Telegram-herald., 1889-07-12
ANCIENT coUTTs' BANK.
e Wss Ksfahlished Nearly Two
HHnarsi Years ago.
Qassa saas LsskEea sea..s 81 H~F aR~r-
11aos ssh - a.. D4a Az 4sasr
FsRe. fisE Sea, 80 VI 4E1<E
1ss1S easz " asrs ~ ssts.

W. YsRx Jalv "A Ettie wsv
1c~n Ehe etrzV Z, IA Lon1on. within
q sf,ne's thrs~ II f1e National Gal
kry, there . .olg and soillezf il-c
gx11T teckInz Dltllfillx, ~i-h lF9a raj
h<s rznzlng fram one end u th@
s<her. fossizns a co0AtrY eoiizlns
ca yisst = I1aa staxs ~ Il aEs ask,
"Whaf Is iEr f.sss . noghing % the
fAss :. i " sho~ IheE4 = a little naE-
<ow dos. bug no nanls On T.. several
vnl1o~s bGE fhey saO~ Hotslng exeept
~ant - szshing 4 constant stfe4m
of psssp4s nay os ssCa passing - and
o<1f, Ike - mary bees huTry ing Ia ana
out ef ave. and generally there are
t~o sr three carriages waiting. Z n.lghE
Be taken foF a ~orKnou:se only as a rule
tla glsfturs - those establishments are
nos carriage people. nor are Illgress and
s<ress quite 50 free as appears u Do ths
ease here. Ii might te-any thing. for.
- the BluecoaE school Dos said % . pa
Ecnlang sld gentleman, Ia reply 70 the
query, well. my Lists man. what might
your name be- sly name might be
feslzsbuD. but il isn't" II, % solve the
difficulty, the aforesaid foreigners or
rountry cousins were - Ask the dearest
policsnls1n. WI hat IL that buildingf' he
would reply. "Coutts bank
They might then bc informed that they
we're looking at one of. II not the oldest
sad richest baass Ia England. bank
which wa old bssose lo!nt stock banks
were thought of The oldest Joint stock
hank with the exception of the Bank OF
England cannot boast a ionger existence
than sixty years COutts' blnk, origi-
nally founded 10 1892. viii, ia three years
from tie present date. have completed
30 years OF official l!fa. Ii speaks won
tcrs foe the ability and int gritty which
have from time % time been brought 10
b>ar upon the mana cement OF the insti-
luton. that after two centuries q cease
isss activity, it nor only continues to ex-
~, bat that its prosperity and reno~n
eoetinns - increase.
Despite ~ somewhat meager external
sppeaTznce the interior emf races q Sc
riss Of spacious and even handsome
eilices. aud the ever growing require
meats OF tho business have caused the
fank % stretch itself ont ~ the rear,
right an1 left. into The Adelphi and the
al iacent nsighborhood IL has In par
ticuizr absorbed a house IN James street.
AdsipAi. where Lord Bsaconsfield and
tsg father once resided. The leass is
still exrans by which the house was con
voyed from Nr Isaac Dsraeh % Mr.
Thomas Coutts. Another interesting
document Ia the possession OF MessTs.
Cousts g. Co. Is ths marriage certificate
Of George ~ and the unfortunate Mrs
Fftx- Herbert. The underground prem
ises for the storage and safe custody Of
plate checks. jeVslry and valnables OF
various descriptions. run along the en-
tire extent Of the ground occupied by
ths bank. and 20 down so many fights
below the surface that it Is calculated to
xive one a very fair notion OK the bot
toralsss pit
just inside the door. By the porter's
lc1ge. stands a stalwart gentleman in
blue, brave IN buttons. heroic IN helmet
and terrible with trGncheon. in short, a
policeman. ready 20 attend ID any chance
visitors with arcenious tendencies for
bank notes OF who may wish 70 ''try it
on with q forged cheek. Happily bis
services are not often required. although
there are certain 'chevaliers d'industrie"
who make speciality Of watching peo-
r,le who leave banks with notes or gold
and kindly sndeavor TO save them the
troublc. OK carrying them all tho way
horne.
Stepping on through the swinging
doors We End ourselves Ia what is tech
ricailv cslled ''ths shop" This Is large
and lofty apartment, where the pay
msu. OF checks. bills and other nego-
tsah'e documents takes place. On the
night Is the counter whers busy cashiers
dali pay away and receive hundreds Of
sAou fntis q pounds-so vast are the
rropcrtious modern banking has as
surnsd Going straight on we cross a
brifye which connects the Strand with
The Adeiphi premises. Here we see n
spacious roou OF more handsome PRO
portions than ''the shop" we have rust
left.
Tie partners sit here. and all around
srs doors leading TO different depars-
rnents where the inner work OF the bank
~ done AZ the end. is the 'oank par-
lor.- that innportans feature - all bank-
lag establishments. where anxious Gus
tornsrs are. for example. informed that
sssy can b accommodated with loan
OF ee0. 9Cc. or. under more happy cir
curnssances. inform an official of their
wish 70 lcd-r that sum.
The bank parlo-s Cf0r there are more
than enel contain portraits q some n
che t1rrcer partners. the older ones he
inr easily distingris ed BY their peculiar
eosfFure- the wart - it-u1en never
seemed - brusa sheir hair n tliosc days
There - also q portrast u the baroness
ps1rsists Coutts. Wso has heen connected
with the fortunes 1f ths house Cor more
han 6fty years.
Psrhars the most f1riCws e the part
uers was Thomas C1utts. who entered
the house in tie yelr 1851. Ia Chambers'
Journal ~ read that Thomas Coutts
became the 6rst banser III London.
Great from his wealth ard nuni6cence.
-ninxiing IN che 3 CHEST ci-r g. ard vet
never forgetting fdins1rSh. which hs
visited IN one oCcas'1n wi.h SIR walter
scsts. his friend and kinsnfan. when he
~-as -onarliruensesi with the freedom ot
tie city Nr Coutts had three dauEh-
trrs. The iivst married the Earlcf Gaid-
ford. the second the Marquis of Butte and
she shir,i Sir Francis Bsariett. The
danxhter u Sir Francis noraett vas ere.
st@a ree-ess Ca 1871 with the tisle =