The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-25 00:00:00

BiITTING LW USES IN THE CITY.

The neighbourhood of the Mansion-house was, during a
great part of yesterday, in a state of usual excitement, in
consequence of the apprehension of a number of persons by
the police, upon warrants under the Act for the Suppres-
sion of Betting-houses. Tha police bad some days ago re-
ceived instructions upon the subject, and opportunities of
entering suspected houses were taken at the exact time
`when parties were engaged in making their books for the
forthcoming races. At a little before three o'clock several
officers brought before Alderman Wire a room full of pri-
soners, to answer for offences charged under the act.
Mr. Stuchbnry, from the office of the City Solicitor, ap-
peared for the proseotiton ; Mr. Ilecisanan attended for
two persons in ore. of 4te ha'ches befsce the Alder-
man. Al the other prisoners were undefended.
Robert Collyer, John Vickery, Arthur Agat, and
Edward Woodhoad, were the fint pevons charged.
--.laspector Howard saWirahe detendeNts-ffiere takeninto
custody by me and my assistants upon this warrant.
About 12 o'clock to-day I went to the Queen's Arms, in
Bishopsgate-street, and in the parlour on the ground floor
I found the four defendants. Collyer was pointed out to
me as Vickery, but he said his name was Collyer. I was
then told which was Vickery. I preduced my- warrant.
On Collyer I found 251. 7s. 61 He said he had nothing
else about him but a handkerchief, but I found upon him
a betting-book and several papers relating to horse races,
and a card relating to races.
Baker (635)-4 accompanied the inspector, and found
the four defendants there. I searched Vickery, and found
upon him 361. lie, ld.

'Upon the other two defendants were found some papers
relating to betting transactions.
J. Batt, house agent, said—On Wednesday, the 10th
inst., I went, about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, to the King's
Arms, in Biahopsgate-street, and in the parlour, on the
ground floor, I saw four or five persons, amongst whom
was Collyer, who represented himself to me asVickarr.
Ho laid me 41. to 10'. against Flacrow, on a race to come
off at Ascot. ',I gave him a sovereign, and he gave -me
four half crowns in exchange. He told me his name was
Vickery, and he asked me my name to enter the bet. I
gave him the name of Butler. The card of the race was
lying on the table. He made an entry in his book. I had
been to the same place a week or ten days previously, and
I- saw Collyer and others there then, and I saw him lay a
bet of 201. to 41. upon a horse, and the person made ano-
ther bet with him, and paid him money on both bets. I
have been on two or three other occasions there, and seen
Collyer on each occasion.
Cross-examined by ilr. Buchanan--I have been accus-
tomed to betting. I asked Collyer what he was laying
against a cettain horse, and he said 8 to 1, and I said I
would take it for half a sovereign.

Johnson (134) gave confirmatory evidence as to frequent
betting transactions by Collyer.
Mr. Buchanan submitted that the evidence was not
sufficiently strong against Collyer as to the alleged fact of
the betting to authorise a conviction.
Alderman Wire—Thera have been five distinct cases
proved against Collyer, who has been a common frequenter
of the place for the purposes charged in the warrant. Ido
do not consider the case proved sufficiently against the
other three, and I shall diseharge them with a marked
caution as to their future visits to places of this kind. With
respect to Collyer, my brother magistrates and I have come
to the determination to inflict heavy penalties in all cases
of this kind. We have observed the dangerous effect pro-
duced by persons who encourage that sort of gambling; that
numerous robberies have sprung from the encouragement
given to young persons to appropriate the money of
their employers to betting purposes, and that the practice
increases in the city of London. We shall try our strength
and activity in checking so pernicious a vice ; and I begin
with Collyer by fining him 251. and costs.
The next batch of defendants brought before the magis-
trate consisted of Edward Tbomas, H. Jones, 11. Jacobs,
R. Robinson, W. King, R. Stile, and T. Newcombe.
Inspector Shelford, .assisted by his men, took the de-
fendants into custody in the Punch Tavern, 99, Fleet-
street. Newcombe, it was proved, was the person .who
took the bets. He had between 3001. and 40 1. in cash
and cheques, and several betting papers were found in his
possession. He said he was in the habit of betting as gen-
tlemen betted at TAtersall's, anti he took the same odds.
Alderman Wire fined Newcombe 251. and costs, and dis-
charged the other defendants of the batch, after an admo-
nition.

The third batch consisted of Henry Ognaond, alias Harriq,
R. Noon, W. Airirow, J. Taplin, J. Barrel], and T.
Bo wen.

Inspector Scott, aided by his men, took the defendants
into custody on the second floor of a b3ershop, at No. 10,
Talbot-court. Osuiond was the principal character, and
ho had is his possession between 501. and 601., and several
papers relating to races. _ .

The Alderman fined Osmond 251. and costs, and dis-
charged the other defendants.

The cases were not concludod till near nine o'clock.

BANKING MONO.POLY-PETITION FROM
TB H, CITY OF GLASGOW TO TIIE
HOUSE OF COMMONS.

The following petition lies for signature in the
Royal Exchange, Atheneum, and Old Exchange
Reading Rooms, Tontine-building-3. We under-
stand that Mr. Buchanan; M.P. for the city, has
promised to pr, sent and support the prayer of the
petition. We have no doubt that it will be signed
by large numbers of the influential merchants and
manufacturers of Glasgow:—
Unto the Commons of Great Britain and Ireland, in
Parliament assembled:
The Petition of the undersigned Merchants, Manufac-
turers, Shipowners, and others, residing in the city of
Glasgow and its neighbourlioe.d,
Humbly showeth,—That there are 17 Banks in Scot-
land, composed of 13,991 partners, or shareholders, with
a paid-up capital of 11,725,260/. sterling.
That previous to the year 1844 the trade of Banking
in Scotland was free. Scotsmen, if they saw fit, were
entitled to associate and carry on business as bankers ;
and under this freedom from legislative restrictions or
control, Scottish banks were secure, and the Scottish
banking system was looked on as a model worthy of imi-
tation and adoption in England and the British colonies,
whilst the mercantile, manufacturing, agricultural, and
industrious classes generally received monetary accom-
modation on moderate and reasonable terms.
That in 1844, however, through the connivance of two
or three interested bankers, who were assumed to repre-
sent the people of Scotland, but wholly unknown to the
people themselves—without the awn)e ever having been
called for by them—without any reason ever having been
assigned —and when the vigilaece of the Scottish mem-
bers of Parliament was lulled asleep by the declaration of
the late Sir R. Peel, when introducing the Bank Charter
Act of that year, that " all legislation affecting Scottish
and Irish banking would be postponed till next session,
1845," a monopoly was enacted by the sub:titution of
the words "United Kingdom" for the word England in
the said act, and the formation of new banks of issue in
all time coming was strictly prohibited.
That this monopoly was not or.ly insidiously enacted,
but it was in direct opposition to the principles of free
trade recognised by the British Legislature, for it is im-
possible in the nature of things that there can be free
trade in commodities in the true sense, if the trade in
the vary means or instruments by which commodities
are to be measured or estimated and interchanged is a
monopoly in the hands of comparatively a few privileged
parties, whose interest is adverse to the interests of all
other classes in the community.
That in like manner the restriction of the issues or
bank note circulation imposed by the Act 1845, and pro-
hibition of any increase in the circulation except in pro-
portion to gold coin held in reserve by the banks, irre-
spective of all increase of population or extended trade,
or greater demands for monetary accommodation, was
equally uncalled for and equally impolitic. The holding
of gold is not only unprofitable, but it affords little inore
than a nominal security to the public, inasmuch as it
just displaces capital in some other shape, but yielding
profit or returns, whereas the gold yields none, whilst
as a rule it operates most unequally and inequitably
amongst the banks themselves, having no reference
whatever to their different amounts of capital, circulation
or deposit. In fact, it is a purely arbitrary regulation,
without any valid reason or principle for its adoption.
It constitutes no adequate security for the payment or
" conversion " of the notes, and far less does it guaran-
tee the deposits, whose " receipt" holders, if any special
security is necessary at all, require to be guaranteed just
as much as, if indeed not more, than the holders of the
"notes."
That, in the 20 years between 1825 and 1845 five new
native joint-stock banks were established in the city of
Glasgow, namely, the Union Bank (nowlhe Union Bank
of Scotland), Western Bank, Clydesdale Bank, City Bank,
and Edinburgh and Glasgow Bank. But during the
last 12 years, or since the enactment of the monopoly,
not a single new bank has been established, although the
population, trade, commerce, d
at shipping of the city
and harbour, and demands for monetary accommodation,
have increased in a much greater ratio, in fact have been
positively much greater in these 12 years than during the
previous 20. As a consequence of this monopoly,
the shares of all the Scottish banks are at large premiums
—the dividends range from 6 to 10 per cent., the aver-
age being 8 per cent. But all this gain of the banks, in
virtue of their monopoly, just implies high and usurious
rates of interest and discount exacted from the public ;
the gains or prosperity of the banks are simply synony-
mous with the los-es sod injury of the commercial and
industrious and producing clawies, Who are dependent
for monetary. accommodation on the banks. And lush
losses end injury will continue to be eusteiued eo long as
the right of competition or of free-trade in banking is
denied to the people—so long as the banking money in-
terest is protected and pampered by the Legislature.
That if the population, trade, and commerce of Glas-
gow-, during these. 20 years, could sustain five new banks