The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-11-07
FOREIGN FLIMsIRs.
A Study of Bank Notes Seen in the
Money Brokers' Windows.
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun.
If any one is inclined to grumble at the
size and design, and at the multiplied con-
igurations on our paper money-and there
are such fasttdious souls-let such spend
an hour or two looking in the money ex-
changers windows at the foot of Broad
way. Or, better still. let him scrape a
passing acquaintance with the many
tongued dealers in strange specimens of
paper promises to pay, to wit, European
bank notes. These form a constantly
huctuating stock, not only in value, but in
kind and nationality. To-day the window
lodges are heaped with piles of rustling
/ currency pulled out by nervous fingers
from their carefully protected hiding
places and flutteringly exchanged for the
green goods" of the new country; while
tomorrow every foreign note may be
| brought up by strong hammered, import
ant American citizens, going home TO
bring Nina out to see if the Mutter still
knits under the Nussbaum.
European bank notes range in size from
! that of the defunct shin-plaster to huge
| fiimsy sheet as big as a United States
bond, and they vary in design from
the simple printing of so many words on
a sheet of common paper to the most in
tricate examples of the engravers art on
/ multi-tinted fiber. The value of the is
sue does not all seem to be the standard
for increasing ornateness of design. Thus
the Italian state note for 100 lire is
plain large sheet of pink paper, with its
purpose and denomination set down in
good easy type while the notes for 10 lire
are not half as big, it is true, but they
are covered with a deal of delicate ira
Gerry in mauve and brown, and have quite
a picture gallery to carry.
MI: - -, = ant nA1C
for different denominations seems to be
the accepted scheme for all the European
countries save Great Britain. The most
brilliant of all paper money is the Rus
sian, for that is not only of different
colors for each number of rubleS, but
some of the notes are printed on varie-
gated paper and look as though they had
been run through a chromatic press. The
colors of the plain sheet are striking, too,
being q cheerful blue or a golden yellow,
or a good bright purple, and altogether,
what with their size and their splendor
of imperial crowns, and their indecipher-
able inscription in what looks like the
upper case Roman set backward and up
side down, these Russian bills are very
imposing affairs. In Russia man with
a few hundred rubles' worth of paper
money in his wallet would be very apt
to think that he owned a considerable
part of this planet.
% rubles, which bears a splendid water
mark picture of the car. The use of
water-mark portraits or medalions, by the
by, is very common in European paper
money. In the big purple 100-franc note
issued by the Bank of France there are
two blank escutcheons, but when the doc
ument is held up to the light, in these es-
cutcheons will be seen the heads of
Mercury and Liberty, which some time
ornament the French postage stamps.
| They are most beautifully executed, as
indeed is the whole bill, although, per-
haps, with too much classic symbolism
for the American canons of good taste,
which seem to be guided chiefly by the
mechanical lathe.
| There are good water-mark medallions,
too on the Danish "Ti-Kronor," or ten
crown note, while on that for 20 crowns
! there runs an apparently blank ribbon
across the sheet in which has been i'm
| pressed the Danish legend for National
Bank Of Copenhagen"
! But the most elaborate water marks,
! after all are those to be found on the
/ white octavos issued by the Bank Of Ehg-
/ land. They cover the whole piece Of pa
/ per, and are a terror to the counterfeiter
/ and a praise to them that do them so well
I 1t is curious to remark while looking at
/ these crisp sheets that none bears the
/ signature Of IF. May cashier" 1t Is but
/ a short time since his downfall, but all of
| the May notes seem TO have been mys-
| teriously gathered IN, and of the hundreds
| seen on Broadway there was not one but
| had the new signature, II. G.. Bowen
/ Chief Cashier" apparently written with
the same stump pen which Mr. May used
| to affect.
| II may be chance or II may be an inGi-
| cation OF national finance, but It Is fact
/ that the English bank notes seen were oil
| fro 3 pounds. while the Irish bank notes
| were Tor pound. This Irish note is quite
1 "A good specimen Of paper money. II Is
trihe more ornate than the English note
and bears very cleverly executed en-
craving Of a diminishing row Of gorgon's
heads. II Is issued. by the way. by the
Bank OF Ireland, which Is established
I'm what Yves for "A brief, bright, noisy
season the Irish House Of Parliament
II Be- another curious fact that the trny-
| cling EuRlshmnn who comes 10 or leaves
this country, begins and ends his fGith
in paper money with the Bank of England
noto. n 81 90 him NJ safe and sacred as
the Magma Chartn, and nothing else OPP
rroachos % either for beauty or design.
convenience Of handling or undertaking
/ security. on the other hand the lrlfh-