[J. G. Ueberfeld, Principal Agent, Frankfort Ready Money Lottery.] Secretarial Letter, signed by 'J. G. Ueberfeld | Principal Agent', explaining in detail why Alexander Blair, Treasurer of the Bank of Scotland should become interested in the scheme.

2pp., 4to. 59 neatly and closely written lines. In good condition, on lightly aged paper. Addressed to Blair at the head. From the start the tone of the letter must have rung alarm bells: 'Encouraged by one of my Dublin Correspondents, who has just very lately won a rather considerable prize in my office as General Agent to the Board of Management for the Frankfort Ready Money Lottery, I beg hereby to take the liberty of tendering you my services in the purchase or sale of public securities, recovery of Debts, &c &c. | In order to open a connexion with you, which I much desire, I request you to become interested in our Frankfort Money Lottery, divided in Classes, guaranteed by the Senate of this Free City, and for which I have been appointed Principal Agent.' He proceeds to pitch his case with a succession of 'facts' and figures. This Lottery was of course little better than a scam: the Dublin Review for June 1846 has a review of the Banker's Magazine, November 1845, with the running title 'Foreign Lotteries', in which the Frankfort features as 'the head quarters of the trade'. The article explains that 'many persons in the number of our readers [...] have from time to time received circulars from parties in Frankfort, Hamburg, and other towns in Germany, inclosing plans of lotteries, to which the consideration of the public is solicited', and that the English newspapers, 'particularly the Sunday ones, now and then make allusions to, and invariably stigmatize, these "speculations" and "distributions," (to adopt the language of the circulars,) as humbugs or swindling transactions'.