Sir Thomas Cook, the governor of the East India Company, paid L167,000 in one year for bribes to members of the House, of which Sir Basil Firebrace took for his share L40,000. Corruption was universal, therefore deemed venial. LEGALISED GAMBLING. The following statement shows the extent to which lotteries encouraged a spirit of gambling among the people, and we may hence appreciate the soundness of the policy which dictated their suppression:-- The _Post Boy_ of December 27, says:--"We are informed that the Parliamentary Lottery will be fixed in this manner:--150,000 tickets will be delivered out at 10_l._ each ticket, making in all the sum of 1,500,000_l._ sterling; the principal whereof is to be sunk, the Parliament allowing nine per cent. interest for the whole during the term of 32 years, which interest is to be divided as follows: 3,750 tickets will be prizes from 1,000_l._ to 5_l._ per annum during the said 32 years; all the other tickets will be blanks, so that there will be 39 of these to one prize, but then each blank ticket will be entitled to fourteen shillings a year for the term of 32 years, which is better than an annuity for life at ten per cent. over and above the chance of getting a prize." Such was the eagerness of the publick in subscribing to the above profitable scheme, that Mercers'-hall was literally crowded, and the Clerks were found incompetent to receive the influx of names. 600,000_l._ was subscribed January 21; and on the 28th of February, the sum of 1,500,000_l._ was completed. ONE OF THE EFFECTS OF MANUFACTURES. How greatly does the introduction of a manufacturing establishment into a town where none previously existed, alter its whole character and condition! It is said that the burgh of Lanark was, till very recent times, so poor that the single butcher of the town, who also exercised the calling of a weaver, in order to fill up his spare time, would never venture upon the speculation of killing a sheep till every part of the animal was ordered beforehand. When he felt disposed to engage in such an enterprise, he usually prevailed upon the minister, the provost, and the town-council, to take shares; but when no person came forward to bespeak the fourth quarter, the sheep received a respite till better times should cast up. The bellman or _skellyman_, as he is there called, used often to go through the streets of Lanark with advertisements such as are embodied in the following popular rhyme:-- "Bell-ell-ell! There's a fat sheep to kill! A leg for the provost, Another for the priest, The bailies and deacons, They'll tak the neist; And if the fourth leg we connot sell, The sheep it maun leeve and gae back to the hill!" PATES DE FOIES GRAS.