a kers' manufacture, with their names forged on them; instead of steel-twist harrels, they are made of common iron, painted to imitate them; the furniture, instead of steel, is made of castiron; and instead of patent breeches, they are marked round the breechend of the barrels to look similar; the stocks are painted and finished up. complete to resemble a superior article, marked with every maker's name of any note in the kingdom. Thus the sportsman is deceived in the article he buys, and after a little use he finds it literally of no value at all. Within these few months I have had no less than three of these imitation guns, that have burst and done injury, not from neglect of proving in the first instance, but from being spoiled by bad workmanship afterwards: breech blew out not long since, and shattered the person's hand into a complete mummy; it was obliged to be dislocated from his arm. A gen tleman I was out shooting with, firing in a field, the vent-hole blew out on the side of the breech, and shot a woman hanging out clothes in a garden. A week or two back, a double barrel burst, and had it been nearer the breech end, must have done serious injury. These things are necessary to be known, that persons buying guns may know the best market to purchase at: if they apply to a respectable maker in Birmingham, they may have a good article at a much cheaper price than in London, but it is most prudent to give a good price to a maker either in London or Birmingham. When the maker is serving the sportsman inIstead of the factor, he knows his credit is at stake, and finds it his interest to sell a good article; but when the petty master is serving the factor, the factor knows nothing of the quality of the article, nor does the seller care any thing about the correctness of his work, his own name not being on it, as he probably expects it is going to a considerable distance, where he may never hear of it again. W. H. Cheltenham, Sept. 27, 1824 CREDITORS FRAUD IN BANKRUPTCIES To the Editor of The Economist. SIR; I take leave to beg the favour of a little space in your valuable publication, to expose what I consider a great evil, which calls for a remedy. The Sheffield and Birmingham manufacturers charge a certain price for the articles they manufacture to the London merchant or dealer, at a credit of two, three, or four months, and take off a discount of twenty. five, thirty, or thirty-five per cent : in the event of a failure or bankruptcy, they prove for the whole amount, and thus obtain an immense advantage over manufacturers who do not carry on business by such colorable practices: indeed, if a bankrupt pay ten shillings in the pound, these discount gentry sustain but little or no loss; for example, A B of London orders Sheffield ware of C D, amounting to £100 Discount upon payment at two months Manufacturer's profit 35 65 15 Actual cost-price to C D ..... £50 A B becomes bankrupt; his estate pays 10s. in the pound; C D proves his debt for 100%.; he receives his dividend of 50l. and actually loses nothing it is, however, very different with A B's London creditors, who must sustain a clear loss of fifty per cent less the profit they have placed upon the commodity supplied the bankrupt. This calls for the attention of the commissioners: it sometimes happens that public justice would be benefitted by examining creditors as well as debtors.-I remain, Sir, Your very obedient servant, Aldersgate-street. my immediate recollection his having gulled an aged female friend of mine in the article of a reading-glass, for which he asked 5s. ; he, however, took 3s. 9d., at the same time giving her a shop-bill of a very large type to read, and she, being in great haste, did not see the cheat; she, however, in looking into her prayer-book, for which purpose she bought it, discovered she had bought a piece of common windowglass, or such like. She went back to Mr. Hawk-eye, and asked him to change it, which he refused to do in any other way than for one of precisely the same sort; she therefore found herself gulled, and was of course obliged to sit down under the loss, as no doubt many others had done before. I am, Sir, yours, &c. September 30, 1824. F. B. MANNING OUT-DONE BY DUTTON. In Tottenham Court-road, a linendraper of the name of Dutton has adopted the unworthy method which we have before exposed in the person of Mr. Manning. This Mr. Dutton hangs strips of calico at his door, marked up one halfpenny a yard; but there is as little chance of purchasing the article here as the penny-a-yard ware of his cotemporary in Whitechapel. A single yard may be occasionally obtained, after replying in the negative to the question, if the party, or any of the family, has been before supplied: this deceptious trick is really unworthy any person having a grain of sense-not to mention honesty; it is easily seen through, and must defeat its own end. There is an old adage, "Good wine needs no bush" good articles, civil behaviour, and fair prices need no unworthy artifice to draw custom. The first person we remember in London who pursued these means, was a linen-draper of the name of Ts, at the Bee-hive in Holborn; his example was too readily followed, and a system of deception, by means of ticketed goods, soon spread itself amongst the linen-drapers, and has continued ever since a disgrace to the trade. CHESTER-TERRACE FLOSCULO RELIEVO. find We have received several letters respecting this advertising she-cheat, from persons who have been silly enough to give her two guineas for two lessons to learn a pretended art, by the practice of which they are informed the learner may obtain three guineas a week. Several instances have occurred where women of straitened circumstances have, with diffiby an honourable desire to contribute culty, raised the stipulated sum, urged comforts of their families, and after by their industry to the wants and wasting their time and money, themselves miserably duped, we may say swindled. The following extract from a letter addressed to us, will tend to expose this shameful imposition:-"I was asked into a parlour, when presently the lady teacher made her appearance; I informed her I had been desired by a female relation to make inquiry as to the nature of the art advertised; she told me she taught every thing fit for ladies to learn; when I asked what she meant by Flosculo Relievo, she politely told dictionary; upon pressing her to give me I might find its meaning in the me further information on the subject, as I had travelled many miles to gain particulars, she told me she charged eighteen-pence for exhibiting the works; this demand being complied with, I was shown up stairs into a room ornamented with several paper devices, a few pieces of glass, with flowers painted thereon; a japanned tea-board was shown me, which I was informed was the work of a pupil; but I exclaimed, Can a japanning tea-boards, whilst persons woman earn three or four pounds brought up to that particular line of business can scarcely earn eighteen shillings a week?' This observation rather checked her flippancy. But the flosculo,' says I, what's the flosculo?' She then produced some pieces of satin, silk, muslin, and paper, with flowers, fruit, and other devices; this was the thing sought, the real flosculo relievo. 'And pray, Madam, how is a female to earn three or four guineas a week by this?" 'Oh, Sir, said she, it is cuitable for ladies' dresses, decorations of rooms, fancy ornaments, &c. and may be readily disposed of. Here are some fancy articles,' said she (opening a box containing several pincushionssuch as are usually sold for two or three shillings); these I sell,' she continued, for ten, these for twelve shillings each.' Pray, Madam,' said I, is this flosculo relievo the same as poonah work? No, Sir,' with embarrassment, it is quite a different thing. She then showed me some very pretty artificial fruit and flowers in wax-work. Is this included in the two guineas?' 'Oh no; it is impossible to teach this art in two lessons, but the flosculo is generally taught in one.' I left the house, convinced that the whole was a gross attempt at fraud." Thus far our correspondent. We remember once seeing the very same sort of thing advertized by one John Cox Rackstrow, a gentleman who is now following the arts in Botany Bay; he, to be sure, was a wholesale cheatnone of your two-guinea customers; nothing less than ten, and sometimes twenty, but precisely the same thing was pretended. Another fellow lived at Chelsea, who described it as poonah work; the truth is, it is a slovenly method of painting on velvet, satin, or other material, or rather stencilling. Many poor women and girls in the parish of St. Luke's get a precarious livelihood by painting pincushions and little toys in this way; many of them would gladly teach all that is to be taught connected with it for half a crown. There can be no objection to persons teaching this "novel art" to those who choose to learn it for amusement; but to advertize, that a female may add three or four pounds a week to her income by it, is a gross and scandalous imposition. Be not so foolish as to throw away either your time or money in Chester-place, Kennington, late of Pownall-terrace. In a future Number we shall give a description of the mode of performing this floscula relievo. TICKET-SHOP IN BISHOPSGATE STREET. Nearly opposite Bishopsgate-church, eastward, lives a ticketing linen-draper. "These beautiful Braganza tippets, 2s. 6d. each," in large characters, appears in the window, laid upon some very good articles, finely lined with pink silk. Go in and ask for a Braganza tippet for two shillings and sixpence, the shopman offers you one of a size sufficiently ample for the shoulders of a well-grown kitten; when you reject this, and ask for one of those marked in the window, he becomes impertinent, and is not unfrequently joined in this by his master, Mr. H- -d. Such conduct is really disgraceful to any man who is entitled to the honourable appellation of a citizen. SCOTCH CLIMBING. To the Editor of The Economist. SIR; As I am fond of reading, and possess but a scanty library, I generally peruse every leaf and scrap of paper that falls in my way. The following letter I received from the hands of a cheesemonger, who had carefully wrapt it round my half quartern of double Gloucester: on perusal, it struck me as deserving something more than common attention, as it tends to strengthen the general notion, that our Northern brethren will not stand at trifles to edge themselves into a good birth at the expense of another. The superscription was torn off, and the signature quite illegible; but the letter appears to be from A Scotchman in Town to a Friend at Berwick. DEAR MAC;-At my depairture from Berwick, you desired me to write as soon as I had obtained a good situation; but I fear if you wait till then, your patience will be pretty well exhausted, for the warld is na' what is was; and sa mony of oor naution ha' played the principal pairts in London, that in truth we ha' made the English nearly as claiver as oursels. I ha' been in London noo about twa months; and by following the example o' that glorious man Sir Pertinax M'Sycophant, I boo'd mysel into a vary bra' hoose; but I found that the place I wanted was occupeed by a Scotchman, and so I left my situa tion, as you know I wou'd na' injure a countryman. I naist went into a lairge buikseller's on a sma' sailary, intending to wriggle till I had wrought mysel up; but I detairmined to proceed cautiously; and discovering some sma' errors in one of the clairk's accoonts, I tuk them to the guid mon, and told him, wi' a boo, that I believed there was a sma' mistak. He thanked me, and I heard him say I was a claiver young mon. Not long after, I discovered anither, so I took it again to my employer, with anither boo; but nemo mortalium omnibus horis sapit, and I found I had boo'd to the wrong pairson, for he said I waisted his time in prying into what did na' concairn me: I did na' expect this; so the naist fau't I Could PICK out, I shoo'd, wi' a' due daiference, to the foreman; but here I wur made mickle sair; for he told me in plain tairms that I was acting a peetiful, sneakin pairt, and I soon found that he was too much a mon of the wairld for me. Still I was not discouraged, and resolved to mak a third trial, for I knew that labor omnia vincit; but he told the pairson into wha's place I wur trying to edge mysel, wha is a Walchman, and he raised sic a clatter aboot my lugs, that ken it baist to be quiet for a time. Ah! my dear Mac, we may say, wi' the great Cicero, O tempora, O mores. I mind the time when twa sic bra' collants lik you and I could ha' wormed out a whole estaiblishment, and got the baist for oursels; but noo, wi' a' our honest exairtions, we can hairdly manage to live; but we'll mak them ken we ha' the es triplex'tis vairy true I am univairsally despised and detaisted through the whole hoose, but policy teaches me to assume humeelity and patience; and if it wur not for that troublesome, inquisitive foreman, I should na' de spaer of being a match for them yet. But let the blather skait haud a wee bit; I shall content mysel wi' my mickle sailary till a mair favourable · opportunity. I am a true Scot; and a Scot, let him get e'er sa leetle, can ́ live upo' less; let him get e'er sa muckle, he will do a' he con to get mair; so that he is pretty sairtain to get the siller either way. You are noo in possaision of a' that has passed sin my arreeval here. In the hop that you ha' succeeded baiter in your loadable endaivours at advancement, I remain, &c. &c, REFLECTIONS, MAXIMS, &c. 61. There are too many who reverse both the principles and the practice of the apostle; they become all things to all men, not to serve others, but themselves; and they try all things, only to hold fast that which is bad. 62. Louis the Fourteenth having become a king by the death of his minister, Mazarin, set up the trade of a conqueror, on his own account. The devil treated him as he does young gamesters, and bid very high for him, at first, by granting him unexampled success; he finished by punishing him with reverses equally. unexampled. Thus, that sun which he had taken for his device, although it rose in cloudless majesty, was doomed to set in obscurity, tarnished by the smoke of his defeats, and tinged with the blood of his subjects. 63. The absent man would wish to be thought a man of talent, by affecting to forget what all others remember; and the antiquarian is in pur suit of the same thing, by remembering what all others have thought proper to forget. One cannot but think it would much improve society, first, if all absent men would take it into their heads to turn antiquarians; and, next, if all antiquarians would be absent men. 64. Women do not transgress the bounds of decorum so often as men; but when they do, they go greater lengths. For with reason somewhat weaker, they have to contend with passions somewhat stronger; besides, a female by one transgression forfeits her place in society for ever; if once she falls, it is the fall of Lucifer. It is hard, indeed, that the law of opinion should be most severe on that sex which is least able to bear it; but so it is, and if the sentence be harsh, the sufferer should be reminded that it was passed by her peers. Therefore, it once a woman breaks through the barriers of decency, her case is desperate; and if she goes greater lengths than the men, and leaves the pale of propriety farther behind her, it is because she is aware that all return is prohibited, and by none so strongly as by her own sex. We may also add, that as modesty is the richest ornament of a woman, the want of it is her greatest deformity; for the better the thing, the worse will ever be its perversion; and if an - angel falls, the transition must be to a dæmon. 65. There are four classes of men in the world; first, those whom every one would wish to talk to, and whom every one does talk of;-these are that small minority that constitute the great. Secondly, those whom no one wishes to talk to, and whom no one does talk of ;-these are that vast majority that constitute the little. The third class is made up of those whom every body talks of, but nobody talks to ;-these constitute the knaves; and the fourth is composed of those whom every body talks to, but whom nobody talks of; and these constitute the fools. 66. He that, like the wife of Cæsar, is above suspicion, he alone is the fittest person to undertake the noble and often adventurous task of diverting the shafts of calumny from hin who has been wounded without cause, has fallen without pity, and cannot stand without help. It is the possessor of unblemished character alone, who, on such an occasion, may dare to stand, like Moses, in the gap, and stop the plague of detraction, until Truth and Time, those slow but steady friends, shall come up, to vin dicate the protected,, and to dignify the protector. A good character, therefore, is carefully to be maintained for the sake of others, if possible, more than ourselves; it is a coat of triple steel, giving security to the wearer, protection to the oppressed, and inspiring the oppressor with awe. GARDENING, HORTICULTURE, &c. THE GACEY HOUSE. In this month, as cold weather and frosts sometimes prevail, finish removing all the plants into the green-house, especially the tenderest kinds. Oranges and lemons, and other tencerest exotics not taken in last month, remove into the green-house. The hardier kinds, as myrtles, oleanders, winter cherries, geraniums, &c. may remain abroad till towards the middle of the month, if fine weather; but after that time, or before, it cold or very rainy, house them as soon as possible. Succulent plants-finish taking m all tenderish sorts; American aloes, and all others. Previous to removing into the green→ house, clear off decayed leaves, dead shoots, &c. and prune irregular growths; weed the pots, loosen the top earth, and thoroughly wash an clean the heads. In disposing the plants in the greenhouse, station the taller sorts more or less back, and the lower plants for ward, having the small plants in the front. Smali plants of myrtles, and other green-house plants of similar temperature, if not room in the greenhouse, may be placed in deep gardenframes, or in a pit defended with frames and glasses. Fresh air must now be admitted freely every day or night, if mild weather, till the middle; then keep close every night. Water give now very moderately once a week to the oranges, lemons, myrtles, and other woody kinds; the succulents more sparingly. |