Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1894-06-28
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sE RANK OF FRANCE.
/, through the vaults Of the Famous
I.aafifnfi0n.

y III ong the official salons none IS more
szz.,sb+ after than that of M. and Mime.
zzSs,,in. There we meet representa-
$500 &C. of the political, diplomatic and
sst;etic worlds. NJ Maguin is governor
5000 Bank of France and an authority
6. 1.,estions of finance. The general
s,s,'. iii of this bank is composed of two
55a,.4 enant-goyernors, three honorary
asz,ss nant-goyernors and fifteen re-
<saazs, Among these are Baron Al
g sc de Rothschild, Baron Hottin-
' ',.ss etc, all chiefs of great banking
haasses.
pspular tradition gives the vaults,
~ fabrication and destruction of bill
80 in the bank of France a profound
Is mysterious reputation. The vaults
Is.sIxed. releclled and locked again, are
,,s.eer seen except by the guardians,
~ by special permission the precious
bank notes were once exhibited to me.
'gsb.. printing department is marvellous
: asoanized and installed, twenty or
i'm complicated machines roll, strike,
I,@ist and cut gently, quietly. The re-
s.s1f is something that can not be imi-
EafAd. In the beginning notes We're
6laek. but this color is too easily pho
l6stfaphed. In 1862 blue was chosen,
I'd the celebrated bohemian and
0rifer, Henri Murger, said:
III seems new bank notes have been
sued. 1t is said that they are blue"
4na they were blue, with the excep-
Han of the note of 5000 francs created
& ts46. which was red. Never more
:Isan 1000 cuttings of this note were
4ade. and of these only five are in cir
nation at the present day. The fig
srsS printed on 1.-THE notes are their
uean s of Identification Each note
ears a letter followed by figure twice
.epeated. and in small characters a
hlra figure, isolated from the others.
saeh letter represents l 900 bank notes
thai is, $4,000 for the entire alphabet.
ebe combinations vary as the letter is
,rseeded or followed by another. The
solated figure is the number of notes
Il the series, and in this way each note
las its own mark.
Ffom the first engraving until the
ionature of the first cashier is placed
non the note it passes through % OPP
rations. So severe is the surveillance
Isaf the workmen can not even take a
lipping of paper. After each impress
fosl women are employed to count and
ecount the papers and place them in
ackages of 1000 The color of the
lue ink is Interchangeable and its com
osition secret. These notes leave
III bank crisp and bright to return in
SIS than two years torn, soiled. often
legible, having made the tour of
rance, perhaps of the world, and
ansed emotions more numerous than
ae vieissitudes they have experienced.
s they are brought back and judged
worthy for use. after many formal
les they are destroyed in the presence
The regents.
Al one time the worthless notes were
urned. but nov they are reduced TO
aste Two enormous cylinders re-
siye one ton OF bank notes. Water is
aen poured Hpe=. de mass, the orifice of I
81 cylinder closed and sealed, and the
'hole is cooked ferty-eiglt hours. A
lis is sold by weight for the manufae-
nc of pasteboard. The notes now in
.reulation represent $500, 600, 600 /
iAncs. and since its creation the bank
as issued notes to the value of $4,000, /
10 200 francs. Everybody recognizes /
a collecting agent of the Bank of
nance, with his blue coat, his tricerne
laeed over the left ear, and his pleas
il manners He is-a model of prompt
ude and intelligent activity. OF I
sese garcons de recettes there are $50. /
any are old soldiers, decorated with F
II military medal of the Legion of
onor. These agents are responsible |
il their collections, and, like all the
her employees, are shareholders. Their /
aares are kept as security; should
ley receive too little or pay out too /
Och money, it is their loss. Recently, |
Zone day. 1876. 566, 226 francs were cod
eted, and for this it was necessary to |
Dit So SCI domiciles.
The great Bank of France was born
ath the nineteenth century Its cap
al was 10000, 900 francs; and its share
Plders were Napoleon Bonaparte,
peien Bonaparte, Hortense de Beau
Arnais, Cambaceres, Duroc, etc. It's
'1nporary home was the Hotel de Mas
pc, Place DIES Victories, at the corner
the Rue des Posses, Montmartre.
1857 its capital was increased to 1872. :
1000 francs and many special laws
aye given privileges to this bank until
eeember 81, privileges renew
pie after that date.
The building now occupied by the
ank of France is surrounded by the
ues de la Croix DIES Petits- Champs, de
Vrilliere, Bailiff and Radziwill. 70
Ierit the confidence of the public
reat precautions have been taken, /
nd everything is done to render
riyate as well as public property safe.
he fire brigade. composed of the men
'ho once belonged to the regiment of
aris has apartments in the building
nj gymnasium in the garden. Under
he roof are placed two immense resers
oirs, and sixty-three armories contain
lnces ready to throw jets of water
side from the tiremen no night watch
len are employed, and these walk
trough the long corridors always two
y two.
The Hotel de la vrilliere, the present
ONE of the bank of France, was built
1885, after the designs of Francois
1t is one of the finest build
lgs OF Paris. In the days of its SPLEEN
or it contained the hall of admirals
nd the hall of French kings, so named
eesusa ~ 4ba ,,o,,+,.o;- 4Io..;, u,1a