Lotteries.--These pernicious contrivances to raise money were in full vigour at the commencement of the century. There was the "Greenwich Hospital adventure," sanctioned by an Act of Parliament, which the managers describe as "liable to none of the objections made against other Lotteries, _as to the fairness_ of the drawing, it being not possible there should be any deceit in it, _as it has been suspected in others_." Mr. Sydenham's Land Lottery, who declared it was "found very difficult and troublesome for the adventurers for to search and find out what prizes they have come up in their number tickets, _from the badness of the print_, the _many errors in them_, and the _great quantity of the number of the prizes_:" the Twelve-penny or Nonsuch: and "the Fortunatus." Esquire Sydenham's lady's gentlewoman obtained an estate worth 600_l. per annum_, in her master's Lottery; but the unfortunate holders of blanks, suspecting foul play, advertized an intended meeting on the 11th January 1700, for the purpose of entering into an investigation of their real or fancied wrongs. This produced a denial on the part of his Trustees, but did not prevent the meeting from taking place, when it was unanimously resolved to appoint an eminent goldsmith in Lombard-street cashier, for the receipt of subscriptions to carry their purposes into effect; which being accomplished, they exhibited a Bill in Chancery against the unfortunate Squire[90:A]. Guinea-dropping was practised in 1700; and it was customary for thieves to carry cocks into retired or vacant places to throw at them, in order to collect spectators, and empty their pockets. The following extract from the Protestant Mercury of February 14, 1700, point out three of those places of iniquity: "Last Tuesday, a Brewer's servant in Southwark took his walks round _Tower-hill_, _Moor-fields_, and _Lincoln's-Inn-fields_, and knocked down so many cocks, that, by selling them again, he returned home twenty-eight shillings odd pence a richer man than he came out."