The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-07-10 00:00:00

GOLD B.LNKS.

Mr. Hunt, as he passed through Somerset during the
election, gave notice, in several of the towns in which he
addressed the freeholders, that he was determini-d to set up
banks all through the county, for ihe payment of country
notes in gold ; and he has so far commenced operations in
this way, as to take a house in the town of Glastonbury,
where he is Lord of th.! Mance, and to have painted over the
door, " Gold Bank." This formidable establishment is
directly opposite to a paper-banking house,or, as he calls it,
to a rag-house of respectability. And he has stmt. d, that
ever since be gave this public notice of his intention, he
has experienced the greatest civility from the opposite firm,
who had been previously very little disposAl to favour him.
At Wincanton, where Mr. Messiter, the Treasurer to
the County, has a banking-house, Mr. Hunt paid a visit,
and addressed between four and five thousand people upon
this amongst other topics. The communieation was re-
ceived in the most favourable manlier by the freeholders.
He had driven his barouche opposite to the door of the
banking-house, in the shade ; and Mr. Messiter and his
friends, who felt a little interested in the matter, got into a
cart at the other side, upon which the sun Rarer!, for the
purpose of hearing the details. Mr. Messiter thought pro-
per upon the occasion to midterm the inhabitants, and Mr.
Hunt first. He expressed a hope that everything of a per-
sonal nature would be avoided, and that no allusion would
be made to the treasury accounts, which might, in such
hands, be liable to misrepresentation : and he intimated,
that if this hint was tilt taken, he should exercise the
power of which he was possessed, to stop the proceedings
of the meeting.
Mr. HUNT, notwithstanding this menace. which Mr. Messner,
iss commander of the yeomanry of dive district, thought proper to
make. detailed all the part.culats of the county rates and the trea-
sury accounts. Afire having addressed the Meeting for a coosi.
&table time on the subject, he said he had a piece of hiformstion
to give, which he knew wou!il be very agreeable to TWA, of those
around. I believe, said he. that you would rather be receiving trove.
reigns than dirty rigs of this son (holding up a filthy cluntry bark
od's worth of the sweat of his brow—this dirt, old r note). Thi., said he. is all the recompense a poor fellow has had
for a rite.
Wnt dhe not have been 'niter off if he Lad tea I go 41? (Cries of
" Certainly.") Why then is not the precaution is-eil ? Why
does any roan amongst you take such humbug stuff in-
stead of till coin of the realm? Ido not me in ti cast
a reflection upon any gentlemen who keep banking-houses.
but 1 know that at so precarious a time people would act
mull more wisely in pocketing that which never ca^ brininie
valueless. than in stilijecting themselves to loss by accepting of iLe
nab which has had, until lately. vu, II fatal correoey among them.
(Cheers.) Now I have a plan. which I plindze myself to pot into
execution. I shall, with the blessii gof tie Lord. set up a bank.
fag-house in this town of n, as well as in the oilier towns
of the county, for the payment of tie notes of all those j.,ekeys'
hovas in gold • so tl at when ',on get any of the " rags," you can
came ;o me, and you shall exeive die sovereigns fur them. (Cheers
aid laughter.)
Mr. Al rtirtrEst—Why they know they can receive sovereigns
at this banking-house, whenever hey please to ~end in 'he notes
_it is absurd to say that they are displeased with the accom-
modation.
Mr. HONT,..-I krow they can whenever hey choose to send. as
you say ; bat which of the dependants up in the pniserful slid dare
to send ? How soon and how injuriously may such a liberty be
resented ?

Alt. MESIIITtIt deried that there ever had be•.n any obj etinn
made to any pmpo.ni• nof the kind. h was all the same to the
fun whether they paid in specie or in their own notes; and Mr.
Hunt might a.nd io ■s mat yas lie could collect, and be am:to-
t:low ect without a murmur. _

Mr. IkseT—Voti may depend upon it that I shell do so. I be.
lien the pet 13W of Somerset kt.ow that I never broke my word with
them. (Cries of " Never.") 'dell. as sure as you s a,d there (to
.)Ir. Men,itrobroili in thee won, you and I will keep batiks toge-
ther in his town, and we will keit), up a constant communication
together. ( banuhter.) Some ;wrote have dared to call nie disloyal.
I. this disloyal ? Is tt not lending a hard to (loverniiient, who
benignly intend to send the 11. notes gradually out of circulation ?
Why, the worlel will imagine that I am an agent fur Goverment!,
lem so active in seconding their views. But I have soother good
ohject in view—a chantahle ol j ct. (Cheers and laughter.) lion
all know what a dreadful ships the Lest panic was—how n my
highly respectable gentlemen suffered in correcquenee of the ridi-
cm/our apprehensions cat their insolvency. New, I ask you ali,
would it not be dreadful to base such terrible '` rums." as they were
called, visited up in the bankers again ? Cmlel any man, who had
the power of preventing it, calmly look on without making an etl.rt
to avert the evil P Gentlemen, it is i aro:eta:le. lam determined
that the e shall be no prejudicial run upon tice hat-king-homers of this
muntv, at any rate. The If. notes must be all in witlun two years.
I think, weeding •to the Art of Parlism:tit, and I shall begin 10
pay off, with the blessing of God, as spud as possible, in order rot
only to show my respect for the law, but to manifest my regard It r
the eh/ureter of the several establishments amongst you. (Laughter.)
Wherever there la a rag bank I shall set op a gold bank, and you
mar all co tie to try bank, for I shall have two doors to it, without
bans seen by the t. rag" gentlemen, at d without any fear of being
tr tote I as the pox butcher was the other day, who was deprival of
his stall for daring to mount my colours.
At IVe!la, Mr. Hunt met with some difficulths when he
went to address the freeholders; hut to such a veteran and
disciplinarian what are ordinary difficulties? Before he
reached the town he was told that the Somers- t Inn, where
he used to be re ceived with open arms, could not accom•
modate him, and that there was a disinclination upon the
part of the landlords of the other respectable inns to give him
admission. Not at all surprised or hurt at this appearance of
hostility, he drove up to the Samcrset Inn : no landlord, no
waiter, no hostler, appeared. He jun pal out of his carriage
with his friends, and walked into the hall. The landlord then
stepped up to him, and civilly assured him that all the rooms
were engaged, and princirally by clergymen and magistrat, s.
" Oh, very well," said Mr. Hunt, " let us have a table
here in this ball; it is ettol and pleasant, and the clergy
may keep their rooms. The landlord repeated his apology,
awl said that really Mr. Hunt could not he aecammodatril
in his house. " Here are sovereigns," said be (pulling out
his purse), " I must have the best eating and drinking
your house can afford, and I dare you to refuse to accom-
modate me." The landlord was terrified at the resolute
tone and words of the Candidate, and immediately showed
him into an excellent room, where every thing he required
was served up to him. He then mast for the crier, and. or-
dered him to hell about the town that he would address the
freeholders of the county in the Cathedral-yard, at four
o'clock. No sooner was this known to the ccelesiaatieul
authorities, than Mr. Hunt was waited upon by a mcs-
senger,who presented him with a note, containing the com•
',Umtata of the resident Dean and Chapter, and expressing
a fervent wish that divine service might not be inter-
rupted. To this a verbal answer was returned, stating
that Mr. Hunt never replied to anonymous correspondents;
that he should, however, take care not to interrupt divine
service, as he should address the people at a respectful dis-
tance from the Cathedral, and not at the full pitch of his
voice. He was given to understand that he might expect
some interference in the Cathedral-yard ; but he was punc-
tual, and addressed nearly 8,000 people, from the top of the
wall opposite to the Dean and Chapter's haus..., for au hour
and forty minutes.

____ ---- --
Mr. Egerton Smith, of Liverpool, has proposed a new
species or life-preserver for persons going to sea. It consists of a
collar of cork, two inches thick, and nieeteen inches in diameter,
with a hole in the middle, large enough to let the head pan
through. The coil ir lies upon the shoulders, somewhat like a tip.
Pd, and is fattened ,o the body by .triage, passing trout bark to
front ulster the arms. Its weight two pounds and three quarters.'
" This collar," he says, " supported rte, without any exertion on
soy part, and with my arms entirely out of the water. A
young gentleman also hung upon the in the watt'', and the col-
lar sustained us both without motion on our parts, either of
the hands or feet ; and I hare not a doubt that a collar of similar
thickness, and of two feet diameter would keen afloat three per-
sons. I found I could swim as quickly, and I thoulht even quicker,
with the simple apparatus than without it ; nor is *this at all impro-
bable, as the weight of the hotly being neutralized by the buoyancy
of the cork, the whole exertion of the arms is applied to propelling
the swimmer forwards. It is also a very great advantage of this
collar, that it enables the wearer to lie on his back in the water,
and thus shift his position, which, if he wtr.: subject to lung im-
mersion, would be of great consequence."
On Monday evening two carters went into a public house
in Broughton-vreet, Edinburgh, anti call.A for sortie whisky,
which they drank, and left the house without paying for. The
landlord, an inlitm old man, foil wed them to the door, and en-
d avoured to obtain payment, but the ruffians beat him an umber-
ciful'y on the head with the handles of their whips, as to lay Mtn
prostate in the passage in a state of insensibility, and then made
off: There being no other person in the house, the old man lay a
considtrab:e time in that state, bleeding profusely, until some per-
son accidentally entered, who gave the alarm, and medical aid was
trocured, but the poor man is not yet considered out of danger.
Search h-.s been mach" for the delinquents, but without IllteeePP.
EXTRAORDINARY Cow.—ln the vicinity of Pool there
is a cow of the Montgomeryshire breed, fifteen years old
(this month) ; in which time she has produced the un-
common numer of 28 calves- The births were as follow:
—at two years old, I ; three years old, 2 ; four years
ied, I (the only one butchered) ; she then brought twins
for five successive years; the two following years three
each birth ; the following year, '2 ; the following year, 3 ;
114 last week she brought 3 more fine calves.