Chapter LVIII: Conclusion (1)

Incredible efforts were made in the summer of 1826 to keep the “last lottery” on its legs. The price of tickets was arbitrarily raised, to induce a belief that they were in great demand at the very moment when their sale was notoriously at a stand; and the lagging attention of the public of the metropolis was endeavoured to be quickened, by all sorts of stratagems, to the 18th of July, as the very last chance that would occur in England of gaining “SIX 30,000_l._ besides other Capitals,” which it was positively affirmed were “all to be drawn” on that fatal day. Besides the dispersion of innumerable bills, and the aspersions on government relative to the approaching extinction of the Lottery, the parties interested in its preservation caused London and its environs to be paraded by the following

_Procession._

1. Three men in liveries, scarlet and gold.

2. Six men bearing boards at their backs and on their breasts, with inscriptions in blue and gold, “All Lotteries end Tuesday next, six 30,000_l._”

3. Band of trumpets, clarionets, horns, &c.

4. A large purple silk banner carried by six men, inscribed in large gold letters “All Lotteries end for ever on Tuesday next, six 30,000_l._”

5. A painted carriage, representing the Lottery wheel, drawn by two dappled grey horses, tandem fashion; the fore horse rode by a postillion in scarlet and gold, with a black velvet cap, and a boy seated in a dickey behind the machine, turning the handle and setting the wheel in motion.

6. Six men with other Lottery labels.

7. A square Lottery carriage, surmounted by a gilt imperial crown; the carriage covered by labels, with “All Lotteries end on Tuesday next;” drawn by two horses, tandem, and a postillion.

8. Six men with labels.

9. Twelve men in blue and gold, with boards or poles with “Lotteries end for ever on Tuesday next.”

10. A large purple silk flag, with “all Lotteries end on Tuesday next.”

This procession with its music drew the heads of the servant maids from the windows in every suburb of the metropolis, and was followed by troops of boys, till they tired on its frequency. It sometimes stopped, and a man with a bell cried “O yes!” and “God save the king!” and, between the two, proclaimed, in set words, the “death of the Lottery on Tuesday next!” The event was likewise announced as certain in all the newspapers, and by cart-loads of bills showered down areas, and thrust under knockers; when, behold, “the Lords of the Treasury were pleased to order” the final drawing to be postponed to Thursday the 18th of October; but all the good people so informed were wisely uninformed, that this “order” was obtained by the lottery-office folks, to give them a long day to get rid of their unsold tickets.

After this, the streets were cavalcaded by men, whose bodies were concealed between long boards on each side of their horses (as represented in the engraving on page 1407) to announce the _next_ “last of the Lottery on the 18th of October” aforesaid; and men on foot walked with labels on their breasts and backs, with the same never-dying intelligence, according to the further figure in the engraving of the lottery wheel (on page 1439,) which cut, it may be here observed, represents one of the government wheels, and the sledge it was drawn upon from Somerset-house to Coopers’-hall, at the commencement of the drawing of every Lottery; on which occasion there were four horses to each wheel, and about a dozen horse-guards to protect the instruments of _Miss_-Fortune.

* * * * *

But the most pageant-like machine was an octagon frame work, covered by printed Lottery placards (as exhibited in the engraving on page 1405) with a single horse, and a driver, and a guard-like seat at the back. When drawn along the streets, as it was at a most funereal pace, it overtopped the sills of the first-floor windows. Its slow motion, and the route it chiefly took, evidenced the _low_ hopes of the proprietors. St. Giles’s and the purlieus of that neighbourhood seem to have been selected as the favoured spots from whence favours were mostly to be expected. An opportunity offered to sketch it, while it was pelted with mud and stones, and torn and disfigured by the unappreciating offspring of the sons of fortune whose regards it courted. The artist’s letter describes the scene: “As I was walking up Holborn on Monday the 9th instant, I saw a strange vehicle moving slowly on, and when I came up to it, found a machine, perhaps from twenty to thirty feet high, of an octagon shape, covered all over with Lottery papers of various colours. It had a broad brass band round the bottom, and moved on a pivot; it had a very _imposing_ effect. The driver and the horse seemed as dull as though they were attending a solemn funeral, whilst the different shopkeepers came to the doors and laughed; some of the people passing and repassing read the bills that were pasted on it, as if they had never read one before, others stationed themselves to look at it as long as it was in sight. It entered Monmouth-street, that den of filth and rags, where so great a number of young urchins gathered together in a few minutes as to be astonishing. There being an empty chair behind, one of them seated himself in it, and rode backwards; another said, “let’s have a stone through it,” and a third cried “let’s sludge it.” This was no sooner proposed than they threw stones, oyster shells, and dirt, and burst several of the sheets; this attack brought the driver from his seat, and he was obliged to walk by the side of his machine up this foul street, which his show canvassed, halting now and then to threaten the boys, who still followed and threw. I made a sketch, and left the scene. It was not an every-day occurrence, and I accompany it with these remarks.”

This was the fag-end of the last struggle of the speculators on public credulity for popularity to their “last, dying Lottery.”

* * * * *

At last, on Wednesday the 18th of October, 1826, the State Lottery expired, and its decease was announced in the newspapers of the next day by the following article:--

STATE LOTTERY.

Yesterday afternoon, at about half past six o’clock, that old servant of the state, the Lottery, breathed its last, having for a long period of years, ever since the days of queen Anne, contributed largely towards the public revenue of the country. This event took place at Coopers’-hall, Basinghall-street; and such was the anxiety on the part of the public to witness the last drawing of the Lottery, that great numbers of persons were attracted to the spot, independently of those who had an interest in the proceedings. The gallery of Coopers’-hall was crowded to excess long before the period fixed for the drawing, (five o’clock,) and the utmost anxiety was felt by those who had shares in the Lottery for the arrival of the appointed hour. The annihilation of Lotteries, it will be recollected, was determined on in the session of parliament before last; and thus a source of revenue bringing into the treasury the sums of 250,000_l._ and 300,000_l._ per annum will be dried up. This determination on the part of the legislature is hailed by far the greatest portion of the public with joy, as it will put an end to a system which many believe to have fostered and encouraged the late speculations, the effects of which have been and are still severely felt. A deficiency in the public revenue to the extent of 250,000_l._ annually, will, however, be the consequence of the annihilation of Lotteries, and it must remain for those who have strenuously supported the putting a stop to Lotteries to provide for the deficiency.

Although that which ended yesterday was the last, if we are informed correctly, the lottery-office keepers have been left with a great number of tickets remaining on their hands--a pretty strong proof that the public in general have now no relish for these schemes.

The concourse of persons in Basinghall-street was very great; indeed the street was almost impassable, and everybody seemed desirous of ascertaining the fortunate numbers. In the gallery the greatest interest was excited, as the various prizes were drawn from the wheel; and as soon as a number-ticket was drawn from the number-wheel every one looked with anxiety to his share, in order to ascertain if Fortune smiled on him. Only one instance occurred where a prize was drawn and a number held by any individual present. The fortunate person was a little man, who, no sooner had learned that his number was a grand prize, then he buttoned up his coat and coolly walked off without uttering a word. As the drawing proceeded, disappointment began to succeed the hopes indulged by those who were present. On their entrance to the hall every face wore a cheerful appearance; but on the termination of the drawing a strong contrast was exhibited, and the features of each were strongly marked with dissatisfaction.

The drawing commenced shortly after five o’clock, and ended at twenty minutes past six.

The doors of the various Lottery-offices were also surrounded by persons awaiting the issue of the drawing.

LOTTERY PUFFS.

It is not possible to go into the _Literature of the Lottery_ without occupying more room than can be spared, but young readers and posterity may be amused and surprised by some figures, from among many hundreds of wood-cuts on the bills of schemes, and invitations to buy.

“T. BISH, 4 Cornhill, and 9 Charing-cross, London, and by all his agents in the country,” put forth the following.

~Kitchen Maid.~

Mistress Molly, the Cook,
At the Scheme only look,
In wealth we may both of us roll,
If we _brush_ for a Prize
In the world we may rise,
And our _skuttles_ have plenty of _cole._

~Cook Maid.~

If what you say is true,
I am all in a _stew_,
Lest we miss what we so much desire;
Should we lose this good plan,
For _a sup in the pan_,
All the _fat_ will be soon _in the fire_!

Except the verses which were placed in the bill beneath the preceding cut, it contained nothing but an announcement of the day when the Lottery was to draw, and the number of capital prizes, subjoined by this information, “Tickets and shares are selling by T. BISH;” who seems to have imagined he could propitiate the “kitchen maid” and “cook maid” in his behalf, as a lottery-office keeper, by exhibiting a tea-kettle and fire implements to personify the one, and certain culinary utensils to personify the other.

“Delightful _cut_ to rear the tender mind”

from the _basement_ to the _capital_ story.

RUN, Neighbours, run, the LOTTERY’S expiring,
When FORTUNE’S merry wheel, it will never turn more;
She now supplies all _Numbers_, you’re desiring,
ALL PRIZES, NO BLANKS, and TWENTY THOUSANDS FOUR.

Haste, Neighbours, haste, the Chance will never come again,
When, without pain, for little _Cash_--you’ll all be rich;
Prizes a plenty of--and such a certain source of gain,
That young and old, and all the world, it must bewitch.
Then run, neighbours, run, &c.

This versified address and the engraving are from another bill. The verses may be presumed as sung by the footman, to excite his fellows of the party-coloured cloth to speculate in the never-enough-to-be-sufficiently-magnified-number of chances in favour of their gaining “Four of £20,000, and--Thirty other Capitals! No Blanks!--ALL IN ONE DAY!” Yet if the words, adapted from a popular duet, were regarded as an easy vehicle to effect that benevolent purpose, they could only be so to those who, with the contractors, forgot, or perhaps, with them, did not know, that the original tells of

“a day of jubilee _cajolery_.”

Surely this must have been a “word of fear” to all except the contractors themselves, who alone would be the gainers by what the body of adventurers hazarded in the “grand scheme” of “_cajolery_.”

* * * * *

One of the bills of a former Lottery begins as follows:--

BISH

_The Last Man._

In reminding his best friends, the public, that the State Lottery will be drawn this day, 3d May, Bish acquaints them that it is the _very last but one_ that will ever take place in this kingdom, and he is THE LAST CONTRACTOR whose name will appear _singly_ before the public, as the very last will be a coalition of all the usual contractors. Bish, being “_the last man_” who appears _singly_, has been particularly anxious to make an excellent scheme, and flatters himself the one he has the honour to submit must meet universal approbation.

* * * * *

At the back of this bill are the following verses, derived from the “_cajolery_” duet:--

TO-DAY! OR NOT AT ALL

RUN, NEIGHBOURS, RUN!

Run, neighbours, run! To-day it is the Lott’ry draws,
You still may be in time if your purse be low;
Rhino we all know will stop, of poverty, the flaws,
Possess’d of that you’ll find no one to serve you slow:
The ministers in parliament of Lotteries have toll’d the knell,
And have declar’d from Coopers’-hall dame Fortune soon they will
expel.
The blue-coat boys no more will shout that they have drawn a
capital!
Nor run, as tho’ their necks they’d break, to _Lucky Bish_ the news
to tell.
Run, neighbours, run! &c.
Run, neighbours, run! this is you know the third of May,
’Tis the day dame Fortune doth her levee hold;
In the scheme, as you may see, are rang’d along in proud array,
Of one and twenty thousands six, in notes or gold!
A _sov’reign_ cure e’en one of these would be for a consumption,
sir,
If such disease your pocket has, so if you’ve any gumption, sir,
You’ll lose no time, but haste away, and buy a share or ticket, sir,
For who can tell but this may be the very hour to nick it, sir?
Run, neighbours, run! &c.
Run, neighbours, run! the times they say are not the best,
And cash ’tis own’d is falling short with high and low;
Bankers retire now, while Notaries have little rest,
And what may happen next no one pretends to know.
Dame Fortune (on whom thousands drew) is going now to shut up shop,
So if you’d cash a draft on her, make haste for soon her bank will
stop;
This very day her wheel goes round, when thousands with her gifts
she’ll cheer,
For those who can her smiles obtain may gaily laugh throughout the
year.
Run, neighbours, run! &c.

* * * * *

“BISH,” as the _contractor_ is pleased to call himself, who, after he was “the last man,” dilated into a member of parliament, employed the greatest number of Lottery-laureates of any office keeper of his time; and he and the schemes wherein he engaged were lauded, in prose as well as verse, by his “ready writers.” One of their productions says:--

JOHN BULL’s

_Wonder_

At monsieur Nong-tong-paw’s ubiquity could not be greater than the astonishment of a French gentleman, who popped into BISH’s office the other day to inquire after the capitals.--“You vill be so good to tell me de nombre of de capital you tiré--you draw yesterday?”--“Why, sir, there were....”--“Restez un peu, stay a littel moment.--You will tell me de capital more big dan two hundred pounds.”--“Why, sir, there were four drawn above 200_l._: there was No. 7849 30,000_l._”--“Ah! ma foi! dat is good dat is de grande chose. Vel, and by whom was it sel?”--“Bish sold it, sir.” “Bish, ha, ha! von lucky dog! vel, allons!”--“There was No. 602, 1000_l._, sir.”--“Ah, indeed! vel, who was sel dat?”--“Bish, sir.”--“Eh, ma foi! Bish encore? Vel.”--“There was No. 2032, 300_l._”--“And who was sel?”--“Bish, sir.”--“Eh, mon dieu! ’tis very grand fortune. Now den de last, and who vas sel dat?”--“Why, sir, the last was No. 6275, 300_l._, also sold by Bish.”--“Eh, de diable! ’tis von chose impossible, Bish sell all de four?”--“Yes, sir, and in a former lottery he sold all the three thirty thousands.”--“Den he is von golden philosopher. I vill buy, I vill--let me see. Yes, I vill buy your shop.”--His ambition was at last, however, contented with three tickets; so that he has three chances of gaining the two thirty thousands yet in the wheel; and we have no doubt Bish will have the good luck of selling them.

* * * * *

“BISH” is the subject of versified praise, in another bill.

HOW TO BE HAPPY.

Let misers hug their worship’d hoards,
And lock their chests with care;
Whilst we enjoy what life affords,
With spirits light as air.
For our days shall haily gaily be,
Prizes in store before us,
We’ll spend our ev’nings merrily.
And BISH we’ll toast in chorus.

Let lovers droop for sparkling eyes,
And heave the tender sigh:
Whilst we embrace the glittering prize,
And meagre care defy.
For our days shall haily gaily be,
Plenty in store before us;
Our cash we’ll jingle merrily,
And BISH we’ll toast in chorus.

Let glory call the sons of war
To dare the crimson’d field;
Sweet Fortune’s charms are brighter far,
Her golden arms we’ll wield.
Then our days will haily gaily be,
Riches in store before us;
We’ll dance through life most merrily,
And BISH we’ll toast in chorus.

* * * * *

“BISH” on another occasion steps in with:--

PERMIT ME TO ASK

Have you seen the scheme of the present Lottery?

Do you know that it contains MORE PRIZES than BLANKS?

Have you heard how very _cheap_ the tickets are?

Are you aware, that Lotteries are about to be discontinued, the chancellor of the exchequer having said that the Lottery bill, introduced last session of parliament, should be _the last_?

I need not direct you to BISH’S, as being the luckiest offices in the kingdom, &c.

* * * * *

“BISH” adventured in the “City Lottery,” a scheme devised for getting rid of the houses in Picket-street, Temple-bar, and Skinner-street, Snow-hill; and on that occasion he favoured the world with the following:--

FREEHOLDS AND FORTUNES.

BY PETER PUN.

Tune.--“_Drops of Brandy._”

Dame Fortune is full of her tricks,
And blind, as her portraits reveal, sir;
Then the best way the goddess to fix,
Is by putting a spoke in her wheel, sir:
Her favours the Lott’ry unfolds,
Then the summons to BISH don’t scorn sir;
For, as _her_ cornucopia _he_ holds,
He’s the lad for exalting your horn, sir.
Rum ti iddity, &c.

With poverty who would be known,
And live upon orts in a garret, sir,
Who could get a good _house_ of his own,
And fatten on roast beef and claret, sir!
In the _city_ scheme this you’ll obtain,
At BISH’S, where all folks _pell-mell_ come,
By a ticket a _free_-hold you’ll gain,
And it cannot be more _free_ than _welcome_.
Rum ti iddity, &c.

This house, when you once realize it,
Upholders will look sharp as lynxes,
For an order to _Egyptianize_ it,
With catacomb fal lals and sphynxes;
Chairs and tables, a _mummy_-like crew,
With crocodile grooms of the stole, sir,
Sarcophagus _coal_-skuttles too,
And at BISH’S you’ll fill them with _cole_, sir.
Rum ti iddity, &c.

For when you’re thus furnish’d in state,
And a pretty establishment got, sir,
Ten to one but it pops in your pate,
You’ll want sticks to be boiling the pot, sir;
Then to BISH’S away for supplies,
For _mopusses_ they are so plenty,
You may choose a ten thousand pound prize,
And if you don’t like it a twenty.
Rum ti iddity, &c.

Then BISH for my money, I say,
The like of him never was known, sir;
As Brulgruddery says in the play,
“That man’s the philosopher’s stone, sir.”
Then what shall we do for this man,
Who makes all your fortunes so handy?
Buy his tickets as fast as you can,
And drink him in _drops of brandy_.
Rum ti iddity, &c.

* * * * *

“BISH” seems to have deemed “the Philosopher’s stone,” which never existed but in silly imaginations, to be a proper device for drawing customers. It is repeated in

PADDY’S PURSUIT,

A NEW SONG.

From the county of Cork in dear Ireland I came,
To England’s _swate_ Island a fortune to gain;
Where I heard that the _strates_ were all paved with gold,
And the hedges grew Guineas! so Paddy was told!
I jump’d on dry land to my neck up in water,
Which to some spalpeens gave subject for laughter;
But, says I, with a grin, as I dragg’d myself out,
“I’m not come to England to be food for a trout.”
Fal de ral, de ral lal, O whack!
Then to London I came, that _monstracious_ city,
Where the lads dress so gay, and the ladies look _pratty_;
But, Och! blood-and-ouns! only mark my surprise,
When only great stones in the _strates_ met my eyes!
No Guineas at all on the bushes there grew;
Not a word that they told me, I found, sirs, was true:
“Och! why wa’n’t I drown’d, and made food for the fish!”
Thus I growled, ’till I lighted on one _Master Bish_.
Fal de ral, &c.
_Master Bish_ had found out the Philosopher’s stone,
And a Thousand yellow Guineas he gave me for One!
Thus Fortune to Pat was _monstraciously_ kind,
Tho’ no gold on the bushes or _strates_ I could find!
Then honeys attend, and pursue my advice;
Och! to 9, Charing-cross, be off in a trice;
Buy a Lottery Chance, for the Drawing Day’s near,
And perhaps, like friend Paddy, a Fortune you’ll clear.
Fal de ral, &c.

* * * * *

“BISH” we find again attempting to attract, with the following:--

THE

PHILOSOPHER’S STONE.

------------------------------ That stone,
Philosophers in vain so long have sought,

Says Milton, would not prove more valuable to its possessor than an absolute knowledge of _certain_ numbers which lie hidden in the Wheel of Fortune till Fate declares to the enraptured ears of the adventurer, who has founded his hopes of success on them, their union with _certain_ large sums of money, viz. Twenty, Ten, or Five Thousand Pounds; for there are many such sums yet in the wheel, yet to be determined, yet to be gained by hazarding a mere trifle.

He, who life’s sea successfully would sail,
Must often throw a sprat to catch a whale.
Apply this proverb then; think, ere too late,
What fortune, honour, and what wealth await
The very trifling sum[484] of one pound eight.

* * * * *

“BISH,” of course, imagined, or wished, the public to be amazingly surprised at his popularity, and therefore indulged them with this song:

WHAT’S THE MATTER?

_By Quintin Query, Esq._

Tune.--“O Dear, what can the Matter be?”

“_O dear, what can the matter be?_”
To tell, who can be at a loss?
The people are running by dozens to BISH’S,
To make out their dreams, and fulfil all their wishes,
And try to come in for the loaves and the fishes,
At 4, Cornhill, and 9, Charing-cross.
“_O dear, what can the matter be?_”
I’ll tell you, good friend, if you wish;
The people are trying dame Fortune to cozen,
And the old women’s tongues are eternally buzzing,
About _lucky numbers_, 19 to the dozen,
And all they can talk of is BISH.
“_O dear, what can the matter be?_”
I dare say you’re dying to know;
The horns blow about, be it rainy or sunny,
The walls they are cover’d with bills all so funny,
To shew you the way how to finger the money,
And you all know that “_makes the mare go_.”
“_O dear, what can the matter be?_”
The bellman he rings such a peal?
To tell those whose fortunes are rusted with rickets,
To call at _good luck’s_ (that is, _Bish’s_) two wickets,
And a transfer obtain for 500 Whole Tickets;
How conceited they’d make a man feel!
“_O dear, what can the matter be?_”
For joy you’ll be dancing a jig;
For _good_ luck most folks are delighted to choose a day,
And a lucky day surely must be a good news day,
Then the day of all days is the very _next Tuesday_;
Then, Misfortune’s _black Monday_ a fig!

* * * * *

“BISH,” on another occasion, treated the “gentle public,” like so many children, with another optical delusion.

FORTUNE’S GALANTY SHOW.

Tune.--“GALANTY SHOW.”

O pretty show, O raree show, O finey galanty show, O pretty galanty
show!

_Chaunt._

Come, all my merry customers, of high, middling, and low degree,
Look in at one of these little glasses, and you shall see what you
shall see;
My fine galanty show you great wonders shall view in,
You shall see the high road to Fortune, and that’s better than the
road to Ruin.
O pretty show, O raree show, O finey galanty show,
O pretty galanty show!

There you see the New Lott’ry Scheme, such as never was plann’d
before!
_Fewer_ Tickets, and _fewer Blanks_, and yet the _Prizes_ are
_more_;
And besides the usual 5’s, 10’s, and 20 Thousands (_Peep thro’ one
of these wickets_,)
You shall see such a Prize as was never yet known, neither more nor
less than 1000 whole Tickets!
O pretty show, &c.
And there you shall see, (_Look a little to the right_) Mr. BISH’s
Shop on _Cornhill_:
(_Now a little to the left_) And there’s his other Shop at _Charing-
cross_, where buy Shares if you will;
You’ll get a part of the 1000 whole Tickets, I’ll be bound,
And that’s very much like getting a part of more than a _Hundred
Thousand Pounds_!
O pretty show, &c.
Then look straight forward, and there you see _Coopers’ Hall_,
(_Isn’t it a fine building?_) there the Tickets they draw;
And there you see the pretty little Blue-coat Boys, and nicer little
fellows you never saw;
There you’ll see ’em pulling the Numbers and Prizes out of the very
Grand Wheels
And when one has a Ticket in the Lottery, and sees such a sight, how
_narvous_ one feels!
O pretty show, &c.
And there--(_Rub the glass a little cleaner_) there’s a sight I’d
not have you miss fora pound,
The little Boy draws out a _Number_ (_Let me see what Number you
have got_) aye, that’s it, I’ll be bound;
There don’t the Clerk (_On the left hand_) look exactly as if he was
calling it, don’t you _see_ how he _cries_?
And the other little Boy draws, and the other Clerk looks as if he
bawl’d out a £20,000 Prize.
O pretty show, &c.
There you see (’tis no Dream of Castles in the Air, called _Utopia_)
There you see Fortune pouring the _Guineas_ out of--what the deuce
is it? a great long hard name--Oh! her _Cornucopia_!
That’s a fine _Golden Horn_, that holds all the Prizes, I declare,
And to get its Contents would be a pretty _Horn Fair_!
O pretty show, &c.

* * * * *

“BISH” was pleased to devise the scheme of a Lottery to be drawn on St. Swithin’s day, wherein wine was added to the prizes, and therefore, and because its novelty was deemed alluring, we find one of his bills beginning with an apostrophising and prophetic couplet:--

Hail, famed ST. SWITHIN! who, with pow’r benign,
Instead of rain pour showers of gold and wine!

Another in the same Lottery, beneath a wood-cut of a bunch of grapes, breaks out:--

On the 15th of JULY what a _golden_ supply
Of _wine_ given _gratis_ by BISH,
If you can get but a _share_, you’ll have plenty to spare,
And can treat all your friends as you wish.

“BISH,” on the same occasion, throws the “leer of invitation,” with

TRY IN TIME.

Och! Judy, my jewel, come here when I call;
We may now get _wine gratis_, for _nothing at all_;
And _gold_ like _paratees_ pil’d up in a heap,
Which is offer’d us too, honey, almost as cheap.

But there’s no time to lose if we’re meaning to try,
For ’tis _all in one day_, on the _15th July_.
And since the grand scheme is beyond all compare,
He’s a spalpeen who won’t buy a fortunate share.

“BISH,” in another bill, oddly enough, put an old, one-legged smoker, with a _patch_ over one eye, a carbuncled nose, and his only foot flannelled up for the gout, the effects of drinking, in an arm chair, with the following lines below:--

“LAID UP IN PORT.”

Od’s blood! what a time for a seaman to skulk,
Like a lazy land-lubber ashore;
If I’m laid up at all, I’ll be laid up in port,
And surrounded by prizes galore.
Tommy Bish shall fill my glass,
And the puppies, as they pass,
Sha’n’t run down the old commodore,
The rich old commodore, the cosey old commodore,
The boozing old commodore he;
While I’m friends with mighty BISH,
He will crown my ev’ry wish,
Tho’ I’ll never more be fit for sea.

Then also, “Bish” favoured his “friends” with the opportunity of singing,

BACCHUS AND PLUTUS, OR THE UNION.

Tune.--“Derry Down.”

A ROW was kick’d up in the regions above,
For PLUTUS and BACCHUS for precedence strove;
And in words such as these did their anger express,
Till JOVE swore he’d kick them both out of the mess.
Derry down.

First BACCHUS advanc’d, tho’ he scarcely could stand,
Determin’d, he swore, to have the _whip hand_;
And thus he began.--“Why, you sordid old elf,
All your thoughts are employ’d in the scraping of pelf.

“Can gold, I would ask, e’er enliven the soul
Like the juice of the grape, or a full flowing bowl?
Can the glittering bauble such pleasure impart,
Or make the blood circle so warm round the heart?

“That gold is an evil, there’s many will say,
As my vot’ries oft find when the reck’ning’s to pay;
Had gold ne’er existed, the true jolly fellow
For ever might tipple, and always get mellow.

“I swear by old Styx!--that this truth it will _stand_:”
But the wine in his noddle usurp’d the command,--
A _knock-’em-down argument_ BACCHUS soon found,
For quickly he measur’d his length on the ground.

“As BACCHUS is _down_,” then says PLUTUS, “I’ll _rise_;”
And this speech he address’d to the knobs of the skies:--
“That gold is a blessing, I’m sure I can prove:
The soother of cares, and cementer of love!

“You know the old proverb, of _poverty_, sure,
’Tis something about--‘_when she enters the door,
That love, through the window, soon toddles away_;’
But if there were gold, I’m sure that he’d stay.

“I’ll own that my bounties are sometimes misus’d:
But pray why should I, sirs, for that be abus’d?”
Here JOVE stopp’d him short, and with positive air,
Insisted that they should their quarrel forbear.

“Your claims I admit, sir, and BACCHUS’ too;
But a plan to unite you, I now have in view;
You know TOMMY BISH?”--“To be sure!” exclaim all,
“’Tis on him, that dame Fortune her bounty lets fall!”

“Well,--a Lottery he’s plann’d, with an union rare,
Where _money_ and _wine_ each come in for a share;
There are _three thirty thousands_ to gratify _you_;
And the _twelve pipes of wine_, sirs, for BACCHUS will do.”

Says BACCHUS to PLUTUS--“Then give us your hand,
I’ll tipple his wine, till no more I can stand;
And as JOVE has inform’d us there’s _money_ enough,
Why you, Mister PLUTUS, can finger the _stuff_.

“Besides, I have heard, or my memory’s fail’d,
How greatly last Lott’ry his luck has prevail’d;
The _three twenty thousands_, he sold (the rum fish!)
Then let us be off, and buy tickets of BISH!”
Derry down.

“BISH,” who in the former bill had subjoined, in plain prose, that “lotteries must end for ever,” likewise issued the following--

DUTIES ON WINES.

The minister in reducing the duty, so that wines may be sold at one shilling per bottle cheaper, has done much to increase the _spirits_ of the people; at the same time he has adopted another measure that will in a few months DESTROY THE FREE TRADE of every person in the kingdom to obtain for a small sum a great fortune in a few weeks, by having determined to abolish Lotteries, which must soon end for ever; therefore, the present is one of the last opportunities to buy, &c.

* * * * *

“BISH,” according to the old plan, “ever ready to serve his friends,” issued

THE AMBULATOR’S GUIDE TO THE LAND OF PLENTY.

BY PURCHASING A TICKET, _In the present Lottery_,

You may _reap_ a golden _harvest_ in _Cornhill_, and pick up the
_bullion_ in _Silver-street_; have an interest in _Bank-buildings_;
possess a _Mansion-house_ in _Golden-square_, and an estate like a
_Little Britain_; pour red wine down _Gutter-lane_; never be in
_Hunger_ford-market; but all your life continue a _May-fair_.

BY PURCHASING A HALF,

You need never be confined within _London-wall_, but become the
proprietor of many a _Long-acre_; represent a _Borough_, or an
_Aldermanbury_; and have a snug share in _Threadneedle-street_.

BY PURCHASING A QUARTER,

Your affairs need never be in _Crooked-lane_, nor your legs in
_Fetter-lane_; you may avoid _Paper-buildings_; steer clear of the
_King’s-bench_, and defy the _Marshalsea_; if your heart is in
_Love-lane_, you may soon get into _Sweetings-alley_, obtain your
lover’s consent for _Matrimony-place_, and always live in a
_High-street_.

BY PURCHASING AN EIGHTH,

You may ensure plenty of _provision_ for _Swallow-street_; finger the
_Cole_ in _Coleman-street_; and may never be troubled with
_Chancery-lane_; you may cast _anchor_ in _Cable-street_; set up
business in a _Fore-street_, or a _Noble-street_; and need never be
confined within a _Narrow-wall_.

BY PURCHASING A SIXTEENTH,

You may live _frugal_ in _Cheapside_; get _merry_ in
_Liquorpond-street_; soak your _hide_ in _Leather-lane_; be a wet
_sole_ in _Shoe-lane_; turn _maltster_ in _Beer-lane_, or _hammer_
away in _Smithfield_.

In short, life must indeed be a _Long-lane_, if it’s without a
_turning_. Therefore if you are wise, without _Mincing_ the matter, be
_Fleet_ and go _Pall-mall_ to _Cornhill_ or _Charing-cross_, and
enroll your name in the _Temple_ of Fortune, BISH’s.

LOTTERY FOR WOMEN IN INDIA.

_Advertisement._

“BE IT KNOWN, that SIX FAIR PRETTY YOUNG LADIES, with two sweet and engaging young children, lately IMPORTED FROM EUROPE, having roses of health blooming on their cheeks, and joy sparkling in their eyes, possessing amiable manners, and highly accomplished, whom the most indifferent cannot behold without expressions of rapture, are to be RAFFLED FOR next door to the British gallery. SCHEME: _twelve tickets_, at twelve rupees each; the highest of the three throws, doubtless, takes the most fascinating, &c.”[485]

* * * * *

The four engravings on this page, with the lines beneath them, are
from other Lottery bills.

“Throw _Physic_ to the Dogs,” for me
The best _composing draught’s_ a Fee;
For _sinking Chest_, _low pulse_, or cold,
There’s no _Specific_ equals Gold.

“My Dancing Days are over!”

Though the lotteries soon will be over, I’m told,
That now is the time to get pailsful of gold;
And if there is any real truth in a dream,
I myself shall come in for a share of the cream.
We hail, ere the Sun, the first breath of the morn,
And ’tis said “early birds get the best of the corn,”
Of the _Four Twenty Thousands_ perhaps fortune may
Have in store one for me, as they’re drawn in _One Day_!

For the gay fruits of nature what wish can you feel,
When compar’d with the _fruits_ of the lottery wheel;
My basket of fruit I’d exchange with great glee,
If one _golden pippin_ they’d only give me.

“BISH, contractor for another Lottery,” during the proceedings in parliament respecting the queen, availed himself of a celebrated answer by one of the witnesses at the bar of the house of lords, and issued the following:--

NON MI RICORDO!

OR,

_A few Questions on a new Subject_.

_QUESTION._

Good Signor, if your memory serves,
A question I would ask or two;
Then pray may I the favour beg,
That you will answer, if I do?

_ANSWER._

_Non mi ricordo_, I can’t say,
Whether my mem’ry serves or no;
But let me hear them first, I pray;
What I remember you shall know.

_QUESTION._

Since Lotteries in this realm began,
And many good ones there have been,
Do you suppose the oldest man,
So good a Scheme at this has seen?

_ANSWER._

_Non mi ricordo_, surely no;
Comparisons are idle tales,
For such a Lottery Scheme as this,
I must confess my memory fails.

_QUESTION._

Now what peculiar features, pray,
Distinguish this from all the rest?
And why do all the people say,
“Unquestionably this is best?”

_ANSWER._

_Non mi ricordo_, ’tis in vain
For me its merits now to say;
To tell them all ’twould take, ’tis plain,
From now until the Drawing Day.

_QUESTION._

Its merits I will gladly own,
But folks will questions ask, and pray
If your opinion is requir’d,
Just tell me, sir, what you would say?

_ANSWER._

_Non mi ricordo_: read the Scheme,
One word will answer all your wish
’Tis BISH’s plan, ’tis BISH’s theme,
It must be good, ’tis plann’d by BISH.

* * * * *

“BISH,” in the annexed, _puffs_ at Queen Anne’s prize of “5000 pounds,” as “so small.” This may be imagined to have been asserted under poetical licence; for, in fact, 5000_l._ in those days was almost equal to the largest prize in modern Lotteries.

THE

_Bonne Bouche_ of Lotteries.

Tune.--“MODERATION AND ALTERATION.”

In the reign of Queen Anne, when first Lott’ries were invented,
With very few Prizes Advent’rers were contented;
The largest of which, (so small were Fortune’s bounds,)
“_Paid in faire Plate_,” was but 5000 Pounds.
Moderation! Moderation!
O, what a wonderful Moderation!

Soon 5000_l._ was deem’d but a small Bait,
And 10,000 then was the Great Prize of State:
_Twenty_ follow’d soon after, then _Thirty_--bold push!
And at last 40,000 was made the _Bonne Bouche_!
Alteration! Alteration! &c.

Now the Lott’ry Contractors a New Plan pursue,
All former outdoings resolv’d to outdo;
And have struck out a Plan to increase Public Gain,
By which, _One Hundred Thousand_ Pounds you may obtain.
Temptation! Temptation! &c.

If two Numbers are drawn in a specifi’d way,
1000 _Whole Tickets_ the Holders repay;
And a 1000 Whole Tickets a Chance may reveal,
Of all the Great Prizes contain’d in the Wheel.
Admiration! Admiration! &c.
O, what a subject for Admiration!

Now if you could get them, and ’twouldn’t be strange,
For the rest of your life, how your fortune would change!
A Coach, a Town-House, and a Country-House, too!
Leading Man in the County!--O, wou’dn’t that do?
Fascination! Fascination! &c.

Then of Loans, and such fat things, such slices you’d gain!
Then a Member of Parliament’s Seat you’d obtain!
Next _Knighthood_--then _Baronet_--and in a short space,
A Peerage--“_My Lord!_” and at last, “_Please your Grace!_”
Exaltation! Exaltation! &c.

Such things are quite flattering, and surely such are,
But a Pleasure far greater remains to declare;
Consider, what _Power_ Wealth and Honour procure,
To relieve the Oppress’d, and to succour the Poor.
Exultation! Exultation! &c.

Then with Patriot Ardour your Country to serve,
For Riches are Curses, from[486] these if you swerve;
And all this may be gain’d, if your Fortune you try,
And of BISH, Fortune’s Favorite, a Ticket you buy.
Expectation! Expectation! &c.

* * * * *

“BISH,” whose bills may be taken as a specimen of such kind of Lottery advertisements by whomever issued, will be observed to have constantly addressed them to the lowest minds and the meanest capacities. One more may further exemplify the remark:--

THE AGE OF WONDERS.

Tune.--“_Bang up._”

This is a _Wonder working_ age, by all it is agreed on,
And _Wonders_ rise up ev’ry day, for public gaze to feed on;
To sketch a few ’tis my intent, while now I’m in the mind, sir,
And crown them all with _one_ you’ll own, will leave them far
behind, sir.
Then push along; for _something new_, the public taste will dash
on:
For _Wonders_ now are all the _rage_, and _novelty’s_ the
fashion.
The _juggling Indians_ show such feats, a lady’s taste ’twould shock
it,
They _swallow swords_, and _swallow_ too the _money from our
pocket_,
A gentle fair, by fear unmov’d, with courage she so fraught is,
On _red-hot iron_ skips a _dance_, and _bathes in aqua-fortis_.
Then push along; for _something new_, the public taste will dash
on,
For _Wonders_ now are all the _rage_, and _novelty’s_ the
fashion.
The greatest _Wonder_ yet to tell, which all the world surprizes,
Is BISH’s _famous Lottery_, and BISH’s _wondrous_ prizes,
Three _fifty thousands_ grace the scheme, which yet remain undrawn,
sir,
A _wonder_ which was never known since any man was born, sir.
Then push along, to BISH’s go! of fortune he’s the man, sir,
A vote of thanks, _nem. con._ we’ll pass for such a noble plan,
sir.[487]

* * * * *

“BISH” when, what he called, “The Last Lottery of All!” had arrived, very cavalierly turned round on the government; and, on the eve of becoming a candidate for a seat in the house of commons, paid his compliments to his future colleagues in the following address:--

TO THE PUBLIC.

At the present moment, when so many articles, necessary to the comforts of the poorer classes, are more or less liable to taxation, it may surely be a question, whether the abolition of Lotteries, by which the state was a gainer of nearly half a million per annum, be, or be not, a wise measure!

’Tis true, that, as they were formerly conducted, the system was fraught with some evil. Insurances were allowed upon the fate of numbers through protracted drawings, and as the insurances could be effected for very small sums, those who could ill afford loss, imbibed a spirit for gambling, which the legislature very wisely most effectually prevented, by adopting, in the year 1809, the present improved mode of _deciding the whole Lottery in one day_.

As it is at present conducted, the Lottery is a voluntary tax, contributed to only by those who can afford it, and collected without trouble or expense; one, by which many branches of the revenue are considerably aided, and by means of which hundreds of persons find employment. The wisdom of those who at this time resign the income produced by it, and add to the number of the unemployed, may, as I have observed in a former address, surely be questioned.

Mr. Pitt, whose ability, in matters of financial arrangement, few will question, and whose morality was proverbial, would not, I am bold to say, have yielded to an outcry against a tax, the continuing of which would have enabled him to let the labourer drink his humble beverage at a reduced price, or the industrious artisan to pursue his occupation by a cheaper light. But we live in other times--in the age of improvement!--To stake patrimonial estates at hazard or écarte in the purlieus of St. James’s is _merely amusement_, but to purchase a ticket in the Lottery, by means of which a man may _gain_ an estate at a trifling risk, is--immoral! nay, within a few hours of the time I write, were not many of our nobility and senators, some of whom, I dare say, voted against Lotteries, assembled betting thousand upon a _horse race_?

In saying so much, it may be thought that I am somewhat presumptuous, or that I take a partial view of the case. It is, however, my honest opinion, abstracted from personal considerations, that the measure of abolishing Lotteries is an unwise one, and as such I give it to that public, of whom I have been for many years the highly favoured servant, and for whose patronage, though Lotteries cease, my gratitude will ever continue.

As one of the last contractors, I have assisted in arranging a scheme, &c.! &c.!! &c.!!!

* * * * *

After this, perhaps, the reader may exclaim “I am satisfied!” and therefore, as we have the assurance of Mr. Bish that there will “never be another Lottery” to be lamented, the time has arrived for subjoining the following

~Epitaph.~

In Memory of
THE STATE LOTTERY,
the last of a long line
whose origin in England commenced
in the year 1569,[488]
which, after a series of tedious complaints,
_Expired_
on the
18th day of October, 1826.
During a period of 257 years, the family
flourished under the powerful protection
of the
British Parliament;
the minister of the day continuing to
give them his support for the improvement
of the revenue.
As they increased, it was found that their
continuance corrupted the morals,
and encouraged a spirit
of Speculation and Gambling among the
lower classes of the people;
thousands of whom fell victims to their
insinuating and tempting allurements.
Many philanthropic individuals
in the Senate,
at various times for a series of years,
pointed out their baneful influence
without effect,
His Majesty’s Ministers
still affording them their countenance
and protection.
The British Parliament
being at length convinced of their
mischievous tendency,
HIS MAJESTY GEORGE IV.,
on the 9th July, 1823,[489]
pronounced sentence of condemnation
on the whole race;
from which time they were almost
NEGLECTED BY THE BRITISH PUBLIC.
Very great efforts were made by the
Partisans and friends of the family to
excite
the public feeling in favour of the last
of the race, in vain:
It continued to linger out the few
remaining
moments of its existence without attention
or sympathy, and finally terminated
its career unregretted by any
virtuous mind.

W. P.

~Interesting Addenda.~

A few remarkable facts, which were omitted in the proper order of narration, are now inserted.

ANCIENT LOTTERY.

About 1612 king James I., “in special favour for the plantation of English colonies in Virginia, granted a Lottery to be held at the west end of St. Paul’s; whereof one Thomas Sharplys, a taylor of London, had the chief prize, which was four thousand crowns in fair plate.”[490]

A DOUBLE MISTAKE.

Old Baron d’Aguilar, the Islington miser, was requested by a relation to purchase a particular ticket, No. 14,068, in the Lottery to be drawn in the year 1802, (but which was sold some few days before). The baron died on the 16th of March following, and the number was the first-drawn ticket on the 24th, and, as such, entitled to twenty thousand pounds. The baron’s representatives, under these circumstances, therefore published an advertisement, offering a reward of 1000_l._ to any person who might have found the said ticket, and would deliver it up. Payment was stopped. A wholesale linen-draper, in Cornhill, who had ordered his broker to buy him ten tickets, which he deposited in his chest, on copying the numbers, for the purpose of examining them, made a mistake of one figure, and called it 14,168 instead of 14,068, which was the 20,000_l._ prize. The lottery being finished, he sent ten tickets to be examined and marked. To his utter astonishment, he then found the error of the number copied on his paper. On his demanding payment at the lottery office, a caveat was entered by old d’Aguilar’s executors; but an explanation taking place, the 20,000_l._ was immediately paid him.

CHRISTOPHER BARTHOLOMEW.

This person, who inherited a good fortune from his parents, was prosperous in his business, and had every prospect of success and eminence in life, fell a victim to an unconquerable itch for gambling in the Lottery. At one time, the White-conduit-house, with its tea-gardens and other premises, as also the Angel-inn, now the best tavern in Islington, were his freeholds: and he rented land to the amount of 2000_l._ a year, in the neighbourhood of that place, and Holloway. He was remarkable for having the greatest quantity of haystacks of any grower in the neighbourhood of London. He kept his carriage and servants in livery, and was believed to have been worth 50,000_l._ He was not only the proprietor, but the landlord of White-conduit-house, to which, by his taste in laying out its grounds, and the manner of conducting his business, he attracted great custom. On one occasion, having been unusually successful in the Lottery, he gave a public breakfast at his tea-gardens, “to commemorate the smiles of Fortune,” as he so expressed himself upon the tickets of admission at this _fête champêtre_.

At times he was very fortunate in the Lottery, and this tended to increase the mania which hurried him to his ruin. He was known to have spent upwards of 2000 guineas in a day for insurance, to raise which, stack after stack of his immense crops of hay were cut down and hurried to market, as the readiest way to obtain the supplies for these extraordinary outgoings; and at last he was obliged to part with his freehold, from accumulated difficulties and embarrassments, and he passed the remaining thirteen years of his life in great poverty, subsisting by the charity of those who knew him in “better days,” and by the paltry emolument he derived from serving as a juryman in the sheriff’s court for the county. His propensity to the Lottery, even under these degrading difficulties, never forsook him. Meeting one day, in the year 1807, with an old acquaintance, he told him he had a strong presentiment, that if he could purchase a particular number in the ensuing Lottery it would prove successful. His friend, after remonstrating with him on the impropriety of persevering in a practice that had been already attended with such evil consequences, was at last persuaded to advance the money to purchase a sixteenth, and go halves with him in the adventure. It was drawn a prize of 20,000_l._, and from the proceeds from this extraordinary turn of fortune, he was prevailed upon to purchase an annuity of 60_l._ _per annum_. Totally addicted, however, to the pernicious habit of insurance, he disposed of his annuity, and lost every shilling of the money; yet such was the meanness of his mind and circumstances, that he frequently applied to persons who had been served by him in his prosperity, for an old coat, or some other article of cast apparel; and not many days before he died, he begged a few shillings to purchase necessaries.

Bartholomew in intellect and manners was superior to the generality of men, and at one time possessed the esteem of all who knew him. His fate may be a warning to all ranks, particularly to those who are in trade, not to engage in hazardous pursuits. He died in a two pair of stairs room, in Angel-court, Windmill-street, in the Haymarket, in March, 1809, aged 68.[491]

* * * * *

A correspondent refers to Rees’s Cyclopædia as containing a good account of Lotteries, with table of chances relative to their schemes; and he adds, that Dr. Kelly, the well-known calculator, assured him he had ascertained that the chances of obtaining certain prizes were even more against the adventurer than would appear by those tables.

* * * * *

When the tickets were publicly drawn in Guildhall, and the drawing was protracted for several weeks, it was a curious sight for an indifferent spectator to go and behold the visages of the anxious crowd; to mark the hopes and the fears that seemed to agitate them, as their numbers or numbers near to theirs were announced. It is a fact, that poor medical practitioners used constantly to attend in the hall, to be ready to let blood, in cases where the sudden proclaiming of the fate of tickets in the hearing of the holders of them, was found to have an overpowering effect upon their spirits. The late Mr. Dalmahoy, of Ludgate-hill, was accustomed to affirm, that he owed his first establishment in a business which afterwards proved so prosperous, to the gratitude of a person, to whose assistance, when a young man, he had stept in, upon one of those critical emergencies.[492]

ORIGIN OF LOTTERIES.