Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-07-10
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FAMOUS BANKING HOUSE.

indebted, both for her name and her property
She was the daughter of Sir Francis Burdett,
the eminent Whig statesman, who LETT large
family and small estate. He had married
the daughter of Thomas Coutts, the founder
of the fortune now possessed by his grand
daughter, and of the famous clearinghouse
that bears his name; but as the old banker
left his property to his widow, who married
again, his granddaughter's chances of being
rich woman we're by no means fattering For
tunately for her, Mrs. Coutts, whose second
husband was the Duke of St. Albans, secured
her vast inheritance in her own hands, and,
at her DEATH showed her respect for the men,
ory of old Thomas by leaving it to his favor
ite granddaughter on condition that she as
sumo the name of Coutts.
THE BANKING HOUSE.
Down in the Strand, near Temple Bar, is
the great banking house of Coutts q Co., as
solid and strong as in the lifetime of its foun-
der, and retaining and increasing the aristo-
cratic patronage which he first secured for it,
The building occupied by the firm is massive
and gloomy looking, and the smoke which
tury has deepened the substantial aspect of
the old pile. Inside and out, everything about
it is heavy and solid Gliding and ilagree
work may do for the bankers of the nouueaur
riches, but the aristocracy of something be.
sides wealth prefers substance to show. So
thought Thomas Coutts when he built this
structure The strong room where the safes
are kept cost him ten thousand pounds. The
walls, floors, and roofs are made of solid blocks
of stone, carefully dovetailed together, and
the doors and panels are of wrought iron.
Here are safes within safes containing the IT,
tle-deeds, rent.rolls, and priceless valuables of
the highest nobility in England. More coro-
netted carriages drive up to this smoky old
building than to all the other banking-houses
in London. You may elbow duke in these
quarters, and brush against royalty itself, if
you are not careful.
THE FIRST DEPOSIT.
The FIRST article deposited in these safes was
magnificent aigrette of diamonds which the
Sultan of Turkey took from his turban oplace
it in the hat of Nelson. Lady Burdett Coutts,
whose vast fortune is mainly invested in the
bank, keeps here all her valuables. Tom
Moore writes in his diary, that, on calling one
day on the heiress whom he had seen in all
her spendors the night before, he found her
preparing to send it all back to the bank.
She asked him whether he would like to see
it by daylight, and, on his asserting, took him
to room upstairs where the treasure was de-
posted. Among it was the famous tiara of
Marie Antoinette. On the poets inquiry, as to
the total value of her dress, she answered in
her quiet way, "I think about hundred
thousand pounds"
sHREwD MOVE.
It is curious to know how Thomas Coutts
first secured for his banking. house the patro-
mage of the aristocracy. Not long after his
establishment in business, he determined to
increase his own influence with moneyed men,
and, as one means of accomplishing his object,
gave regular dinners to the leading bankers
and other financial magnates. At one Of these
dinners, city man, gossping about his busi-
ness, said nobeman had applied to him that
very day for loan of thirty thousand pounds,
which he refused to make, because the securi-
ty offered was not sufficient Coutts said moth
ing, but after his guests had gone, sent mes
sage to the nobleman, requesting the favor Of
his lordship attendance at his clearinghouse
in the Strand on the following morning. The
next day the banker was gratifed by receiv-
ing call from the peer, who was himself
equally pleased by the tender of loan of
thirty thousand pounds AS the notes were
handed to him, he asked
"But what security am to give you ?"
II shall be satisfied" answered Coutts,
with your lordships note.ofhand."
The astonished nobleman gave the note,
and said that at present he should require on
ly ten thousand pounds, and wished the BAN
ker to open an account with him for the re.
manning twenty thousand
Coutts consented to this arrangement and
had the satisfaction, not long afterward, of re-
ceiving, in addition to the amount borrowed,
deposit of 100000, the proceeds of a sale
of some family estates which the loan had en-
nabled the nobleman to effect. At his recon-
mendation, other members of the aristocracy
transferredtheir accounts to Coutts, who now
became the favorite banker of fashionable
London. George the Third banked with him
till he found that Coutts had lent 100000 to
his son.in.law, Sir Francis Burdett, to pay the
expense of his election to Parliament
A LUCKY LANCASHIRE LASS
Elizabeth, or Betty Sharkey, as she was
called, was the daughter of a small Lancashire
farmer, and to good looks added the more
valuable attractions of good sense and good
humor. A few days before her marriage, she
was scrubbing the stairs, when one of her
masters clerks was about going up to change
his clothes. 1t was rainy, dirty day, and,
being anxious to have the work look we'll,
Betty told the young man to take off his shoes
so as not to soil the stairs. Instead of doing
80, however, the clerk took especial pains to
stamp and scrape at every step in order to
dirty them as much as possible. This was too
much for Betty, who shouted after him
"Ill make you pull offyour Shoes and your
stockings too, whenever choose it,"
On hearing of the approaching marriage,
the young man expected to be dismissed or
made in some way to suffer the consequences
of his indscretion. The young Mrs. Coutts,
however, so far from showing her displeasure,
was particularly gracious and friendly to
him.
Such was her tact and capacity, that, not
wthstanding her deficiency in culture and re-
fnement, she soon became the equal in man.
ners and intelligence of the ladies to whom
her fortunate marriage introduced her. Her
daughters were so we'll brought up that they
became the ornaments of the aristocratic cir
cles into which their liberal dowries helped to
gain them admission. Sophia, the oldest,
married Sir Francis Burdett Susan, the Sec
ond, became Countess of Guilford and Fran
els, the third, was made wife Of the first Mar
quis of Butte.
Coutts' liking for bright as we'll as aristo-
! L, J;opors ,,o M,