The interest given for the investment made, it appeared, was attracting a much higher class of depositors than it was ever sought to encourage, or than the Act was intended to benefit. The interest guaranteed by Government has already been stated. In amount, it was at least 11_s._ 3_d._ more than the interest yielded by any other Government security, while Consols did not bring in more than 3_l._ 5_s._ per cent. Many, we believe, in the first instance put their money into the Savings Banks to afford encouragement to their poorer neighbours or dependents, and in order to inspire them with confidence: and it will be well understood how necessary this was at the outset, seeing that at that time there were few means of inculcating sound political knowledge, or, indeed, information of any sort, among the great mass of the people, who too often were swayed hither and thither at the mere whim of some noisy and ignorant demagogue. Whether or not this sufficiently accounts for the fact of the better classes contributing to the early Savings Banks, it is clear that all classes soon found out that it was not possible to do better with their money, and hence allowed it to remain where it was. Several banks were very careful to exclude by their rules all but mechanics, servants, and persons in similar ranks of life, but the rest either had no such rules, or were very careless about enforcing them. One gentleman, possessed of 40,000_l._ was known to have deposited large sums of money in one Savings Bank in the names of his six children. On the 17th of March, 1818, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, influenced by such abuses as these, asked leave to bring in a bill to amend the Act passed last year. No trace of the proceedings of Parliament with regard to this little bill remains, but it seems only to have been meant as a temporary measure of relief till the whole subject could be more effectually grappled with. It simply provided for some alterations in the forms of debenture, gave power to Justices of the Peace to reject, for a sufficient reason, any Rules deposited with their clerks, and prohibited the arrangement by which a person might invest in a Savings Bank by means of a ticket or number, and without disclosing his or her name.