The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-06-12


cHRt$TMAsAT THE BANK
Few London banks stood higher,
in the year 183-, than the old house
in which was at that time junior
cashier. 1t is true that, by COM
parison with tho largest banks, the
transactions of Sir Richard Swim
brook, Bart, Neville & co.. have
to give the full style-were modest
enough in extent; but no firm was
more respected for soundness and
uprightness than the one T have
mentioned. Such strictness did they
exercise in all their relations, that I
have heard of cases in which the
mere fact of heving an account with
them was of more value to young
merchant than any single connec-
ton besides. Was any change in
the law or practice Of banking dis
cussed, no opinion was received with
greater attention than that of this
solid, compact firm. The utterances
in the house of Sir Richard Swim
brook were regarded as almost oracu-
lar; and never did deputation of
bankers wait upon the Government,
mover was meeting held to debate on
an important commercial point, but
at the head of the list of weighty
names figured that Of one of the
partners of Swinbrook, Bart, Neville
& Co.
The position held by the firm was
due to long course of unvarying
integrity and capacity. The house
had been in existence when bankers
were ''goldsmiths, who kept 'run~
ming cashes," and, hat in hand, OBJ
sequiously followed the merchants
on Change, begging for their Gus
tom. In these old times there had
swung over the house in Lombard
street the sign of the "Golden Lion,
the tradition OF which fingered in the
bank at the time of which I write,
and whose very image, indeed, was
to be seen on certain papers, printed
with queer plates, Offering religious
fac-smiles of the Golden Lion" of
by-gone days. 1t had lived through
hard times, the old house; and many
traditions were current of how in
some awful crisis, in which nearly all
the other banks had had to shut their
doors, the Golden Lion" still hung
above open portals. Often and often
in many q terrible time, when men
ran wildly about with stories of TO-
reign invasion or universal bank
ruptcy, had the partners stood be-
hind the counter, ready with
courteous words and smiles, and
better still, with piled up bags OF
gold and bundles of crisp notes full
in view, to stem the mad rush of
panic stricken depositors.
The Sir Richard Swinbrooll of my
day was the descendant of the Swim.
brooks who had founded the bank,
and great grandson of tho banker
who had been made baronet during
his mayoralty, at time when great
traders did not hold aloof from civic
honors. OF this Swinbrooll, the first
baronet, [ need say no more. Those
who would learn his virtues as man.
q citizen and banker. are referred
to dis monument in the church %
the united parishes of st. Spurious
the Martyr with st. Austin Stocki-
shaw. The Fame, attributed tc
Roubillac, tells how he performed III:
duties as alderman of the ward o
Portsoken, how he achieved hi:
baronetcy, and indeed furnishe!
ample materials for eulogy of the
periwigged banker, who, with fa
smile, complacently listens to hi!
own praises.
The other name in the firm wa.
comparatively new; but the intro
ducer of it was figure that Away.
Interested me, as being descended
from a French Huguenot refugee
Simon de Neuyille This Simon d,
Neuyille had one grief. His eldes
son had renounced the Protestan
rlellglon for the sake of succeeding t,
his fathers property.
This was Simon's great grief. Ii
the bitterness of his anger he fore
swore his native land, and never
after his fight, but on one occasion
rs it was thought, did his eldest son
name pass his lips.
His wife, tender, delicate crea
ture, pined in this foggy climate, s.
different from the warm sunny Ian,