people
will take their part, and sometimes visit their
chapels.—(' Aye, that's it, that's it.') Let all
clergymen, I say, preach true simple Chris-
tianity, as our Saviour did, and when that is es-
tablished all errors will fall of themselves, with-
out being abused.—(Cheers.)"
Here, Sir, was a crowd, a large majority of
which consisted, I am sure, of English Protes-
tants, and they went away condemning unfair
play, and therefore feeling hostile to the pro-
ceedings of the Association. Is not this natural ?
Yours respectfully,
A CHURCH OF ENGLAND MAN.
Birmingham, May 18, 1841.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.
ASCOT HEATH, 1841.-TUESDAY.

Handicap for the Ascot Stakes :—Hyllus, 5 yrs,
9st 21b ; Artie, aged, 9st •, Corsair, 5 yrs, Bst 131 b ; Bed-
ford, 5 yrs, Bst 111 b ; Ruby, aged, Bst 111 b ; Tamburini,
5 yrs, Bst 71b ; 10, 5 yrs, Bst 51b ; Broadwath, 4 yrs,
Bst 41b ; Cecilia c, 4 yrs, Bst 41b ; Naworth, 4 yrs,
Bst 31b ; The Currier, 5 yrs, Bst 31b ; Benjamin, 4 yrs,
Bst 31b Molineux, 4 yrs, Bst ; Quicksilver, aged, 7st 121 b ;
I-am-not-aware, 6 yrs, 7st 1216 ; Valaincourt, 5 yrs,
7st 1 llb ; Welfare, 4 yrs, ist 111 b ; Vapour, 4 yrs,
7st 111 b ; James, 4 yrs, ist 71b ; Isaac of York, 4 yrs,
7st 51b ; Chasseur, 4 yrs, 7st 51b ; Monops, 4 yrs,
7st 51b ; Spangle, 4 yrs, 7st 21b ; Ilione, 4 yrs, 7st 21b ;
Stamboul, 4 yrs, 7st ; Pluto, 5 yrs, 7st ; Nongifted,
4 yrs, 6st 131 b ; Brocard mare, 5 yrs, Est 121 b ; Helles-
pont, 4 yrs, 6st Illb ; Mobarek, 3 yrs, 6st 71b ; Pansey,
4 yrs, 6st 51b ; gby Oppidan, 3 yrs, sst 101 b; Father
Mathew, 3 yrs, sst 71b ; Humility, 3 yrs, sst 41b ; and
Hampton, 3 yrs, sst. To declare on Monday next.
TllMlSDAY.—Nominations for the Two-yr-old Stakes :
—Sir G. Heathcote's ch f Pannakeen, Lord Exeter's f
Beiram, out of Dahlia, and Mr. Shackel's Meal.