Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1855-11-08
The Bank of England.

The Bank Of England must be seen on the in
side as well out, and to get into the interior of
this remarkable building, TO observe the operation
of an institution that exertS moral and polit-
ical power than any sovereign in EuTope,you must
have order from the Governor of tie Bank
The building occupies an irregular area of eight
acres of giUund; an edi6ce OF no architectural
beauty without one window towards ;he street,
being lighted altogether from the roof or The en-
closed areas. The ordinary business apartments
differ from our banks unlY in their extent, thou
sand clerks being constantly on duty, and driven
with business at that But to form any adequate
idea OF what the bank is, we must penetrate its
rece>ssS. its vaults and Offices, where stall Sc
such operations are not known in Wall street.
was led, on presenting my card of admission,
into private Onm, wLeEe after delay q few
moments, messenger came and conducted me
Though the mighty and mysterious building
Down we went into loom where the notes Of the
Bank received yesterday were now examined, com-
pared with the entries in the books, aud stored
away. The Bank of England nereE issues note
the second time. 1t receives IN the ordinary
course of business about $500, 000 81 90 900,
daily III notes; these are put mp in parcels accord
ing to their denomination. Uoxed up with the date
OF their reception, and are kept ten years; at IT,
expiration of which period they taken out and
ground up in the mill, which saw running, ard
made again into paper. II in the course of those
ten years, any dispute in business or law suits
should arise concerning the payment of any note,
the Bank can produce the identical bill. TOmeet
the demand for Notes so constantly us,d up, the
Bank has is own paper makers, its own printers,
its own engTaverS, all at work under the same
roof, aud even makes the most Of the machinery
by which its own work Is done. A complicated
but beautiful operation is register, extending
lrOm tue printing office 10 the banking Offices,
which marks every sheet of paper that is struck
off from The press, SO that the printers cannot
manufacture single sheet of blank notes that is
not recorded in the Bank. On the same principle
Of exactneSS, shaft is made 10 pass from one
apartment to another connecting clOC ks in sixteen
business wipgS of the est ,bliShment. and regula-
ting them with such precision that the whole Of
them are always pointing 10 the same second of
time.
In another room a machine, exceedingly
simple, for detecting light gold coins. row OF
them dropped one by one upon spnng scale; If
the pce OF gold was of the standard weight, the
scale rose 10 c-Ita.n height aud the coin slid off
upon one side into box; If less than the standard
il rose little higher and the coin slid off upon the
other side. asked the weigLer what was the av-
erage number OF light c"ins that came into his
hands, and strangely enough, he said it was a
question he was not allowed to answer!
The next room entered was that IN which the
notes are deposited which are ready for ISSUE
eve have thirty two million Of pound sterling IN
this rOOm,' the officer remarked to me, 'wiII you
take lite OF it!' told him 1t would be vastly
agreeable, and he handed me a million Sterling
Give million Of dllIaGS,) which received with
many thanks for his b-raIiiy; but he insisted up.
on my denositimg ii with him again. as 1t would be
hardly safe to carry much money into the Streets
very much iear that shall never see that money
again. In the vault beneath the floor was di-
rector and the Cashier counting the bags of gold
which men were pitching down to them: each
bag containing a thousand pounds sterling just
from the mimt. This world OF money seemed 10
realize the fables OF Eastern wealth, and gave me
new and strong impressions of the magnitude Of
the business done here, aud the extent Oflhe rela
lions Of this one institution 10 the cOmmerce OF
the worId.-Prime's T'TuueIs.