There may be, and there are, solid objections to the rendering any great portion of the people the creditors of government, as being unfavourable to that independence of the people on the government, on which all security for good government depends ; but if the people are to be rendered the creditors of government, there can be no objection to them being rendered so in a way convenient to themselves, rather than in a way which is the contrary. And if there is no other security but that of government to which the banks for the poor can have recourse, we are reduced to the alternative of either having no banks for the poor at all, or lending the money to government. It will occur to some persons, that it might be lent to the parishes on the security of the . poor-rate. But to those who contemplate the aboli tion of the poor-rate, this will not appear desirable as a permanent expedient. If counties were mana ged according to their ancient constitution, the best plan might be, to lend it to the counties,- on the se curity of the county rate. But even in this case, it , could not be lent without admitting a . prodigious evil, the principle of county debts.
No mention has been made of the plan of Mr , Baron .Mazeres, in the, account which has been rep dered of the successive steps by which the business of savings banks has been brought to its present state ; because it was not conceived that this plan corresponded to the idea of a savings bank. It however, necessary to be described, because it is not impossible that some of the ideas realized in savings banks may have been derived from it. The plan of Baron Mazeres was a proposal for establishing life-annuities in parishes, for the benefit of the in dustrious poor. It was published in 1772, accom panied with the suggestion of certain alterations by the celebrated Dr Price. It was recommended to the nation to obtain a law, for enabling the parish officers in England to grant, upon purchase, to the labouring inhabitants life-annuities, to be paid out of parish rates. The measure met with support from some of the most distinguished characters of the time, and a bill was brought into the House of Com mons by Mr Dowdswell, under the auspices of Mr Burke, Sir G. Savile, Lord John Cavendish, Mr Dun ning, Mr Thomas Townshend, and others, for carry ing it into effect. The plan received the sanction of the Commons, the bill was passed, and carried to the House of Lords. Here it was not equally fortunate ; it was not even permitted to come to a second read ing. One cannot conceive any very good reason for throwing it out ; because, if it produced any effects, they could not be evil. The defect of the project appears to consist in this, that it was not calculated to produce effects at all ; it involved in itself an ob struction fatal to its operations. To purchase these annuities a sum of money, large to the purchaser, was demanded all at once. How was he to possess it ? Whence was he to obtain it ? The means were almost universally wanting, and likely to continue so.
It is worth while to mention, that a savings bank, en titled Le Bureau d'Economie, was established by law at Paris, in one of the first years of the French revo lution, and it was in existence till a late period, per- haps is to the present. The account of it which we
have seen, is in the Archives of Useful Know-' ledge, published in Philadelphia, where a bank of industry was lately established. Mr Bentham's plan of a frugality bank, added to this scheme two im portant amendments, which at once brought it with in the range of practicability, and enlarged the bounds of its usefulness. He proposed that the people should purchase life-annuities, by sums deposited gradually; and that these annuities should be con. vertible into other forms of benefit, 'suitable to the exigencies of each individual.
With regard to the best model of a savings bank, there is nothing of much importance which remains to be said. The great difficulty consisted in the ori• ginal idea. When that was fully framed, every thing else suggested itself, without the smallest difficulty Two things were immediately seen to be funda mental : In the first place, security for the funds : In the second place, the zealot* the people. The best general instruction which can be given to those who have institutions to form, is to set these two objects before them, as the ends which they have to pursue ; and to adopt the means, which, in the peculiar cir cumstances*of each case, promise to be most effec tual in attaining them. 1. With regard to security, the course appears to be abundantly plain. There is perfect security with many other advantages in the great banks in Scotland, which of course should be universally employed. In England, there is no re source but government security, to which, as at pre sent existing, several inconveniences are attached. 2. With regard to the excitation of that degree of fervent interest among the people, which is neces sary for the production of any considerable effects, all persons will not have their minds equally open to conviction. Yet the means appear to be abundantly certain and clear ; let the contributors, in annual meetings; choose their own office-bearers, not limit• ing the choice to their own body ; and let the people of weight and character in the district, not only show their readiness, but their desire to be chosen. This is the general idea ; it may be modified into 'a variety of forms, according to the circumstances of different places ; circumstances to which 'matters of detail ought as much as possible to conform. It is an ap pendage to this principle, that the numbers,' hence the district, should not be large, which a single bank is destined to serve. This appears to be expedient, or rather indispensable, on other accounts ; to facili tate access to the customer ; to prevent loss of time by attendance, if numbers should be liable to repair to the same office at the same time ; and to render practicable, by division, the otherwise impracticable amount of labour, which, if the great majority of the ' people should bring deposits, the management of them. will create. (rr.)