The extreme aversion of most Englishmen to professional money- lenders
was strongly marked in a case tried on Thursday before the Middlesex Sessions. Lord Marcus Beresford had dealings with a solicitor, a Mr. Tidy, from whom he borrowed money at 30 per cent. Mr. Tidy, it was alleged, was hard on his client, and moreover, in a letter had accused him of falsehood, and on that provocation Lord Marcus went to his house, obtained admittance as "Mr. Long," threw him down and kicked him. He was accordingly indicted, and the Court found him guilty of the assault. The law regards pre- meditated assault with great disfavour, and there can be hardly a doubt that had Lord Marcus been a labourer who assaulted a small tradesman for worrying about his account and making abusive remarks, he would have been sent to prison. As Mr. Tidy was a money-lender, however, and his assailant belonged to one of the best families, he was only fined Z100, and allowed time till next. Session to find the money ; while some of the magistrates scolded_ the Assistant-Judge, Mr. Edlin, for having added the legal order_ that he " be imprisoned until the fine was paid." They, it seems, had only consented to the sentence if it did not include imprison- ment. We cannot see the moral iniquity -of asking a high rent for money from an educated man of twenty-nine like Lord Marcus Beresford, or understand why, if it is immoral to ask such a rent, it is not equally immoral to pay it, but the magisterial idea evidently was that if a money- lender got thrashed in the course of business it did not signify much. Suppose a banker—who is a money-lender who does not. run risks—were beaten by a client for asking too hard terms? It is becoming time that this Middlesex Sessions, which is out of place in a great capital, should be replaced by a legally educated tribunal.
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