tisfied, and affured him that he would put me to no trouble for the remaining trifle, and that I might pay it when convenient. My lawyer, however, went out of town for two months on bufinefs, in which time this gentleman carried on the process against me; and, having brought it to an execution, fixed me in judgment for fixteen pounds fixteen fhillings. It is neceffary to remark, that the original bill was only pounds, the cofts pounds, of which he was paid all but fix; and this fix pounds he increafed, by additional cofts, to fixteen pounds fixteen fhillings and fixpence, which, together with what he was paid before, brought the original debt of twenty-fix pounds to no lefs a fum than

In addition to this, the customary expences attending on a judgment, fuch as fheriffs poundage, caption fee, one guinea, fearching the office, and fome small perquisite to the houfe of the officer I went to, amounted to above two pounds more. Thus I paid, for a twenty-fix pound debt, no lefs a fum than

This is law, aye, and very found, legal, and excellent law too, and what is practifed every day in the year, to the emolument of the attorney, and ruin of the debtor, who, when it is a diftreffing circumftance to him to pay fix pounds, is compelled to pay fixteen or be fent to jail, and there to lay until he rots, or can pay the cofts to the attorney as well as the principal debt.

The reader will pleafe to obférve, that I paid fixteen fhillings to the attorney for his cofts on the remaining fix pounds which were left unpaid on an original debt of twenty-fix pounds, on which he had already received

cofts.

Before I take my leave of this wretched subject, I cannot refrain from relating a hiftory of an attorney into whofe hands a bill fell belonging to a very particular friend of mine; but, firft, I fhall ftate the motives which induce attornies to purchase bills of exchange.-When money is fcarce, and a gentleman wants a little cash, and cannot get his bill difcounted at his banker's, having overdrawn his account confiderably; or, as many are fituated who have no banker at all; he goes to fome advertising money-broker, and gives him a bill, we will fay for an hundred pounds, to get discounted: the money-broker goes to fome pawn-broker, woollen-draper, iron-monger, or fome other tradesman who is in the habit of difcounting bills, and giving part in money and part in goods. Of the particular loffes that gentleman fuffer by taking half goods and half cafh, which

N 3

is the general cuftom, I have mentioned in another part of this book; I fhall, therefore, only relate how this bill is put into circulation.

The tradefman pays this bill away to fome other tradefman who is accustomed to the fame traffic in bills, and puts h's name on it, the broker having indorsed it before for a very good reason, because his name, being on the back of the bill, prevents him being called as a witnefs on a qui tam action for ufury. The fecond tradefman, who now holds the bill, indorfes it alfo. Now, there is the name of the drawer of the bill, the broker's name, and the two tradefmen's names, on the bill; thefe make four names. The laft-mentioned tradefman, being in want of cash, goes to fome attorney who is in the conftant habits of purchafing fuch bills: when he comes to the attorney and thews him the bill, telling him he wants money for it, the attorney. never examines the face of the bill, but looks directly on the back of it, to fee how many names are there indorsed. If there are three names, it is a matter worthy of his attention; if four, it is excellent, that making five names with the drawer's. At first he pleads poverty; but at laft tells him that the drawer of the bill is not a punctual man in payment of bills, and that moft likely he fhall have fome time to wait for his money; in fhort, that he cannot give him above ninety pounds for the hundred pound bill. This the tradefman very readily takes, he having, by the bad quality of the goods he fold, if he was the first discounter, made already from thirty to forty per cent. or has purchased it at an inferior price of the former tradefman; but, in general, these men, who give large quantities of goods, and but a small part in cash, are many of them connected intimately together, and mutually pafs each other's bills backwards and forwards, with mutual indorsements. But, to return to the attorney: when the bill is due, if not paid at the day, a procefs is commenced, and a writ civilly iffued for form's fake; for thefe polite attornies are too well bred to arreft the drawer of the bill in the ftreet; but inform him, in a very civil letter, that he is forry he cannot give time on the bill, being directed by his client to inforce pay. ment, (the client, obferve, reader, is no other than his own dear felf,) therefore refpectfully requests that you will favour him with the name of your folicitor, that he may undertake for you to put in bail, as it is far from his intent to ferve you publicly with an arreft.-You have now to thank him for his polite method of doing business, and fend him the name of your folicitor. Bail is shortly put in; and if it

is not in your power to pay it in a term, bail above must be put in, and bail must be juftified; and, when you take the bail up, you must pay four cofts exclufive of your own, and there is no means of avoiding these four extra costs, unless you let judgment go by default, which if you do, you must be prepared with the money to pay the principal fum of the bill and your own fingle cafts, or your perfon is taken in execution, which is the ne plus ultra of the law, and your body may be committed to Newgate. If you defend the action by various ingenious methods, fuch as sham plea, writ of error, and fome other very clever inventions, you may poftpone the payment of the bill for many months; but, at the final arrangement, when neither fham nor fudge can avail any longer, then you must be contented to pay four cofts exclufive of your own; which, indeed, is tolerably moderate, as I have given you one inftance in the foregoing pages, in which an attorney made a lady pay eight or nine cofts, and every one of them were special originals, and each ten pounds expence; but he was a jewel of an attorney, and as tranfcendant in real honour as a brilliant is to a rofe diamond,. to the rest of his fraternity.

You now fee, reader, how great an object it is to an at torney, who buys a bill of a tradefman, to have four or five names indorsed on the back of it, otherwife it is not worth negociating, if there is a probability that the drawer will punctually pay it at the day when it is due: the attorney, after all, runs no rifk, even if the drawer of the bill fhould run away, for he can come upon the indorfers.

But, to come to the ftory, which is not without amufement:-A friend of mine, who was not always, as well as myself and many others, rigidly punctual in taking up his bills at the hour when due, difcounted a bill in the preceding manner: there were four or five names on the back. of the bill, which made it very eligible: an attorney readily purchased this bill. The morning when due, it was prefented at his houfe with the accuftomary notice left in writing:"Your bill for 100l. lies due at Mers bankers.* Pleafe to call this day between the hours of three and five." My friend, that day, a happy day for him, but a day of difappointment to the attorney, was, per chance, more in cafh than ufual, and fent his fervant with the money, between three and five o'clock, to take up the bill; which he did, and brought it to his mafter cancelled.

A few

* Oftentimes the attorney announces that the bill lies for payment at his houfe or chambers.

A few weeks after, the fame tradesman, who fold this bill drawn on my friend to the attorney, called again on him with another bill drawn on the fame gentleman, asking him to discount it. The moment he saw on whom the bill was drawn, he threw it with indignation on the floor, faying, "I am astonished, Sir, at your offering me fuch a bill; I will have nothing to do with that gentleman's bills, for the laft, which I gave you money for, to oblige you, was paid the day it was prefented." The tradefman, much to his mortification, was obliged to depart without getting cafh for his bill, and had the trouble to feek fome other attorney · who dealt in bills, to whom the unusual punctuality of my friend was not yet known.

Reader, I trust this ftory has given you fome pleasure ; and I affure you, on my word, it is a fact. For the veracity of the following interefting account of a diftinguished junto in this town, I cannot be altogether so responsible; but, on my honour, I have heard it from good authority, and I believe the general outline of their tranfactions to be

true.

A few years paft there existed in this town a truly philan thropic money-lending fociety: it confifted of about five or fix reputable tradefmen, two attornies, and one bailiff. IS have had the honour of knowing them all perfonally; and with the three latter, the two attornies and the bailiff, I have been on a very familiar footing, and through them have experienced the philanthropy of the fociety to the amount of many and many hundred pounds. This diftinguished fociety (pardon the vulgarity of the expreffion!) all rowed inone boat, paffing bills from one to the other to multiply the names on the back of the bills, till at laft they were placed in one of the attornies hands, by whom they were ultimately configned to the care and attention of the bailiff. I have been informed that they even fhared in the perquifites of the bailiff: but I do not believe it, because his fees are fo trifling that it would not be found policy in these able finan ciers to partake of fo fmall a part of the profits, and let the bailiff fhare with them in the greater. In my opinion he could not have had any fhare in the profits, excepting the expence of the arreft and those incurred in his houfe, unless he placed money to the general account: in this manner he might pull an oar in the boat alfo. This amiable society is totally broken up and dispersed, by the devil having wanted one of the attornies to tranfact special bufinefs in the infernal courts, and by the other refpe&ful limb of the law having retired, otio cym dignitate, into the country on an handfome

Hiftory of the King's Bench.-Rufian Literary Anecdote. 153 handfome fortune, acquired by costs upon bills of exchange, and cofts charged to diftress debtors, there to await the call of his infernal majefty; for two fuch able men he will not admit at the fame time in his dominions. The devil even dreads their power, and ftands in awe of their unparalleled fkill and abilities.

For the prefent I shall say no more relative to the King's Bench, or of attornies, but promise the reader to give him, in a Third Volume, which will be foon publifhed, a more minute account of that prifon, and complete investigation of the conduct of attornies to debtors, with other circumftances relative to the police of the King's Bench.

RUSSIAN LITERARY ANECDOTE.

From "Secret Memoirs of the Court of Petersburg, tranflated from the French," just published.

IT is well known that Catharine frequently fent young Ruf fians to travel and improve themselves at her expence. Several of these were happily chofen, became men of merit,` and brought back to their country a ftore of knowledge, with notions of philofophy and humanity. The most dif tinguished and moft unfortunate of thefe pupils of Catharine was Radifchef. On his return he was made director of the customs; and in this office of a publican, his probity, the amenity of his manners, and his agreeable company, rendered him esteemed and courted. He cultivated literature, and had already published a work, intitled Pothta Dukof, "The Poft of Wits;" a periodical work the most philofo. phical and poignant that ever ventured to appear in Ruffia. Yet he was not molefted on account of it: but after the revolution, he had the courage to print a little pamphlet, in which he fcrupled not to avow his hatred of defpotifm, his indignation against the favourites, and his efteem for the French. It was fingular, that several copies of it are with the approbation of the police. Kleïef, mafter of the police, as famous in Ruffia for his blunders, as a d'Argenfon, a la Noir, and a Sartine were in France for their address, was cited to answer for this approbation. He knew not what to fay, not having read the work; which indeed would have been above his comprehenfion. But Radischef, who was alfo cited, honeftly confeffed, that the boldeft paffages

were