The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1912-01-11
STATE LOTTERIES.
Rise ard Fall Of a Tremendous
Gamble In England.
STARTED UNDER QUEEN BESS


The First One Was Without Any
5laneks, contayning Good Prices, as
Wei Of Rsdy Money as Of Plate and
certaine Sorts Of Marehaundizes"
Though It Is certain that the custom
Of holding lotteries was practiced in
European countries MS far back as the
middle Of the fifteenth century. it
seems that this particular idea was
unknown in England until more than
100 years later. The lottery, in fact,
appears 10 have been included among
those many other important things,
both good and bad. that were intro
duced 10 public notice during the reign
Of Queen Elizabeth. it being her maj
esty's express command that this
ready means for raising the wind
on behalf Of the state finances was
adopted.
The FIRST English lottery must have
taken a good deal Of arranging, owing,
no doubt, to the fact that the people
Of that day required a certain amount
Of education In this form Of gambling,
for although the idea was first brought
forward in the year 1856 lin Marys
reign, the actual drawing did not
take place until three years later.
One Of the original bills Of Queen
EIzabeths lottery has fortunately
been preserved. printed in black letter
and measuring five feet In length and
one and one half feet wide. 1t begins
by announcing - very rich Lottere
General. without any blancks, con
tayning Il number Of good prices (sicl,
as wei Of redy money as Of plate and
certaine sorts Of marchaundizes, hav-
ing ben valued and priced by the com
maundement of the Queenes most ex-
celent majestic by men expert and
skilful," and goes on to say that "the
same lotterie is erected by her majes-
ties order to the intent that such com
mOditie as may chaunce to arise there
Of after the charges borne, may be
converted towardes the reparation of
the hayens and strength Of the Realme
and toward such other publique good
workes" There were something like
10000 prizes in this gigantic venture,
of which the first was of the value of
$1,000 while the entrance fee was
only two shillings and six pens"
James l. lent his special favoure"
to lottery whose object was the
present plantation of English colonies
In Virginia" the prizes consisting Of
$4,000 in money, "besides rewardes Of
casualitie," the tickets being drawn
lin a new built house at the west end
of Pauls the 29th Of June, lGl2"
This lottery does not, however, appear
to have been very popular. although
we are assured by the historian that
ii was 'plainely carried and honestly
performed, for owing TO the want Of
"iilling uppe the number of lots there
were taken out aud throwue away
threescore thousand blanckes without
abating any one prize certainly Il
very generous proceeding on the part
of the promoters. The lucky man on
this occasion was Thomas Sharpliife,
"a Taylor of London" who won the
first prize of "f0ure thousand CrOwnes
In fayre plate. which was sent to his
house in a very stately manner"
Though to some extent poorly patron
lied this lottery appears to have
evoked a good deal of interest among
the important personages Of the day,
for we are TOLD hat during the whole
| TYNE OF the drawing there were al
| wales present diuers Worshipfull
Knights and Esquires, accompanied
l with sundry graue discreet Citizens"
As time went on lotteries for every
| bfeOnceivable purpose were held in Lon
don aud other important towns, with
| the inevitable result that trouble con
stantly arose between the promoters
| and those of the ticket holders who
happened to be unlucky or thought
/ they had been unfairly treated, MS no
| doubt many Of them We're. We find,
| therefore, that periodical orders were
issued for the suppression of this form
| Of gambling. though the law does not
seem to have had any great effect
At last, however, any one proposing
to hold a lottery was obliged to send
in a petition to the king, and in
Charles ll's reign we find mention OF
several such applications one OF
these was for the ransom of English
slaves in Tunis, Algiers or the Turkish
l gallcys or for any other charitable
: use the promoter making it bar
gain that after he had paid in a third
Of the profits he should reserve the
! rest for his own expenses and the re
pair Of his fortunes, ruined by loyal
J ty"
Lottery offices for the sale Of tickets
were established all over the country
MS time went on, but none was more
famous than the agency Of one Bish
who hourisbod at the beginning of the
nineteenth century. This enterprisins
individual whose chief offices were il
\ Cornhil and at Charing Cross, mus
have made a considerable fortune on
II Of the much safer business Of sellins
tickets than taking them But hi
- prosperous career, as also that of hi.
fellows, came to an abrupt end whel
the lottery act was passed in 1923, b!
which it was provided that after tn,