Middlesex Sessions:
General Orders of the Court
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28th October 1789 - 5th December 1795

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Image 257 of 4961st November 1792


October 1792.

the Abuses which have been so much complained of, and to carry into
execution the remedial acts that have been provided by the Legislature
against the Dealing in Chances, and the illegal Insurance of Lottery Tickets
Practices which have the double ill effect of interrupting good Order and Police
and of perverting the extensive resource of an optional Tax into a public evil
All such means as can be pursued to point out the particular situations
where these Abuses prevail, The Commissioners will take care to direct and to
forward to the utmost of their power, and they confide in the support of the
Magistracy for the expeditious and exemplary punishment of the Offenders
But to one point, they are particularly disirous at the present period of
requesting your immediate attention - They have received information that
at almost all the Public Houses in the City and Liberty of Westminster and
the County of Middlesex of every description both of the highest and the lowest
sort, a practice has prevailed of permitting the Subaltern Agents of various
Lottery Offices (Licensed as well as Unlicensed) and also other Persons not
immediately connected with any particular Offices, to continually resort
there during the drawing of the State Lotteries for the purpose of inducing the
various Companies at those places to engage in the illegal Insurance of
Tickets, and this abuse it is evident cannot be carried on without the
privity of the respective Publicans, as the Persons who are employ'd in
negociating it, frequently hire Rooms in the several Houses for that purpose
or else go through the different Apartments and openly attend with Books for
entering such Insurance and receiving the Money upon them. In this way
the most pernicious mode of Insuring because the lowest is carried on to a
considerable extent and with a greater chance of Impunity from such obscure
and unsettled Agents being less subject to the Penalties expressed in the
several remedial Acts - In order therefore to prevent this pervading
mischief, The Commissioners submit to your consideration, whether it may
not be expedient to give public notice by Advertizement in the Papers, that
upon information and proof of any Publican suffering these illegal practices
to be carried on in his House, his Recognizance shall be forfeited and His
Licence not renewed - Of the power of the Magistrates to punish the
Publicans in this manner it is apprehended there can be no doubt, as by
ancient and modern Statutes the restraint from using unlawful Games is an




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