evident now that he simply endeavoured to carry out the regulations of a most imperfect law. The law of 1844, there can be no doubt, was unjust in the case of one class of depositors at Killarney. On the clauses of this Act, Mr. Pratt was compelled to award to those depositors who had contributed their money after 1844, only the surplus money which was left after the depositors who had made legal deposits[120] before 1844 had been paid their claims in full. This decision was, of course, come to on the ground that the trustees had not assumed the responsibility provided by Mr. Goulburn's Act. In this way the depositors before 1844 got 20_s_. in the pound, whereas those coming after that year only got 3_s_. in the pound, and a further small instalment afterwards when the actuary's property was realized. The decision might be right in the eyes of the law, but the law was most unjust that rendered such a decision possible, or proper. The next Savings Bank failure in the order of its occurrence, which has been made the subject of any investigation, was that at Auchterarder, in Scotland, in 1848. The Committee of 1849 were appointed to inquire into the case, as well as the Irish cases already spoken of, but we do not find that any evidence was taken on the failure in question. It seems, however, that the Auchterarder Savings Bank was a branch of the important institution at Perth: notwithstanding this, it was locally managed, the local trustees, furthermore, being held responsible for any irregularity. This small bank was originally established in 1841, the principal landed proprietors and ministers of various denominations taking part in its organization. In seven years the number of depositors had reached to 2,000, and as the total amount standing to the credit of each person was less than the average of 10_l_. they must have consisted of the very poorest part of the population of this rural district. The number of managers amounted in all to forty; but the ruling power was John Findlay, cashier and parochial schoolmaster, and the sole paid officer of the bank. In December, 1848, a trifling inaccuracy was found out in his accounts, when he lost no time in absconding. It was then seen that he had within seven years appropriated 1,500_l_. to his own use. The liabilities of the bank were 4,300_l_., whilst the available assets only realized 2,774_l_. The dividend, given out of this money, a subscription entered into by the trustees and their friends, and the sale of the defaulting actuary's small estate, ultimately reached to eighteen shillings in the pound. What benefit it was to the poor people at Auchterarder to be connected, as one of several branches, with the flourishing concern in the neighbouring county town, we are at a loss to understand. This connexion did not preserve the accounts from being tampered with; it seems to have afforded no check: and when a paltry sum of 150_l_. was needed to reimburse this deserving