Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1843-09-07
THE BANK OF ENGLAND.


Nm INTEkkSElFG ShETCHs
Mr.. We, d's Letters from Europe are
among the best that appear. The style
lis unpretending, yet forcible, and the facts
are grouped together in the mos, sereea-
BE manner. Our readers have doubtless
met with various accounts OF the Bank If
England but we will venture to affirm
hat they have never read more inter.
es,ing one than the following, comprised
within similar limits:
I'VE avsiled ourselves this morning of
the permission obtained by Mr.. Wiggin,
to visit tho Bank of England. An Off
cisl {Macer or Usher) with laced dress
coat and three.cornered hat, escorted US
leisurely through 40 institution tina, is so
potent in controlling and regulating the
money pulsn,ions OF Europe. II is si,ua-
ted on Thread-needle street, bu, fronts up
on half dozen others, and occupies an ir.
regular area of eight acres. There are
no windows through the exterior of the
building, light being supplied by sky lights
and open courts within. There is clock,
by which tank time is kept, with dials in.
dlcating the time in sixteen different Off
ces. The Bank with its various Offices
are open from 9 A. NJ. till S P. NJ. The
bank has its printing Office, book binderv,
engraving Office, &c. Check, blank.
books &c, ore all printed within The bank,
as are the bank notes. In the room where
the circulating notes are printed, there
are eight presses, oil constantly employ.
ed, aud which throw off about eight thou
sand impressions daily.
We saw tive presses rolling of FIVE
pound notes, and others upon the various
denominations up TO El00O. which is
the largest note the bank issues. The
dates and numbers Of the notes are sup.
piled by smaller presses in smother room.
The paper is delivered to the presses coun
ted ian hundred sheets at tme) and
when worked and returned another hun
dred sheets are given. Freshmen work
five hours, and earn from two three gum.
cas- a week. In the Office where redee
ed notes are examined, cancelled, DE.
1876 clerks are constantly employed. -
When we entered this room our attendant
was sharply reprimanded for bringing
strangers there, but on being Informed
that it was the Governors ORDER" we
were allowed to pass. Forty thousand
different notes are hequently sent to this
office, to be cancelled in q day.
The bank, you know, never REISSUES
a note. When returned to the counter
for payment, a note is cancelled, filed
away, to be burnt at the expiration often
years. The armory of the bank contains
hundred stand Of muskets, with pistols,
cu,lasses, hand grenades, &c, and has a
night. guard SO strong. 10 the Office
where the bank notrs are counted into
parcels, tied with Irvine and placed in pi-
geon-ho!es, We found FIVE staid, me,hodi-
cal matter-oi-fact looking clerks, whom
you would trust for their faces. One OF
these old chaps, with the precision of "Old
Owen'and the good nature Of Tim Lin
kenwa,er," took biz keys and unlocked
the repositories of psper wealth. Tho
"rsgs" of each denomination ale separ.
ate parcels. When we came to the high
number, he placed four packages in my
hand, and remarked, you now hold e..
600, 900 sterling an your hands, SIR
Yes, was actually in possession of TWEEN.
Ty MILLIONS OF poLLARs-a sum much
larger than the whole estate of John ia.
cob Aston! But it oil returned to it's pi.
geon-hole, and l,f, me far happier man
than those who arc encumberet with
overgrown fortunes.
Another OF the old clerks opened the
gold dormitories. whore reposes IN end.
less number of bags each containing tight.
hundred sovereigns. We were next and
finally conducted to subterranesn re-
eion enriched by gold aud silver bullion.
Here bars of the precious metals were as
plenufully heaped as those of iron and
steel are in tine stores Of our friends Bene.
dict, Townsend ard Corning. The silver
we did not NEEDLE with, but We handled
bars of gold, each weighing eight thou.
sand pounds sterling, that were piled in
barrow loads OF seventy thousand pounds
sterling each. Much OF this bullion was
recently received from China, as an in.
stalnent upon the sum John Bull makes
the celestiols pay for their obstinate refu-
sal to "take opium" The bank Of Eng
land has now, in paper and specie, near
ly thirty. eight mill ons of pounds sterling.
There are eigh, hundred persons. in its
various departments, constantly employ.
ed within it's walls.