The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-08-30 00:00:00

A DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE BANK or ENGLAND
AND THE BANK OF FRANCE.

(From the Charivari.)
The Bank of England (with a cautious wheedling air.)
Good day, dear neighbour. How do you find your dear self?
Still strong and hearty? You always keep pretty plump,
methinks—always have a tolerable corporation. Well, so
much the better !

The Bank of France.—Yes, yes ; taking altogether, it's
not so bad. It shows a sound constitution, and a prudent
diet ; for I never commit an excess, nor do anything to com-
promise my existence. Last year, for instance, by a thou-
sand operations, I did not even lose—though I expected it—
guess how much ?
The Bank of England.-2,000,000, perhaps.
The Bank a France.-235f. 50c.

The Bank of England.—Ah, you conjurer ! As for me, I
should have lost the whole, at least. But how do you
manage ?
The Bank ,of France.—Why, you see, I only lend on sure
grounds—on a long string of signatures—and then not to
everybody. I refuse to discount the paper of blue eyes,
flat noses, democratic opinions, red hair, and a host of others,
who are pointed out to me by the police, good as their secu-
rity may be.
The Bank of England (with a still more cautious air.)—
Want of money makes you so cautious, I suppose, for report
runs that your pockets are but indifferently lined.
The Bank of France.—Nonsense ! I can, on the con-
trary, take up crowns by the. shovelful! ! I have in my safe
nearly 200,000,000 in specie, and don't know what in the
world to do with them. _ _

The Bank of England (aside.)—l have her ! (Aloud.)
And what does the government say ?
The Bank of France.—The government ! Parbleu, it is
all the same to the government, as long as I can lend it
money when it wants it. What can the government care,
whether the trade that pays the taxes comes this way or that?
As long as they are paid, that is enough.
The Bank of England.—And the nation ?
The Bank of France.—Ah, you have still the air of having
just left your own country. The nation is a great block-
head, who neither says anything, nor even thinks.
The Bank of England.—D—n ! Mine is a little more ex-.
acting. However, what you say surprises me. I thought
that, according to your own constitution, you were created
and sent into the world for the purpose of aiding the trader,
or even the artizan • or, in fact, any one who wanted specie,
and could offer sufficient security.
The Bank of France.—That was only the flare-up of my
prospectus—was what you call a puff. The fact is, I only
lend to the top merchants, the top bankers, to those that
lend again ; in a word I only assist those who want no assist-
ance. Nevertheless, that does not prevent me from taking
the deepest interest in commerce and industry.
The Bank of England.—Ah ! that is as things are under-
stood. Heavens ! I wish John Bull was as acconiodating.
See how miserably thin I am. Nothing in my hands, and
nothing in my pockets. lam a bank done for, if you do not,
assist me. Tell me now, have you such a thing as a little
money at my service. ?

The Bank of France.—Money—hem—how much
The Bank of England.—A trifle, a mere nothing—only
50,000,000 f. And you owe this service to England. England
has been your most faithful ally since—egad ,I don't exactly
know since when—l mean, in a word, since she has not be-
trayed you. England, with the greatest pleasure, saw the
Orleans family ascend the throne. That is worth something.
England consented to give up one of her Princes to Belgium,
to the exclusion of yours. That is worth something too.
England received your ambassador, M. Soult, with the high-
est respect, and treated him as a great statesman. That is
worth something again ! England and France have both
one common interest. England has cast a sheep's eye on
Algiers, and France wants to keep it. England wants a mo-
nopoly for her commerce—so does France foi :,er own. En-
gland and France wish that her own own navy should be the
strongest in the world. Each desires that her own influence
should preponderate in Europe. Thus, you see, it is impos-
sible to conceive two rivals more perfectly united both by
sympathy and in their designs.
The Bank of France.—My eyes are filled with tears !
The Bank of England.—l will add a last consideration.
If we may judge from the affairs that are ripening in the
East, it is very possible that the friendship between England
and France may terminate in a mortal war. Hence it would
be quite in accordance with the chivalric spirit of France to
furnish England with the means of fighting against her with
equal weapons, arming her fleets, equipping her soldiers, and
stocking her arsenals.
The Bank of France.—That is true.
The Bank of England.—Now, as a guarantee for the pay-
ment of the loan, I will give you Exchequer-bonds to the
same amount.

The Bank of France,—Good. But who will guarantee the
guarantee?

The Bank of England.—Some French bankers, whom I
will guarantee in my turn. See if your statutes will allow
this little transaction.

The Bank of formally forbad all transac-
tions between me and the foreign banks. But--bah ! what
of that ? I laugh at statutes !
(Enter one of the clerks, with a bundle of bills.)
Clerk.—Here are some French merchants, French manu-
facturers, French tradesmen, and French artisans, all very
solvent, hut suffering a momentary pressure from the stagna-
tion of affairs. They want the paper with which they have
been paid to be discounted. The total amount is 50,000 f.
The Bank bf France.—How many signatures to each bill ?
Clerk.—Only 74.
The Bank of France.—Not enough.
Clerk.—They say that if the bank does not aid them under
the present circumstances, they will send in their balance-
sheet, shut up shop, and that several thousand workmen will
be turned into the street.

The Bank of France.—They may go to the devil. I laugh
at the notion of their failure. And as to their workmen, I
am not frightened about that, for we have, thank heaven, a
host of sergens de vine who can prove to them that I am the
very best of banks. The transaction would be contrary to
our statutes, and—respect to our statutes above everything !
(Exit Clerk.) You see how I manage business. But to re-
turn to our own—l told you, that spite of our statutes, which
I laugh at, I was charmed to be of this little service to you.
The Bank of France is not fond of lending (like La Fontaine's
ant)—that is its least fault ; but when a neighbour cries "fa-
mine," I would not send him off. Here.
(The Bank of England receives the 50,000,000 f.)
The Bank of France.—There is an affair settled. We have
only to arrange the mode of repayment.
The Bank of England (going off with full pockets).—dood•
bye ! Nothing can be more simple t England will pay You
all, principal and interest—in ball and shot.