The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-04-25 00:00:00

LIITTEIt V 111.

Ste—There is minvething.so incredible in the as-
• trios+ Csith which.. sby last letter closed, and so op-
pa its 10 the universally entertained opi:•ion of a
raonhro!,.er's gains, •that td prerer.e ehAraver
rensur.s, I haVen to prove i:s truteo. If one
f vend burrow of anotker, or what is more froninently
the case, if a toaster lends his servant fifty Ithillings
tar Ehe weeks, he has to pay for the stamp thirteen
pence, and fur interest, at 5 per asst.. 1110 ranee half.
p. stay more; bat a Pawnbroker's eltarge fur the c.nte
p.ricad, is two peace the tieket, and seven pence half-
penny interest, snaking a didi reacr in firruar off
friesigirg v nearly SIX PkN11:1: MO of IIIiTEEN! Yet
these are the men whom the benevolent Barrister at
and another viler serihhler, it described us
reeli :in;; on the lap of indolence, and fattening on
tkottiseries of the poor. Ilad truth formed the basis
their in..taphors, more justly utiplat they have
painted no HI as standing on a magazine of powder,
whieit any villai a ha. the paws r any h to
But it may be said, since :lire labour tinder sails
tries-awes, why don't they apply to A.7liament f..rl
relief? Alas! /..rajitot trek credal 1•• pa. They
i
,wit:.er doubt the benevultsnee nor the wi.,loats of Par-
liament: but they dread the locdility whit b such ap-
ptieetions have invariably produced. Proct.tstination
al4l expense rise also to their mind, as fearful ohsta-
• 't hey cannot forget how long the last Bid was
kept is abeyance before it passed into a law: nor
haw: heavy was the charr, and the contebutors boa
VI.. 31.011111 it be urged on me, are the :le
..i,tat reasons' to discourage the appeal? I would an
seer n.t. For, in nay wind, eve:y man uv. es it to
himself to resist oppression : and to his I:m4y and
stw:•;.ssors lie is equally Luunil to vindicate 13;s • infra:.
ter and professimt front unmerited abuse. Humor
jitansisun riaati4.

•' that array.
'• Men are bat gilded lama, Of painted ell? .••

They know bUt little of the nature s.f calumny wk.,
111:,ipee her virulence will abate tit patiently enduring
injuries she inflets. Pawnl;:itkers have sufferetl
under this er,nr too long, and ought now to be con-
since,l, that it is not by by hariog their bosotni to her
ratre that they will disarua the monster of her sting.
1 an" per,eatied the real character of the Jr:vie only
n,:cd be known to be snore highly appeceiated; and
that its members 'mull *Ain a more hutiouraloe rank
in .44wirty by courting the closest invest:ration. lint
every angry klagistrate lbw apt to threaten n jilt Par-
list' rotary appeal, that they mistake elicit friend fur
ti...ir enemy, and s!,un a refuge they ought years ago
t hare ',ought,
lit an enlightened :.•:enate their elainss r mire
.iue attention; their cause must snake them friends:
an.l if they have any cting to regret, it will he that
..dpitteness which has made them suffer grievarces'so
long, which might have been so easily removed.
Perhaps to the richest and wisest members of the
trade this Censure exclusively heltmcs. Not ihat they
have intentionally neglected the interests of their less
opulett brethren, oft shunned any obvious' ot.portn-
why to ameliorate their con.lition. hut to effect this
purpose, there has been no co-operatt•in : and because
DO one could achieve all the good be wished, the in-
dividual interest which many of them 1,, ssess has
rarely been exerted. Each has coatente4l himself with
ti.a determination to act whenever his efforts might,
lie of great advantage; and watching the an; ival Of
such a period, all have hers uninin 41'1 of a troth
which every l'ay's experience caorces--that he who
waits for an opportunity to do 11.1101 at 1.111:11 may
breathe out his life in idle nishes„ anti re.rret, at the
1.41 hour, his useless intentions ati.i barren zeal.

From this store of inactivite there is it prevalent
opinion they will, at the next iictsion of Parliament,
be roused.. It is mfitlently reported his Illajesty's
Ministers have then determined to review the Act by
which they are regulated ; and, in my opinion, as
'glad tidings of great joy the trade may bail this pews.
k :OM such a procedure they have every thing to hope,
red nothing to fear. To lessen their prolit.4 is impos-
sible. The attempt would only drive. all the respect-
able members from the profession, and ruin the ad-
venturers who might endeavour to succeed them ; but
it would &ford the long wished•ter opportunity of so-
kting such an addition as the alteration in the times
and their neces-ities require. It would, likewise, no
longer leave it doubtful in the mind, whether it is a'
p-olesvion which should be decried or encouraTed.
It would yield substantial proofs, that, alrfemele
there are some lamented exceptions to the rule, the
generality of its members are so esteemed in their se-
veral districts, that every creditable! parochial office
and trust they are solicited to fill; and they have the
rare helot, that there is no instance on rec ,rd of a
Pawnbroker, on curb an occasion, discrediting
salt or beeeevissg • 'defaulter. The. worst crimes, of
the worst men in the profession, would no longer he
tr.sited on the deserting, and "the picture of a dive
graceful Member would cease to be considered as a
ukases* of the whole. If they gain so accession of
wealth, 1 will renter. to predict they will materially
hone& by it in repetati.ut; 'and the praise of a good
name will no !Jager be withheld front many who hare
air tort starved'pehequire that enviable. distinction.
Till that UM arrives. might I be permitted to ad-
sittess the magistracy of the realm, I would say to the
.41Duzis mid Jusitcee, "their only hope and consoia-
hoc, try Lords mad tientlemen, rest on sou. In
their name, or rosheritrthe name of Justice, 1 entreat
p 44 not to cowrie those you seldom see with those
who are too fraternity before y. e', lint rather to con-
s:der that the immensity of their business exposes
them to trttlal eastakes ; that they are too ill paid to
he more precise--aa thunsaads of their customers are
served twigefor a halfpenny—and that were a dozen
errors to lie proved against thew at the police-offices
every w.eelc, those who lore to extenuate the fa 'ts of
others might even adduce•it as a mark of r cor-
reytness, since the utmost it would ntiate is
this---that taking the whole body de, they
had only committed ewaiva PAULI'S Ina lIUNDNID
s Awoken D hurried, trausactions."
To you, Stiv.wk.r. lois kindly lent so.luge a por-
inn of pour Paper far the development of these truths,
'<bathing thereby inch proofs of liberality anti can-
dime as it is iiipossibit'sufficiently to praise, I 'would