Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-02-25

want :" asked the peer. shall be sat-
isfied with your note-of. hand, was the
reply. This was given, and the nobleman
said +: 81 shall only want for the present
ten thousand pounds of the money SO
will leave twenty thousand pounds with
you, aud open an account. Some time
afterward the nobleman sold an estate for
two hundred thousand pounds, which he
deposited with Coutts. Nor was this all.
He told the anecdote to his friends, and
also to George III. The King was so
impressed with the story that he himself
deposited large sum with Mr.. Coutts.
The King withdrew his patronage, how
ever, when Coutts supported Sir Francis
Burdett in his contest for Middlesex with
immense sums, and transferred his &C
count to another banker, who failed and
we cannot help thinking that in this in
stance his Majesty was served quite right.
The history of panies would be very
curious one, and not reflect very much credit
on panic. stricken communities. Some
times bankers themselves have closed their
doors in a fit of panic. Thus We read !:
THE complexion of the larger accounts,
three or four of which were great deal
overdrawn, so alarmed Mr.. Crewdson that
he insisted on widing up. Nothing availed,
and he closed the doors. There was no
failure for stoppage, 10 rumor OF anything
wrong the business was simply discon-
tinued every demand was met every &C.
count discharged in full. " Another re-
markable incident of similar kind was
when the Consolidated Bank stopped in
May, 1866. The bank was at the time
perfectly solvent. The Times said it was
Zone of the most extraordinary errors ever
committed by men Of business intrusted
with the property OF others" After six
weeks suspension the bank was reopened,
every demand being met, with interest.
One bank was lost in very curious way.
Two of the Directors went up TO the Bank
of England, and took with them &l00 600
in securities in carpet-bag. In some ex-
traordinary way the valuable bag was lost.
1t was recovered. indeed, with the precious
contents untouched but in the meantime
an irreparable mischief had been DONE
1t is said that when there was a run upon
the Bank of England in 1865 the device
was resorted to of paying the country peo-
pie in sbillings and sixpences. One acute
Manchester firm painted ali their premises
profusely, and many dapper gentlemen
weredeterred from approaching the counter.
A story is told of Cunliffs Brooks bank.
When there was an inpetuous and unrea.
soning rush for gold, Mr. Brook obtained a
number of sacks of meal, opened them at
the top, put good thick layer of coin upon
the contents, then placed them united
where the glittering coin would be mani
fest to all observers. One bank procured q
number of people as confederates, to whom
they paid gold then slipped around again
to back door and refunded it, and thus
the effect of a stage army was produced
At another bank the chief cashier himself
examined every note with the most search
ing scrutiny, holding it up to the light,
testing the signature, and making believe
that, on account of alarm as to forgery,
there was need of the most scrupulous
care. When he had completed his pre-.
tended examination, he handed the note to
| one of his subordinates very deliberately,
with, In slow and measured terms, Z" Y ou
may pay it" Other plans were to pay the
money very languidly, counting it twice
over, so as to be sure the sum was right,
and to give sovereign short, so that the
customer should complain, and the count
ing have to be done over again. At one of
the banks peck measures inverted were
placed in the windows facing the street, a
pile of gold upon the top. after the man
ner of the fruit exposed to sale at street
corners in the summer. At another the
coin was heated in shovels over the fire in
the parlor behind, and handed out as
new at temperature of 500 Fair.
The clerk In charge, accommodating his
phraseo,ogy to the occasion, cried out
loudly every half hour Now, jim, do
be gettin' ON with them sovereigns folks
is waitin' for their money" s. Coming
sir, coming" was the ready reply; and
the folks" thought the power of pro-
duction boundless. 1t is always the sim
ple-mnded and the uniformed who con-
stitute on such occasions the chief portion
of the throng, just as the people who go to
extremes are the half-educated ones. The
crowd were easily persuaded-the proof
that all was right was burning their fingers.
The account of the fortunes of the Bar
clays' Bank is very interesting. They are
descended from the famous and intrepid
Quaker, whose apology for his order is one
of the most celebrated of our severer clas-
sizes. David Barclay, linen-draper in
Cheapside, established his brother Robert
as a banker in Lombard street. That
house in Cheapside was a famous one in
it's day ; it was the house from the win
dows of which members of the royal family
used to watch the procession on Lord
Mayors day. This was the case with no
fewer than six reigning sovereigns, from
Charles ii. to George LII. The son of
the famous Quaker had received the first
three Georges. There is a very pretty
letter in existence from daughter of David
Barclay, describing the reception of the
royal family in the counting house, which
had been turned into parlor. Another
version of the Barclay connection with
royalty is that the King went in state
to the city on Lord Mayors day, and
one of the horses of the royal carriage be-
came quite unmanageable in Cheapside,
opposite the shop of Barclay, the
linen draper. The worthy Quaker,
perceiving this, descended into the street,
and said, :" Wilt thou alight, George and
thy wife Charlotte, and come into my
house and view the Mayors show %
When the King left his house he said,
" David, let me see thee at st. James next
Wednesday, and bring thy son Robert with
thee" When David Barclay and his son
Robert approached the royal presence, the
King descended from his throne and gave
his Quaker friend hearty shake of the
hand. The King asked David what he
intended to do with his son, and said,
:" Let him come to me, and / will provide
him with honorable and profitable employ
ment." IS 1 fear the air OF the court of
your Majesty would not agree with my
son." Well, David, web you know
best but you must not omit 10 let me see
you occasionally at st. Jzmes'. " The
banking proved as honorable and profit
able as any employment which the King
could have given. 1t may be said that the
Quakers seem people OF peculiar aptitude
for banking. They support each other,
and also win much public support.