apon thefe again, to have a fet of wandering Jews and Scots, running about all over their neighbourhood, and carrying away the ready money of gentlemen's fervants, for teas, muflin, and other India goods, (moftly finuggled, fo that the revenue lofes as much as it gains by Pedlars) trinkets, haberdashery, and other articles; and when they have expended all their money with thefe fellows, they go to the poor fhop-keeper, and take credit for any other neceffaries they happen to want. But I am concerned, when I find many country ladies purfuing the fame oppreffive fchemes, having their purfes open for Pedlars, and thut for the fhopkeepers, whom they will not pay above once or twice a year, fo that it is no uncommon thing to hear of young fhop-keepers failing in country-towns, with very great bufinefs; only because they cannot call in their debts. If thefe are the rewards of a painful fervitude, and of an high premium, I know no wife parents who would put their children out apprentices; for, in the prefent times, the most irregular road is the shortest to riches and ho

nours.

In fact, whoever confiders the number of cities, boroughs, market-towns, and large villages, all provided with retail hop-keepers, for the purpose of fupplying the inhabitants with every neceffary and conveniency of life, and adds to thefe, the number of fairs held every fix months all over England, must be convinced, that it is not the want of any commodity, nor the dearnefs of it in the shops, that occafions the encouragement given to Pedlars; but it proceeds from falfe notions concerning cheapnefs, and the opportunity given of gratifying vanity and luxury in a private manner. Many people imagine, that as Pediars do not pay the high rents and taxes to which hopkeepers are fubject, they can afford to fell cheaper; but they do not confider the expence they are at in living at public-houfes, where they generally drink pretty freely after the fatigue of travelling, nor yet, that they purchase themselves at fecondhand; fome merchants defpifing them, and others, through a principle of honour in trade,

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refufing to deal with them; fo that, upon the whole, I am of opinion that they fell dearer than fhop-keepers; and with refpect to small plate, trinkets, &c. bought of Jews, people ought to be very cautious, left they purchase ftolen goods.

My last set of interlopers are Auctioneers, a race of gentry who have done more mischief to shop-keepers in London, than can well be conceived; and are as unneceffary a clafs of people as their brethren the stock-jobbers in the Alley, whom they greatly resemble by their fpeedy multiplication. Formerly we had a number of fworn appraisers, whole business it was, in cafes of death, of executions brought upon goods, of dividing them between relations, or of turning them over from one person to another, to fet a juft value upon them and this branch of business was joined to that of the upholsterer, or the broker, that is to fay, the retail fhopkeeper dealing in houfhold goods; and to thefe branches youths ferve seven years, as to other trades. As the pur chafer and feller generally chose different appraifers, it is imagined people received nearer the value of their goods, by this mode of difpofing of them, than by the prefent practice of auctioneering. This bufinefs is ftill continued, and appraifers are fometimes employed by commiffion or deputation of trustees, maftes in chancery, &c. but it is almost destroyed by the intrufion of auctioneers, who jumble all sorts of commodities together, and fell them by lot publickly to the highest bidder.

Were no goods difpofed of, but the real effects of perfons deceased, removed, failed, or left off business, and that thefe were only fold by reputable appraifers, who had ferved an apprenticeship to the business, there would not be much reafon to complain, though private fales by appraisement would be still lefs detrimental to fhopkeepers, and more beneficial to the owners; but the grievance is, that two thirds of thefe auctions are compofitions artfully made up to deceive the public, for the benefit of the auctioneers, and a fet of irregular dealers, who furnish the articles.

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A gentleman, who fincerely pities the fhop-keepers of London and Weftminfter, has taken fome pains to dif cover the frauds of auctioneering, and bas communicated his obfervations to the author of the Police, which are laid before our readers for their information.

He computes (from the Daily Advertiser) that there are not lefs than thirty fales by auction, in and about London, one day with another, throughout the year. He then asks the queftion, Whether it can poffibly be credited, that one hundred and eighty housekeepers die, fail, remove, or are in fuch other fituations (every week. through the year) as oblige them to fell their plate, linen, china, wearing apparel, and other valuable effects, by auction? He believes you will readily determine this question in the negative. His next question then is, How these things, advertised daily, come to be fold in this manner, and with what view? The answer to this points out the impofition, and it is to be hoped will be a caution to all confiderate people not to encourage fuch unfair practices. To account for the number of auctioneers, we have only to reflect how easy it is for any man who has found lungs, a good affurance, and fome little addrefs, to commence this profeffion. No fervitude is required, no premium is given, but they are mounted into the roftrum in a few hours, by means of fome notorious mfurer, who, having lent money on divers commodities to unfortunate people, unable to reclaim their effects, has got private hoards of plate, linen, china,and wearing apparel,and furnishes half the fale-a diftreffed trade finan, (who has debts on his books to the amount of thousands of pounds, from perfons of quality, who will not pay his bills, but can carry a purfe of ready money to thefe auctions) gives him a few lots out of his fhop, in order to raise money; and as he is obliged to attend, in order to buy them in, if they are not fold at a proper price, he has fometimes the mortification to fee his own customers buy lots of his goods, and pay directly for them, on higher terms than he had offered them to

the fame gentry, with the addition of one, or perhaps two years credit. An advertifing upholiterer-i fecondhand jeweller-and a confiderable pawnbroker, who has a warehouse full of unredeemed pledges, contribute their quota; and thus the fupplies for an auction being got ready by this set of proprietors, the New Auctioneer (not being yet upon the footing of having elegant auction-rooms) looks about for an empty houfe, the laft tenant of which has either broke, died, or removed into the country, and agrees with the landlord for permiffion to make an auction-if the house is old, out of repair, and not likely to be tenanted till it is put in good condition, the landlord is very well pleased to get five guineas towards the repairs, for the loan of it. The next step is to procure a name, if the parties are dead, this is done without trouble, especially if there are no relations in the way to oppose it.

In the year 1765, a fchoolmaster died in the Strand-his widow kept on the school, but an Auctioneer thought proper to advertise the sale of his plate, linen, china, wearing apparel, and houfhold goods, removed to a large house in Westminster, for the conveniency of fale: The widow died in 1769, and another Auctioneer advertised an auction of her goods (which were long before her death fold to the person who took her fchool, by private contract, on her retiring into the country)-And, to complete the farce, in the prefent year 1771, a third New Auctioneer, who wanted a title, advertised, The houthold furniture, &c. of Mr. and Mrs. LC, lately deceasedthere was a crouded fale, the dupes were numerous, and the proprietors fo well pleafed, that the Auctioneer is now rifing into fame.

Would people but take the pains, when they go to view things on fale by auction, to enquire of the nearest neighbour, whether the parties, whose fale it is pretended to be, were house. keepers in fuch a fituation of life, as to be poffeffed of the effects exposed to fale, they would foon difcover the fraud, from fome honeft person who had vifited in the family. The gen

tleman

no

sleman whom we have before mentioned informs us, that having a catalogue of the effects of a perfon gone abroad, he went to view them, and found the house furnithed from the garrets to the cellars in the most complete, elegant manner-fufpecting that the table, and tea-fets of Nankeen china, the plate, the fettees, the chintz beds, the elegant inlaid commodes, and the greateft part of the linen and wearing apparel, had been fent in by proprietors, he made it his bufinefs to enquire in the neighbourhood, into the circumstances of the family gone abroad-and was informed by the wife of a tradefman, that the mafter and miftrefs were Italians, who came over with the view of being engaged at the Opera-houfe; but their talents not anfwering expectations; they were gone back to the Continent-that they were very fcantily provided with furniture, had only one decent bed for themfelves, and another for a maid; no plate, except two table-spoons; china, except a few common tea things, nor any fophas, commodes, &c. but in the perfuafion that fome of their countrymen would lodge with them, they had taken a very good houfe, part of which they propofed to let unfurnished. However, the produce of the fale of their pretended effects, amounted to upwards of two thousand pounds. It is almoft incredible, that people of rank, who know life, and men of property, acquainted with the artifices and frauds practised in London, thould be fo impofed upon. To enumerate the inftances of the cheats of auctions, would carry me beyond the limits of this paper. I must therefore draw the whole matter to a very concife point; and I defire it may be remembered, that all fair, open tales, of the eitates and effects of perfons deceafed, or of others difpofed to take this method of parting with them-where there is no inpofition of names, no fubftitution of effects, are excepted from the remarks and obfervations on collufive, fraudu lent fales. But I could wish that Auctioneers of credit, would affirm on oath at the end of their catalogues, that there are no other articles in them, but what actually belonged to the parties in

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whose names the fales are made, and think there ought to be an act of parliament to enforce this, for the benefit of the fair trader.

But perfons really difpofing of effects, in cafes of death, &c. by auction, unless they give them to an Auctioneer who is fo much in vogue, that it is the fashion for people of condition to attend him, are as great dupes, as the purchaser at fham-fales.

An Auctioneer who is just settled in bufinefs, has all the brokers, old cloathsmen, and fecond-hand dealers in London to please-thefe are affociated together; they agree on the prices they will give, and afterwards divide the fpoil-The New Auctioneer is obliged to knock down a number of lots to thefe dealers on their own terms-or they will not attend him at a fecond fale-nor make up a fham-fale for him, when he has no other business.-And if the fales a New Auctioneer procures, are not of confequence fufficient to draw genteel company, he would very often have none, did not thefe parties come to him for the fake of plunder. I once was at a fale, where a young Auctioneer of honeft principles, difdaining thefe arts, had but ten people to attend a fale of goods belonging to the widow of a tradefman, the confequence was, they were moftly bought in by the relations, and the poor man was obliged to decline that business.

On the contrary, fend your effects to the Auctioneer in vogue, and (to the great detriment of hop-keepers) people of quality, from vanity and oftentation, will give much more than their real worth, and expend the cash they ought to carry to the regular tradef

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himself of the credulity of the people in both cafes. At a real fale, under the management of a new beginner, he might purchase very much under value, and he might transport his lots in proper time, and under proper difguifes, to the Auctioneer in vogue, there they would probably fell for one third above their value. Initances of this kind, with respect to fingle lots, are frequent.

To conclude. The fham-fales by auction in London, give the greatest opportunity to difhoneft shop-keepers of making away with their effects, and defrauding their creditors. I am forry to fay there are no laws in force at prefent to prevent thefe clandeftine, illegal tranfactions; but my correfpondents are right in addrefsing their complaints to the author of the Police, whofe duty it is to point out all defi

ciences in the laws, as a means of im proving the fyftem of police. And in my humble opinion, the shortest method of redreffing the grievance of auctioneer-gambling, would be, for the merchants and fhop-keepers to petition the parliament, at the enfuing feffions, for redress, requesting that real fales may be put upon fome regular footing, and the managers and proprietors of all others, be punished as public impoftors. If fome fuch method is not taken, we must not be furprised at the increase of bankruptcies from the want of trade, and of ready money to carry it on amongst retail fhop-keepers, while Auctioneers multiply, and fill our news-papers with their fraudulent fchemes to undermine the fair trader.

SENE X.