different, no fixed rule can be prescribed; every person must be left to adjust by experience the proportion which best suits his palate or convenience.

Yeast is required to give the liquor that portion of elastic air, of which the boiling deprives it. Without fermentation, or working, no worts, however rich, can inebriate.

Liquorice root is pleasant, wholesome, and aperient; and opposes the astringent qualities of some of the other ingredients; it ought, therefore, should Spanish to be used, as

liquorice, which possesses the same properties.

Capsicum disperses wind, and when properly used, cannot be unwholesome; it leaves a warm glow upon the stomach, which is perceptible in drinking some sorts of beer.

Ginger has the same effect as capsicum; it furthermore cleanses and flavours beer. But capsicum being cheaper, is more used; and, by its tasteless, although extremely hot quality, cannot be so easily discerned as ginger.

Treacle partakes of many of the qualities of liquorice. By promoting the natural secretions, it must be a principal means of rendering porter and beer, in general, wholesome. Treacle is also a cheaper article than sugar, and answers the purposes of colour where the beer is intended for immediate consumption; but, in summer, where a body is required to withstand the temperature of the air, and the draught is not quick, sugar alone can give body to porter. Trea cle, therefore, is a discretionary article.

Coriander seed, used chiefly in ale, is warm and stomachic; but when used in great quantity, it becomes pernicious.

Cocculus Indicus is poisonous and stupefying when taken in any considerable quantity. When ground into fine powder, it is not to be discovered in the liquor, and is but too much used to the prejudice of the community.

Heading: Salt of steel is most proper, but a mixture of alum and copperas being much cheaper, has

comment.

Salt is highly useful in all kinds of beer; it gives a pleasing relish, and also fines the liquor. Different descriptions of cellaring will materially affect beer. If the cellar is bad, brew only for present use. In this case, six weeks will be found a very proper space betwixt the brewings. Where beer is kept too long in a bad cellar, so as to be affected by the heat of the weather, it will putrefy, although ever so well bunged. Hops will not prevent this accident happening to beer; they only prevent its turning sour.

Many persons, not reflecting upon the influence of air, as soon as summer approaches, begin to think directly of brewing ale, which seldom, or never, is so good as that brewed in the proper season. For instance,

the extreme variations of heat in this country are from 16 to 88 degrees. Now, on brewing at 16 degrees, great care must be taken that it does not get too cold; whereas, on brewing at 88 degrees, the brewer will find it difficult to get it cold enough, and must take the dead of the night to reduce it down to a medium heat, which should be about 60°. This observation is too striking not to impress upon every one's mind the necessity of carefulness and attention in this respect.

The effect on wort, when working, is exactly the same. In cool weather the spirit of the beer is retained, and it is thereby enabled to work the liquor clear; whereas, in hot weather. the spirit quickly evaporates, leaving the wort vapid and flat, unable to work itself clear, but keeping continually on the fret, till totally spoiled. This is the obvious reason for the use of sugar, prepared for colour, be cause the sugar will bear the heat better than the malt; and, when

thoroughly prepared, possesses such a strong principle of heat in itself, as to bid defiance to the hottest temperature of the air, and to render its turning sour impossible. Clean casks are an essential object in brewing good beer. To keep the casks sweet and in order, never allow them to remain open; but whenever the beer is drawn off, bung them up tight with the lees within them. In a good cellar they will never spoil. Should the casks get musty, the following method will remedy the evil. Soak them well for two or three days in cold water, then fill them with boiling hot water; put a lump or two of lime into each, shaking the casks until the lime be quite dissolved; let them stand about half an hour, then wash them out with cold water, and they will be restored to perfect order.

EQUITABLE LOAN BANK AND THE

PAWNBROKERS.

From a small pamphlet, entitled A Defence of the Principles of the Equitable Loan Bank and Mont de Piété, against the Attacks of the Meeting of Pawnbrokers, we select, out of many singular facts, preceded by historical details of the origin of money-lending, the following curious

matter:

The Jews in Italy having excited general execration, from the enormous sums of money which they exacted from the poor and improvident, for the supply of their pressing wants, a society was first formed in Padua, at the close of the fifteenth century, in order to supply the demands of the indigent at a more moderate rate; and such was the success of this institution, that the twelve establishments in the hands of the Lombardy Hebrews, which had until that time flourished by extortion, were abandoned by their owners in a few months. It was not, however, until 1777, that the French adopted this plan of the Italians, at which period a powerful institution of exactly a similar description was formed under the immediate patronage of the government, and, in the true spirit of the nation, called the Mont de Piété. These establishments have continued, afford

ing great relief to the necessitous, ever since their commencement, those of Italy having branches extended even to some of the islands in the Mediterranean sea; and of such general utility was the establishment considered, that the integrity of the property in pledge was stipulated for in the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle.

In "Les Recherches Statistiques sur la Ville de Paris, pour l'An 1823," a book published by authority of the government, we find the following minute statement of the nature and extent of its operation :

"Mont de Piété, Paris.-Number of articles pledged.

"The redemptions were, for the same year, 92,715,400 francs, averaging 13,000,000 francs per annum ; and thus more than two-thirds of the articles pledged were redeemed.

"The average of loans on jewellery, diamonds, plate, cashmere, and all articles of luxury, is forty francs, or 11. 13s. 4d. sterling.

"The average of loans on linen, wearing apparel, muslins, arms, carpets, and furniture, is six francs, or five shillings sterling. The average of all loans, 16 francs 20 cents, or 13s. 6d. sterling."

Since the total failure of the institution called the "Charitable Corporation," formed in 1707, the unfortunate in England appear to have been left in a great degree to suffer, &c.

In the speeches made at the last meeting, one member (Mr. Harris), stated, that he does not receive more than 7 per cent for his money, and that some others were anxious to show their books in order to prove that they did not get above 6, &c.

When it is known that the present act of parliament, regulating the profits of their business, allows an interest of 20 per cent on all pledges under 21. and 15 per cent on all above that sum, it would require a more yielding credulity than falls to the lot of most men, to believe that these individuals should have reduced the profit to either 6 or 7 per cent.

Indeed so very contrary runs the current of public opinion, that many persons, not ill-informed, avowedly assert that the charge made for duplicates, and the extra charge for backing the same for three months longer, when the twelve months have expired, does more than pay all the expenses of a pawnbroking establishment. If that gentleman (Mr. Harris) will take the trouble to look over the table, which follows, of charges made by pawnbrokers, all in different quarters of the town, and those only from October last until the present time, he will find that forty and fifty per cent is not unfrequently charged instead of the very moderate sum he has named.

In the statement, letters are substituted for names, the object being rather to state fucts than to excite reprobation.

Experiments of the charges made by Pawnbrokers upon pledges amounting to nearly one pound und upwards.

On Monday, October 27, 1823, the duplicate of a diamond ring pledged with A., parish of St. James, Westminster, on the 20th of September, for 71. was presented, when 2s. 10d. was charged as interest, the act of parliament only allowing 1s. 9d.

On the 29th of October, 1823, the duplicate of a shawl pledged on the 17th of September, with B., parish of St. Pancras, for 18s. was presented, when 8d. was charged, the act allowing no more than 54d.

On the 12th of November, 1823, the duplicate of a scarf pledged on the 6th of September for 17. 13s. with D., parish of Bloomsbury, was presented, when 1s. 9d. was charged, the act only allowing 1s. 2d.

Experiments upon charges on pledges under five shillings.

On the 18th of November the duplicate of four handkerchiefs pledged with C., parish of Christ Church, Surrey, for 2s. on the 11th of October, was presented, when old. was charged, the act only allowing Old.

On the 21st of November the duplicate of a book pledged with G., parish of St. George, Borough, for 1s. on the 14th of October, was presented and old. charged, being at the rate of sixty per cent per annum.

By the present act they are allowed to charge one calendar month's interest for goods, if a day, nay, even an hour, in their possession. There are many who regularly pledge their Sunday clothes on the Monday. From such, whom they call their "regular customers," they get at the rate of 84 per cent per annum for the loan of the money; besides, if the amount of the property pledged each week comes to a pound sterling, the act allows a charge of two-pence for the duplicate, which adds a little more than 40 per cent to the profit, making, in all, the enormous rate of 124 per cent upon the money advanced.

The most cursory perusal of the foregoing facts cannot well fail to show the enormous rate at which the indigent pay for pecuniary accommodation.

First, then, as to the encouragement due to it on the score of its beneficial effects to the poor.

It may surely be presumed that, if the legislature has thought it advisable to permit the lending of money to distressed persons at 20 per cent interest, it must more readily sanction this sort of relief to the poor when proffered at only 10 per cent.

It is one of the natural consequences of the present increased prosperity of the country that a reform should be attempted in a practice which has only hitherto been tolerated as a matter of necessity; but assuredly, in these days, 20 per cent must be admitted to be a most exorbitant and most excessive charge, while, on the other hand, 10 per cent, including, as it does, warehouse-room, insurance from fire, deterioration of value, the general description of property pledged, and the risk of loss on stolen property, may be considered as a fair premium to any extent. In fact, deducting the expenses of the establishment, and the sinking fund proposed for the ultimate reduction of the rate of interest, 10 per cent leaves only 7 per cent for interest (at 5 per cent) and (24 per cent) commission. There seems, therefore, no reason for any limitation of amount, while the interest is thus limited.

It has been calculated, on good data, that not less than one million sterling is levied annually upon the distressed, by the present system of lending upon pledge. The saving, therefore, that must ultimately result to the poor, if the new system is established, directly by the Company, and indirectly by compelling the pawnbroker to lend money on more moderate terms, may be reckoned at nearly half a million; and we must not forget that such a sum may tend materially to reduce the poor-rates, and that it far exceeds the present amount of the interest derived from the Saving Banks, which have been considered as fraught with so much importance in this country. How, therefore, is it possible for the legislature to look unfavourably upon such a measure?

Admit that it is the duty of the jegislature to protect individual tra

ders against privileged combinations; but, before this maxim can be brought to bear against the Equitable Loan Bank, we must first examine how far this Company seeks for exclusive privileges, and how far also the pawnbrokers can be considered as unprotected individual traders.

Now, the Equitable Loan Bank seeks not, by its Bill, to enjoy any privileges which the individual trader does not possess. The Company neither asks to be protected from bankruptcy, nor from the full extent of individual liability; on the contrary, a clause is actually inserted in the Bill, declaring the unlimited liability of all shareholders to the full extent of their property. The only privilege sought for by the Company, is that of suing and being sued in the name of their Secretary; and this, indeed, ought not to be called a privilege-it is a mere facility for carrying on business, a facility which, in fact, is enjoyed by every individual. Even, therefore, if the Pawnbroker were an unprotected trader, he could have no right to complain of the powers sought for by the Equitable Loan Bank Company; but the real truth is, that the Pawnbrokers are a highly privileged class-they are permitted by law to exact four times the legal interest of the landthey are combined together as a body, having a fund for common objects; and it is notorious that no individual can attempt a competition, as a Pawnbroker, for the reduction of these exorbitant charges, which by frequent returns and various other means, generally speaking, amount to 30 per cent per annum on the capital employed. So far, therefore, from being viewed as a combination seeking for exclusive powers, the Equitable Loan Bank Company, waving, as it has done, all incorporated privileges, is entitled to be considered as an association for liberal objects, calculated to produce_great public good, and seeking from Parliament less powers than those enjoyed by the persons with whom they propose to compete; and to compete, not for the purpose of annihilating them, but merely of bringing them to that scale which the present state of things demands.