ourself sneering with the writer at "no person under
the age of sixteen being permitted to receive
pledges," and saying with him that it savours of
"the burlesque conditions of the oath which
our fathers were presumed to take at Highgate."
By this time, we have lost all sympathy with
pawners, and are so imbued with the spirit of
the paper as to feel every inch a Pawnee. Adopting,
as is our habit, the tone and opinions of the
journal we are reading, we assert boldly that
"the poor and ignorant are many of them most
improvident in their habits;" we regret "it is
impossible to repress this kind of improvidence
by Act of Parliament;" we laugh with scorn at
the absurdity of the supposition that "the
pawnbroker has a natural bias towards the receipt of
stolen goods;" and we say that it is annoying to
the regular licensed trader "to see the well-intentioned
efforts of the legislature only play into
the hands of the dolly-shop keeper." We read
the peroration of the article with a complacent
feeling that it "settles" all profane people who
would cast a doubt upon the divine right of
pawnbroking, and so come triumphantly to the
answers to correspondents. We are gratified
to learn from the first of these that "in the
event of any article pledged being found on
redemption to have become damaged by rats and
mice," we (regarded as a pawnbroker) are not
liable to make good such damage, provided
(and this is all important) we "keep up such an
efficient staff of cats as a prudent man would be
bound to do under such circumstances." Before
we have decided on the exact minimum number
of those domestic animals consonant with
prudence, we are plunged into another "answer,"
wherefrom we find that under certain circumstances
(not named) "the magistrates have the
power to order the delivery of the property;"
and that we "can do nothing but submit until
the pledger returns to England;" when, if he
has sworn falsely, he may "be prosecuted for
perjury." Turning in due course to the police
intelligence, we find it has been carefully
selected, with an eye to the interests of the trade.
Impudent robbery of coats from a pawnbroker's;
a daring fellow who has broken a pawnbroker's
window; a pawnbroker charged with dealing in
plate without a license; and a pawnbroker as
witness against a prisoner; are the principal cases
reported; they curiously serve to show the
various phases of life permeated by the golden balls.

The report of the monthly meeting of the
committee of "The Metropolitan Pawnbrokers'
Protection Society " is also very agreeable
reading, though we regret to find that "the
effort to have an annual dinner this year
was unsuccessful," and that "out of one
hundred and seventy-three invitations issued,
each requesting the courtesy of a reply, only
twenty-one had met with any response." This
regret is soon dissipated, however, in the vast
interest inspired by the subjects brought before
the committee. That the world is in a
conspiracy against pawnbrokers, and that the most
cautious conduct and the most complete organisation,
are necessary, is obvious from this record.
A member of the society applies for assistance
and advice, under the trying circumstance of an
owner demanding property stolen from him, and
pledged. Advice promptly given, assistance
refused. Solicitor to society mfeelingly remarks
there can be no doubt that the pawnbroker
must give up the property, if it is identified;
committee concur in his opinion. Committee
return a similar answer to an application from a
member for the means of defence (already
refused by "the district committee") in connexion
with some stolen and pledged silk; and justify
their refusal by the remark that "no successful
resistance can possibly be made." Discussion
on a felonious and absconding pawnbroker's
assistant; on a pawnbroker who stopped goods,
offered under suspicious circumstances; on a
case wherein property had been pledged by a
wife, and redeemed by a husband (on a legal
declaration that the ticket was lost): whereupon
husband and wife adjourn to the Divorce Court,
and wife's solicitor produces ticket, and claims
the pledged property on her behalf; upon
"duffing" jewellery made specially to swindle
the trade; and other kindred topics; prove that
the sweet little cherubs who sit in committee at
Radley's Hotel keep watch over the life and
interests of every poor Jack whose profession is
pawnbroking, and who falls among thieves, or
otherwise knows trouble. These cherubs must
not be confounded with the "Assistant
Pawnbrokers' Benevolent Society," which is much
agitated on "Mr. Floodgate's case," and a
report of whose meeting is on the next page.

Not without difficulty, for the particulars are
given in former numbers of the Gazette, which
we have not seen, do we make out that Mr. Floodgate
is a pawnbroker's shopman, who is being
prosecuted for an alleged breach of the law
relating to the purchase of precious metals. The
Assistants' Society has met to discuss the
propriety of furnishing him with the means of
defence, and though some of its members
express a strong opinion that it is the duty of "a
master to defend his young man," still a
committee is appointed to collect subscriptions on
Mr. Floodgate's behalf. The solicitor informs
us that "a defence may be conducted for twenty
pounds, twenty-five pounds, thirty pounds, or,
in fact, for any amount, according to the talent
which might be retained," and hints that, "to
defend this case in a style commensurate with
the prosecution, we may be put to an expense
of eighty or even one hundred pounds."

We feel this to be a good round sum, but
preferring it to the vague "any amount"
previously mentioned, we separate, determined that
our fellow-assistant shall be properly
represented on the day of trial. That day of trial is
now past; let us hope, therefore, that our efforts
were not unavailing, and that Mr. Floodgate is
(if wrongfully charged) at this moment making
out duplicates, and rejoicing in the friendly
protection afforded him by the society. Passing
by the literature of the Gazette, we come to the
advertising pages. Here we have more proof of
the usefulness of the paper, by finding every