The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-04-03 00:00:00

PIUCE SEVEN PENCE.

TO Till EDITOR OP Till STATESMAN.

LETTER IV.

.4.. cat ventage corgis sera towers milmishau.
Sta—i cannot doubt that you have anticipated dm
losses I allude to proceeds from pawnbrokers receiving
in pledge articles which have been dishonestly obtained
That it frequently happens there is no denying; but it
is equally indisputable, that whenever it dues, the
Pawnbroker is the greatest, and too often the only (ut-
terer. For, if we do but glance at the consequence:,
we must are first, how nitioh time be loses in attendance
on the Magistrates. We shall next led him bound over,
as a witness to prosecute the thief; and afterwards at.
tending at the Assizes--oftea twenty miles from his
home, and seldom at less than a guinea a day expenle
—where, if the offender he convicted, he gives up this
Is withers' charge to their owner—losing the sisoetey .
has induced to teed epos llama, and this Wm ih
I saes where nine times out of ten the intrinsic value of
the articles does not exceed a crown, and a Pawr,•
broker's probable gain would have been limited to two
or three halfpence. Hence it is clear, that could the?
possibly guard against such occurrences, self-inter...i
would strongly iwpel thew to do it: but utifortunstel
they cannot; and by one of those fatalities which the
luckless are sometimes subject to, the endeavours they
make are at once beneficial to the community, au-I de-
trimental to themselves. For without the dread of co'n-
tradiction, I may assert, that in the generality of instances
where they appear before the Magistrates, it is rather
to detect detinqiiencips, than to answer complainti.
To effect which, they are in the habit of esawinitig
the daily papers—the notices of losses published by the
police Officers, and of registering every advertizeil u.-
fence, and esrry intimation of robbery of which the.
con possibly Lb tin intelligence. By these meats, •
171.11'0 depredators are discovered than can be well i.e .
gi tied. Yet, to unjustly are their services appreciate.,
that the thanls which they receive on such occasion,,
'rum the Magistrates and Judges in their respective
Courts, are instifficient to shield them from aspersiva
whenever they are known to hay.: appeared at the put..
lie offices, or at the Sessions. Time, if they are
not frequently found in the Halls of Justice, they are
guilty of a dereliction of public duty; and if they are, a
centilitre attaches to their professional character. lot T
return to the -Pawnbrokers losses, or rather to the few;
which I am enabled to relate; for they carefully cot:-
real many whieh they sustain, through the evident
hey of putting new weapons into the hands of their a .
tagonists. lon way have observed that in the in-,:
ings and evenings their shops are generally full 0:..,
tourers.

ThesE are the SIFISSIILRIVe holrs of operation. ill .
presents to the person lie thinks he :an most easily i.e-
ceive an article of well unifiers, jewellery--a handsome
atch.cliain, seal, or ring ; and too frequently borru •
of a careless servant a erimeoi on a trinh••
that will not erestnally produce his master ii,to
a emir's. Another offers app it al.ab
Ole% /sir voillogat Ist as ?
where he Imoghts, and the price be gave s them ;is
believed ; obtains Are or tit Ail/lags, and when fount
out, delivers the duplicate to his employer, who ciair,s
11.,et0 as work, and gets them back fOr ootltiog IS'IS:NI
►third, taking advantage of the darkness of the erCnitbe,
and the prey tieing hustle, pledges a shirt for eighteen-
pent e, the mark oti which, is artfully roneesled by pips •
clay, and the next morning hi., I will not say, confede-
rait-, cites the Pawnbroker before the Magistrre, eu-,
pelb bine to restore it ni!hout remuneration, and to ..y
fir• ',comfit/8 penalty, &tea use it is a soldier's. I
!wished lo.igittes, in low neighbonrhoods, afford arn,..•
scope for •imilar praetiee.. Too many persons wr.o
let tli illingly suffer their bolsters, I,!ankets, at.
shyers to he taken oil and pledged. :his secnres
tenants as long as it is desirable to keep theta;
when they go away, the tiekets are given to the ON arr.
who often get the articles free of expense, and evidenvy
the better for baring lain by several weeks willow', w•ier.
And here I cannot help remarking how unreirly Pan -.-
brokers are treated, whenever soil events occur. U.
all other °erasion% when persons lose their property
want of due precaution, the Maine naturelly attseiles
the negligence produced it; hot if the goo.'s
Ise traced to a hint..• its this trade, the Lou and disk 1a.%
are invariably si-itell on its owner.
Veil, haring the caitilour to reelect how impossible it
is for him to distinguish between a distressed and is di,-
honest person, 31,,t instantly to detect that fran.lit'ir
ilisinNitinfi which id untuican to the men in v. hose
vice they hire. But although Pawnhrokcra ran do littk,
the aae min the howl of every hone.: tradesmait an: he
m yay la it to the root of this evil whetter n- he likes. Ile
has only hi tle!erusitte, to be well satisfied as to elia:ava
ter. or to hare good security, before he entreats any
work eat of his house; and not to part with a secomi
quantity till the first is returned. If a wats:htnaker
atitild do so. he moult no limiter comp! tin of depreija•
rem.. The component parts of the movement is al! be
oer.l enseat4 a wark.iian with ; and I is ill venture to vv
that workmen might go frosts one end L.,,,tofi t, the
oth..r without being aide to borrow a shilling on them!
het if to these *Downer trill, i.otautioutily sad iitineceva
aill a pair of gohl cases, has he, ur tbe Pawn.
broker, who triple alto loses eight or teat glineas on the
ilqialied watch, most reason to complain? .And when
that P.iwnbroker learn., that al:hooch the offender hoe
1, et the tic'set he gave hiot has, by *ogle ma-
migrate's' or foultd the to the bernts of his
ensplover. and tin i. hiniself conmwllesl to re.iore it, irn•
proved its tsar ben goiaeris' co(th of labour—bit
which. of cilium., the claimant pays nothing—is thei•
Any illiberality in his supposing that the uatchinekere
orgligenee has been attended with more aileagg to
himself than the utmost eircuinspection y 041,1 .:e?
is viittensalters, tailor., and those who Its e not plAit,
work, this ohaeryation ritually applies. Here I ant again
arrive.( at a emtiptliNaltlry patvw. 10 ocetipV tau tot
.4 your %Amble journal at one time, wcillti '
the liberality I NM experiencing; for whether I succe-1.
or 110% in lei...nil:lg rothlithed prejudices. this. at
is certain. that to goal hclongs the rare merit of allow ilk;
my to try. 1. P. tt.

On February the 3d, died at Portsea, Thottutt
Calfloll, if e!itivehmi, the ttlelit inhAtitcls of ant
town. being 93 y-tr. of age. I' i. revs re•utrirahly
tha' tie n-rer, from ha hirth, coolsl he iorktrest Is, •is t'
los,Atta. lenient or CUer,•;ve, to et: 'Soh, &A, (oohs. his,-
ter, eherte, or vegetable.; an.l I.ever drank any thios•
but stater sill hr nal 1110 r, ; h.is 17 years WA, sod, at
that time, searerly any thing hot t..it and esairee, iri•st•
dry bread. Alter be was snarrieJ, lie snots, bat nay
onshk to en any of the aborr kinds of ftrod. 11r
never knew 'eh ttstisseaare se divorstett were, pimps •••
Ike Note of life— Jean'« and sit ertnetrs tut 1t1a%16 sir
es:d mad I tdr snaalesi at ‘111.46•31 glaesrs. •
•" • ,