Pawnhroking Regulations. — Abundance of Charities. 421 



or of which the interest has not been paid, is put up to 

 auction and knocked down to the highest bidder, the proceeds 

 going to the benefit of the establishment. The utmost per 

 centage allowed by law is three per cent, a month; but it 

 must not exceed two per cent, in winter, in order that the 

 poor may be enabled to redeem the articles pledged. The 

 broker gives a ticket for the articles pledged, which have a 

 definite value, and may be sold in the street. Thieves find 

 these establishments very handy for disposing of their 

 plunder, as they deface or destroy the pawn-ticket so as to 

 prevent the rightful owner fi:om regaining possession of the 

 stolen articles. When a pawnbroker sustains any loss 

 through theft, or the outbreak of fire on his premises, he 

 must make good to his customers the value of the destroyed 

 articles that had been left with him as pledges. If, however, 

 the fire has broken out in the house of a neighbour, he is 

 only bound to pay one half of the loss he may sustain. The 

 establishment is managed by fifty individuals, whom the 

 concourse of people flocking in to pledge or redeem property 

 keeps in constant activity. 



Considering the notorious and openly avowed indifference 

 everywhere manifested throughout China for the poor, the 

 sick, and the unfortunate, the number of charitable institu- 

 tions to be found in all parts of China is very surprising, all 

 which, as has lately been proved, do not owe their origin to 

 the introduction of Christianity, but had been in a flourish- 

 ing condition for a long time previously. Thus in several of 



