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Leader (1850-1860), 24th May 1856, Edition 1 of 2, Page 495, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      furthermore , it establishes our assertion , that the worst ills which beset society are the dir ect creation of the laws sustained by our Parliament . I » AiiM £ B , as everybody knows , was a surgeon living at Bugeley and dabbling in horse races . Thomas Pbatt is a solicitor practising in Queen-street . The neighbourhood is a polite one , and it is suited to the position of gentlemen who " practise" in a class of society that can command its thousands . The first

      acquaintance between the two men commenced at the end of ] STovembex % 1853 , not three years ago . It may be said to have continued before the final catastrophe for very little more than two years . It began with a loan of 1 , OOOZ . which Pbatt obtained for Palmeb . That was repaid . In October , 1854 , Pratt received for Pax . mer a claim for two policies upon the life of Ann Paimee—8000 Z . in allwhich was applied in payment of three bills and certain recent loans , leaving 1500 ? . not

      so applied . In April , 1855 , Palmeb again applied for a loan . From the context , we may suppose that before this period he was clear ; but he now began again with a loan of 2000 / . on a bill drawn by himself and purporting to be accepted by Sarah Palmeb ; on the 28 th of that month , says Pbatt , " there were eight bills held by clients of nine or by myself for 12 , 500 ? . With two exceptions , these bills were discounted at the rate of 60 per cent . On September 24 th Pbatt only speaks of three bills of 2000 / . each , but there

      were claims for interest , and a sum is mentioned , apparently on this score , of " 1500 / . more than your mother has given acceptances for . " Several sums are mentioned as having been paid in by Palmek for monthly interest . The acquaintance , we have said , lasted two years ; the chief part of the transactions took place between October , 1854 , and November , 1855 . Palmeb appeal's to have been liable in November , 1855 , for 12 , 500 ? . ; he

      is liable in November , 1856 , for 7500 / . He must have given bills for a total sum ranging between 12 , 500 ? . and 20 , 000 / . He had the greater part of that at the rate of 60 per cent , discount . It would appear , therefore , that in one way or other Palmeb must have repaid as much cash , or nearly as much cash , as he really had ; and that when he was driven into this desperate condition , he was liable for some amount which was more or

      less than the discount taken alone . In other words , apart from the technicalities of such money markets , he had borrowed several thousands , lie had returned those thousands , and at that date the liability which remained upon him was not more , or not much more , than the amount of discount for which he had that year rendered himself liable . Stiil speaking on the vulgar interpretation of such transactions , he had paid the original sums , but was in debt for the discount or a part of it ; and whether ho is innocent or not , that is the position into which ho ia driven , and thence to the Central Criminal Court , by

      the maddening harassment ot transactions like these . We say no more . These are the plain facts . In the neighbourhood of Mnyfair gentlemen who desire accommodation , may obtain thousands of money in this wise . The interest it appears is , in some- cases—and we believe they arc not a low—payable monthly . Borrow 4000 ? ., and you may liavo tho

      pleasure of continually to be liablo for tho debt so long as you will consent to pay 200 Z . a month . The interest may accumulate , and then interest will bo chargeable upon the interest . . It is easy to enter upon that course —facile ( lescensus ! Wo havo pointed out this view of society before . It is not limited to Mayfuir ; we could lead you into many squares of Jjoiidon , and into streets , whore you can obtain

      accommodation upon similar principles , and where you will be able to study a very broad phase of society . The principles of this commerce exist by favour of these laws which are maintained for " the protection of credit " —real credit being amply able to protect itself . But this kind of credit undoubtedly requires many shields to protect it against the indignation of the healthy part of society and the reaction of its own victims .

      Untitled Article

      THE BANDS IN THE PARKS . ( To the Editor of the Leader . ') Sir , —One of the greatest mistakes made by ^ good and honest men is , that , secure in the rectitude of their own conduct , and satisfied in the strength of their own convictions , they move onwards in their course of right regardless of the clamour and misrepresentations of the evil natures around them . Now , sir , if heaven were brought nearer to the earth , there can be no question that tliis course would be as discreet as it is dignified . But so long as our path of duty lies in a world constituted like this world , we have no right so to act . We owe it to ourselveswe owe it , ten thousand fold , to those who look to us for example—that our own conchiot should not be left unexplained , unjustified ; nor that of persons whom we consider to be acting wrongly , or even

      erroneously , suffered to pass uncensured and uncondemned . This too common mistake has been suffered to prevail to a most culpable extent amongst the thousands of good and earnest Christians who have looked with approbation and pleasure at the late endeavour to raise the masses of the metropolis from the debasing haunts in which , alas ! their hours of Sunday rest have been hitherto—as an almost necestity—spent . Calm and rational amusement has been provided for them during the intervals of Divine service on Sundays , and in places where the nieans of intoxication were absolutely denied to them . A

      small party of men , holding peculiar and distorted views of religion , looked with a disapprobation which would seem to have its principal origin in that gloomy or ferocious temperament ( perhaps one of the greatest curses to which human nature is subject ) which appears desirous to unite the frightful mysteries of a Juggernaut , with the mercy and holiness of the Christian religion . The true Christian , meanwhile , takes a widely different view of the question , and exults in the good which is being eilently effected . But he does no more , and the consequence is , that he finds he has suffered men to believe that that which was snoken must necessarily be

      the unanimous opinion of the country . Tins handful of men , parading the name of the clergy as their watchword ( though we havo reason to know that but a very very small section of that body were in reality represented by them ) , inveigled the atchbiehop into becoming their mouthpiece ; and , in fine , the bands in the parks are stopped , and the overworked and underaired populace is once more consigned to the public-houses , from which the Chief Commissioner of Works had , for a brief moment , snatched them . It may bo that the clergy—as a body—having let pass the proper moment in which to speak , may now find Boine difficulty in raising their voices in opposition to tho expressed opinion of their suffragan .

      Yet we believe that there will not bo wanting—even in their ranks—good and true men who will " apeak truth and four not . " While it is incumbent on us all to remember that happily Christianity is not a peculiar gift of that sacred body—that Christians us sincere , and certainly as humble , aro found amongst tho laity , and , be they where they may , now and boldly they must speak , elso the tyranny and bigotry of n handful of men will assuredly prevail , and intoxication and vice of every description will onco more—and probably lor a very , long term—lay its hand oft thoHo whom more timely exertion on our parts might , humanly speaking , have saved from destruction of soul and body . 1 am , sir , your obedient servant , Mny Ifitli . Thomas D . U . Stiswakt .

      Miss Archer . —With respect to Sir George Grey ' s statements in the House on . Monday evening regarding the inquiries that have been made into the assault on Miss Archer , Mr . Henry Davies , solicitor to the young lady , writes to the Times : — " I am rather surprised that Sir George Grey should have taken upon himself to state to the House that ' no information could be obtained . ' I can , on the contrary , state that I have received important information , but which , of course , I should not deem it in the interest of my client to impart to either Sir George Grey or to the Commissioners of Police . With regard to Sir George Grey ' s remark , that ' the facts of the case have been disposed of by the decision of Mr . Jardine , ' I can only say that I do not share Sir George Grey ' s satisfaction with that decision . "

      Sunday in the Parks . —Last Sunday passed off in the various parks and public gardens with greater quietness than was anticipated . The " roughs" assembled in some force , and were disposed to be disorderly ; but the constant and heavy falls of rain had the effect of causing them to adjourn with greater precipitation than , perhaps , was contemplated . The Sons of the Clergy . —The two hundred and second festival of the " Sons of the Clergy "—a society for assisting indigent clergymen , their widow 9 and children , established in the year 1655—took place on Wednesday in St . Paul ' s Cathedral . After a choral service at the cathedral ( which was not very ull , though it is said that the attendance was considered to be better than ordinary ) , the members and friends of the corporation , to the number of about one hundred and fifty , dined together in the evening at Merchant Tailors' Hall , Threadneedle-street , under the presidency of the Lord

      Mayor . The Peace Society . —The fortieth anniversary of this society took place on Tuesday at the Finsbury Chapel ; Mr . Hindley , M . P ., in the chair . Resolutions approving of the peace and of the Peace Society , and deprecating hostilities with America , were unanimously carried . The peaceful tone of the proceedings was constantly interrupted by a man in the body of the meeting , who , while he declared himself to be a " peace man , " declared it to be quite lawful , and indeed necessary , to go to war on behalf of suffering and oppressed nations . Manchester Akt Exhibition , 1857 . —A meeting has been held at Manchester with a view to settling the preliminaries of the contemplated exhibition in 1857 . Resolutions appointing a committee and a general council , &c , were carried , and the meeting separated .

      The Mount of Olives , near Jerusalem , has been purchased by a Madame Polack , the widow of a wealthy Hebrew banker , of Konigsberg , in Prussia . This lady intends to beautify the place at her sole expense . The first thing she has " done was to plant the whole area with a grove of olive-trees , and thus to restore it to tho original state from which it derives its name . Benbvolent Institutions . —The General Domestic Servants Benevolent Institution ( chairman , Colonel Wilson Patten , M . P . ) , and the Newsvendors Benevolent and Provident Institution ( with Mr . Ingram , M . P ., of the Illustrated London News , for the chairman ) , held their annual meetings on Tuesday evening . At the brmer , several domestic servants spoke .

      This Half-Holiday Movement . —A deputation from the Early Closing Association , headed by tho ^ Earl of Shaftesbury , waited on Tuesday on Sir George Grey to request that Government would introduce the Saturday half-holiday into the public offices , arsenals , dockyards , &c . Sir George , however , was of opinion that tho suggestion is impracticable . An Infuiuatei } Ox , on Wednesday , tossed an old man in Cockspur-street , injured another man at the corucr of Waterloo-place , and then , charging tho

      entrance of the United Service Club-house , severely hurt one of the servants who attempted to oppose the boast's further progress . The animal was lamed at starting from the neighbourhood of Croydon , and was no doubt irritated by great pain . While in the entrance of the club , n butcher contrived to slip a rope over the ox ' s horna , and , dexterously turning it round one of the pillars supporting the portico , the animal waa held in this position until a poleaxe was procured , when it was killed upon the spot . has loft Tabriz with

      Prrhia . —The Hon . Mr . Murray ull hia diplomatic suite for Bagdad . The Anglo-Persian difficulty is not yet arranged . ( jknkkal CoimiNUToN in expected in Constantinople . Thk KoYAr . Auiucin / rintAL General Society of England held ita half-yearly general meeting on Thursday , ut the house in Uuuovor-aquare . Lord Portmmi , tho president , wiih in tho clmir . The report was adopted . FoitoicuY . —ChnrlcH Miillcr , a German , and William Foster , arc now under remand at Lambeth , charged with causing some Swedish bank-notes to be forged . lSuitULAitY . —A burglary of a very audacious character hftH been committed in tins neighbourhood of WorooHter by four men , who wore at last put to flight by a lady ringing an alarm-hell . Aa abe was doing bo , the ruffians diachurgod a piutol at her , w hich narrowly

      iniHNud . . . , Co . Mi'KTmvrc Examination . — A vacancy wincii occurred among tho c . lerku of the Colonial-oflico had juHt been competed for . Six candidates were oelccted , and it ban been won by Mr . Richard Hall , of Jchuh Collc K <> , Cambridge , where Mr . Hall took a Wrangler h degree . — Globe .

      Untitled Article

      May 24 , 1856 . ] T H E LEADER . 495 _ , — ' ¦— : - ¦ ' ~ ' ' ¦ ' ' - " ~ " ' " ' " - -- — . ^ . ^ —^^—^ - ^^^^_^_^^__ - ^^^____ -

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      Untitled Article

      There is no learned man but will confess he hath much profited by reading controversies , his senses awakened , and . his judgment sharpened . If , then , it be profitable for him to read , why should it not , at least , be tolerable for his adversary to write . —Milton .

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      w [ IN THIS DEPARTMENT , A . S ALL OriXTOXS , HOWEVER EXTRK 1 IE , ABE ALLOWED AN" KXl'ItKSSION , THE EDITOB NECESSARILY HOLDS HIMSELF KBSPOA-SIBLE FOR HONE . ]

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), May 24, 1856, page 495, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2142/page/15/