The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-04-08
IN THE BANK OF ENGLAND. .
Adventures of q Newspaper Correspondent In
Search of Information.
London Edition of the New York Herald.

London Edition Of the New York Herald.
There is a building in this city big enough
and MASSIVE enough to be a fortress, where
the windows are blocked with slabs of
noislessly on double hinges, and where
men with care on their faces and formidable
bundles of papers in their hands jostle each
other along dingy corridors from 10 o'clock
in the morning until 4 in the afternoon.
The place has somewhat the air of a prison,
very much that of q lunatic asylum. 1t is
really the home of the five pound note-the
Bank of England.
dropped in there Saturday morning in
search of information, and searching for
information in the Bank of England is
very much like fishing in the Seine. The
searching and the fishing are most ex-
~cellent, but when it comes to the finding
and the catching-well, you can judge for
yourself.
As / entered the courtyard a solemn
faced individual in O cooked hat and
gorgeous apparel was walking back and
forth with clock-like regularity. He might
dress parade; he might have been an es-
capped cardinal; as a matter of fact he was
merely a superior specimen OF vibrating
funkeyism. Said | to him in a deferential
tone:
Can you tell me, sir, where 1 may get
ONE information about this new issue of
one-pound notes"
The magnificent gentleman stopped the
automatic action of his leg. swung round
so as to display to the best advantage his
long scarlet cloak and broad black-velvet
collar, and then replied:
Compound hottest We dOn't have none
of them here. We don't issue nothing less'n
| flyers in this shop" and with that he was
going to resume his march, when the CLEAN
| of a sixpence attracted his lordly attention,
and with q meek Thank you SIR" he
added:
You'll find all about 'em, sir, by going
under that archway. up them steps, turn to
the left and down the corridor to the chief
cashiers office"
bow-tinted garments to stand in a court
| yard and to discourse Familiarity about the
archways, steps and corridors which vary
the topography of the Bank of England,
| directions. After foundering about for
some time in this financial labyrinth, how
ever, / found myself in a room furnished in
| mahogany, with huge iron safes let into the
walls. Before a long counter groups of en-
bryo fnanciers were signing checks and
| manipulating various other important doc
uments. Attracting the attention of one of
these, ! said:
us there any one here who can give me
some information about a new issue of one
| pound notes, which / understand is con-
| ~templated by the bank authorities"
The young gentleman poked his pen be-
hind his ear, smiled in a supercilious way,
and withdrew to confer with one of his
| fellow-clerks. They seemed to find some
thing. exceedingly funny In my request.
Finally, the second young gentleman
stepped to the counter and said:
What can / do for you, siTW
"Can you give me some about
| this new issue of One-pOund hottest"
well, the chief cashier is at luncheon
just now, and, as far as 1 am concerned, L
| nave not heard anything about any one
| shall. We have trouble enough as it is TAX
ing care ofthe flyers. But if you want in
formation q this sort go to the chief &C
library. He will be glad to tell you about
it,
This seemed encouraging, so 1 set out in
pursuit of the chief accountant and the
bank-note library, which | finally discov-
gloomy, musty, catacOmb region of the
| bank. Here is where the money is kept
bags of it, bushels of it, carloads of it, all
slowed snugly away behind buttresses of
| etary Cerberus who presides over all this
treasure, but his lips were sealed as tightly
as his locks. and he sent me off sharply, as
follows:
partment you will have to go first to the
chief secretary and get IN authorization"
And where is the chief secretaryf" L in
quired, de~spondingly.
along the corridor, turn to the left, up
the steps, turn to the right and then ASK
Presently L found myself In the ante
room of the chief secretary. Two inof-
fensive-looking guardians were sitting
there on a bench, both exactly alike, with
the same white hair and whiskers, the same
smirk. the same brick-colored dress coats
and black trousers. When / asked for the
secretary they articulated simultaneously,
with a precision of twin monographs:
Tap on the window. Clerk there"
The clerk who responded to the tap
looked as if he had never smiled and was
incapable of the slightest sentiment, and
yet, strange TO say. while he was bearing
my message to his superior l saw on the
b~lotting-pad where he had been standing
al unfinished sketch of female face, and
a rather pretty face it was, too, which only
shows that romance is hard to kill.
This way. please" said the solemn-look-
ing lover, reckoning to me, and passing
into an adjoining room l found myself face
to face with the chief secretary.
Il called. sill" said /, rafting off my story
with the fiuency of a book agent. Ito get
some information about this new issue of
one-pound notes which L understand the
bank is contemplating
And may / ask" inquired the chief sec
rotary, in a metallic voice, why you wish
this informationir
For the New York Herald" i replied.
We'll, my dear sir, the fact of the matter
is the authorities of the Bank OF England are
very reluctant TO furnish neWspapers with