The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-10-02 00:00:00

PAWN BROKERS.

TO THE EDITOR OF TILE STATESMAN.
These respectable gentlemen, in numerous hordes,
get perched about the King's Bench, Fleet, and other
prisons where the unfortunate inmates of these recep-
tacles of human woe send forth their remaining goods
and clothing, to.raise a scanty subsistence from the ava-
ricious fangs of the charitable Pawn-broker. The goods
so deposited are hooked upon as condemned, and turned
into account as soon as possible, and if they should, per-
chance, remain one year, and that terminate on a Sun-
day. and the pledge can be redeemed, the goods are lost
to the unfortunate, and the worthy Pawn-broker (should
he redeem on Monday) pockets the difference in value.
There is such a string of impositions practised, that I
shall place them In proper order and form, and apprise
the public of the nefarious methods taken to rob them.
One might naturally suppose the enormous rate of in-
terest allowed by Act of Parliament, would be sufficient
to proiide horses and carriages for these conscientious
gentlemen; but, no, it would be worse than nonsense to
loose 30 years in making a fortune, when the thing can
be done so handsomely in half the time. I remember to
have had Pawn-brokers' tickets deposited in my hands,
and when I went to a shop not far from Smithfield, I
complained that the sum charged for interest was
above 25 per cent. An unlicked cub, with rings upon
his filthy fingers, scoffingly replied—" Oh!! we often
charge 35 per cent." At another time, I had two tickets
of two similar articles, pledged the same day, at two
shops not far from Fleet-market. I waited on the two
conscientious gentlemen, one of whom charged me 2s. 63•
interest more than the other. I remonstrated on an over-
charge, but to no purpose. 1, at once, insisted on see-
ing the master, with whom, after much ado, I was, by
special favour, allowed an interview. I 'hewed him my
book, wherein the same article was charged 2s. 6d. less :
he apologised for the ignorance of his shopman, and re-
turned the half-crown. Let the gentle reader look at
that ! lam in possession of many more cases, which I
intend to arrange and submit to your impartial
columns, as the most efficacious mode of exposing
an evil of great magnitude, which bears so hardly
upon the most distressed portion of his Majesty's
subjects. lam not one that would deprive any trades-
man of his honest profits, but I would prevent a bungq
set of avaricious vultures from preying upon the vitals
of misery and misfortune. These are my motives for re-'
questing a corner of your independent journal, which
bas so long and so sammestally eembased the real elm.
mies of the people. SAM SPOUT.
Snow-hill, October 1, 1921.

A letter by the Brasil mail received yesterday I
states, that autheatic intelligence bad been received
from Valparaiso, that Sir Thomas Hardy had come to
the determination not to allow the British vessels de-
tained by Lord Cochrane to be condemned, and that
the blockade of the coast could not be allowed. Lord
Cochrane is stated to have entered the port of Arica,
and given the place up to
-be plundered by the Chaise
squadron.
The East India Company's chartered ship Moira,
from Bengal, arrived in the Downs on Saturday, and
proceeded for the River yesterday. The chartered
ship Lady Carrington, also from Bengal. arrived in
the Downs yesterday afternoon. The +company's
regular skip Marquess Camden arrived at Bombay the
21st of May.
The Court of Directors of the flaet India Company,
possessing by the Allis of the British Legislature fall
powers and authority to contras' all British subjects
in China, have declared that the residing of soy per-
sons in China the whole year. is a practice they will
by no means permit. The advocates for free trade,
and especially the sherchantl trading to China by no
means relish the steam which the Court has given to
the above elect.