The Government has at last moved in the matter of
the pro- jected Lotteries for the benefit of shareholders in insolvent banks. .0n the 14th inst., Sir R. J. N. Napier, chairman of the meeting held in Glasgow to establish the " scheme in aid " of the City of Glasgow Bank—that is, the lottery of six millions—was informed by the Crown Agent, on the part of the Lord-Advocate, that in the present state of the law he should be obliged to prosecute all parties concerned. The prospectus has accordingly been forwarded to the Lord-Advocate for his opinion, but there is little serious doubt as to the law. A similar notice has been forwarded to the gentle- men in Somersetshire who propose to raise half a million for the shareholders in the West of England Bank, by a lottery of a million, and we may, we hope, conclude that a most dangerous movement has received a quietus. There is still talk, however, of an appeal to Parliament, the projectors probably imagining that the present House of Commons will he reluctant to plead conscientious objections to any proposal whatever. Fortunately, however, the present Government is not in love with Scotland, and is aware that under the ballot Scotchmen would probably punish the Ministry for unrighteous concessions to Scotch weakness.
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