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"SWEEPS" IN AUSTRAL I A. The Australian race lottery, in which Mr Stoddart, captain of the English cricketers., won !,3C0 the other day, is one of the moet extraordinary gambling schemes in the world It is best known as "Tattersalls sweeps, and has been in existence for maDy years at the antipodes. The breath of Bcandal has never tonched it and the "drawings" for the bigger events are supervised by a committee of leading c tizens and pressmen of the city in which it is at the time located. George Adams, the organizer, makes it a business to get up sweeps on all the chit-f Austra lian races, and, owinj to the strong support he receives, is enabled to give prizes that even singly would be taken as modest fortunes by most people. It has been estimated that during a twelvemonth 1 500,000 of the public money passes through Adams hands. Take the Melbourne Cup, for instance. On this race tbe big sweep is 100,000 subscribers at 1 each, and the prize for drawing the horse that wins the Cup is 30,000. The holdsr of the second h .rse ticket receives 7,500 and 2,500 goes to the third horse ticket. In addition Borne thousands of pounds are distributed amorg tbose who gat horses, whether they start in tho race or not, and there are hundreds of cash prizss, ranging from 100 to the modest, "fiver" each. On this race there will be other sweeps at prices to suit the most humble contributorstwo consolations, as they are termed, of 50,000 at half a sovereign each, and one of 100,000 at five ehilllngs each. All through the year racing is going on in Australia, where the horse is ioolized, and nearly every week there is a sweep. As mentioned, previously, no doubt has ever been cast on tha honesty of the organizer, who deducts 10 per cent from all winnings so as to recoup himself for his expenditure and exertion. He employs as many clerks as a large bank, spends thousands annually in advertising, and now holds in his possession nearly a quarter of a million pounds worth of nnclaimed prizes. Legislation has time after time been put into force to wipe out "Tattersalls," but without success. The New South Wales government, by aot of parliament, drove AdamB from Sydney, and he without delay settled in. Brisbane. After twelve months location there tbe Qaeensland parliament did tbe same thing-and Hobart was the next site removed to and where the sweeps are merrily conducted now, under the patronage in peison of the prominent citizens. The Australian postal laws compel that all letters containing value must be registered, and it has bjen slated that Tattersalls brings 10,000 per annum in revenue to the coffers of the colony were its offices are. London Mail.
