The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1861-04-09
A PEEP INTO the BANK OF ENGLAND.

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The Rank of England must be seen On the IN
side as well as out and to 80 into the interior OF
this remarkable building to observe the operations
of AN institution that exers more moral and point
zeal mower than any sovereign in Europe, you must
have an order from the Governor OF the Bank.
The building occupies an irregular area OF eight
acres of ground-an edifce OF no architecturai
beauty, with not one window towards the street,
being lighted altogether from the roof OF the en-
closed area.
was led, on presenting my card of admission,
into private room, where after delay Of few
moments. a messenger came and conducted me
through the mighty and mysterious building
Down we went into room where the notes OF the
bank received the day before, were now examined,
compared with the entries in the book, and slowed
away. The Bank of England never issues the
same note second time. 1t receives, IN the
ordinary course of business, about tSOO,OOO, or
100000, daily in notes; these are put up IN
parcels according to their denominations, boxed up
with the date of their reception kept ten years,
at the expiration of which period they are taken
out aud ground up in the mill, which | saw run
ming and made again into paper. If, in the
course of these ten years, any dispute In business,
or law suit, should arise, concerning the payment
of any note the bank can produce the Identical bill.
To meet the demand for notes so constantly
used UP, the bank has its own paper-makers, its
printers, its own engravers, all at work under
the same roof. and it even makes the machinery
by which the most of its work is done. COM
plicated but beautiful operation is register, ex
tending from the printing office to the banking
Offices, which marks every sheet of paper that is
struck off from the press, that the printers can
not manufacture single sheet of bank notes that
is not recorded in the bank On the same prnci-
pie of neatness, shaft is made to pass from one
department to another, connecting clock in six
- Al ~. H.
ulating them with such precision that the whole
of them always pointing to the same second of
time In another room was machine, exceed
ingly simple for detecting light gold coin. A
row of them is dropped one by one upon spring
scale. If the piece of gold was of the standard
weight, the scale rose to certain height, and the
coin slid off upon one side of the box; if less
than the standard, it a little higher, and the
coin slid off upon the other side. | asked the |
weigher what was the average number Of light
coins that 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 ready for issue.
" We have thrty-two millions of pounds sterling |
in this room," the officer remarked to me, will
you take a little of it ?" / told him it would be
vastly agreeable, and he handed me million ster-
ling, which | received with many thanks for his
liberality, but he insisted my depositing it with
him again, as it would hardly be safe to carry so
much money into the street. I very much fear |
shall never see that money again. In the vault
beneath the door director and cashier,
counting bags of gold which men were pitching
down to them, each bag containing a thousand
pounds sterling, just from the mint. This world
Of money seemed to realize the fables of Eastern
wealth, and gave me and strong Impressions of
the magnitude of the business done here, and the
extent of the relations of this one institution on
the commerce Of the world.
LINCOLN ON THE SUPREME CoURT.-We have
seen nothing from the President, which looks more
like carrying out the principles of his party than
his attack on the Supreme Court. The drift of
his discourse that the decisions of that tribunal
are binding the parties to each particular suit,
but to attempt to make these decisions general
principles, is wicked. To be more explicit The
Court had the right to say whether bred Scott
was slave or not but when, from that case, they
attempted to declare the fugitive slave law const-
tutional and the Personal liberty bills unconstitu-
tional, they departed from their legitimate pro-
vince. The truth is, the Republicans have control
of the Legislative and Executive departments of
the Government. The Supreme Court, as at pres
ent organized, is 10 the way of their success. The
Court stands up for the Constitution and, as they
cannot it, they thus attempt to sap it's very
This effort of the "Rail Splitter in
MS inaugural, is but rehash Of Republican har-
angues in many Of the Northern States 1t is
dangerous doctrine. 1t will ruin the fair fabric
which our fathers erected, and leave us desolate-
Franklin (N CO. Carolnian.