Year: 1861




The Bank Of England must be seen on the
inside as well as out; and to 20 into the in
| terror Of this remarkable building, to observe
the operations of an institution that exerts
more moral and political power than any
sovereign in Europe, you must have an order
nom the Governor of the Bank. The build
ing occupies an irregular area Of eight acres
OF ground--an ediace Of no architectural
beauty, with not one window toward the
street, being lighted altogether from the roof
Of the inclosed area.


! was led, on presenting my card of ad-
mission into private room, where, after a
delay OF few moments, messenger came
and conducted me through the mighty and
mysterious building. Down we went into a
room where the notes of the Bank, received
the day before were now examined, COM
pared with the entries in the books, and
slowed away. The Bank of England never
issues the same note second time. 1t re-
celves, in the ordinary course of business,
about ESQ, ,000-$4, COO 000--daily. in notes
these are put up into parcels according to
their denominations, boxed up with the date
OF their reception, and are kept ten years; at
the expiration of which period they are taken
out and ground up in the mill which I sew
running, and made again into paper. If in
the course OF the ten years, any dispute in
business or law suit should arise concerninp
the payment Of any note, the bank can pro-
duce the identical bill.


10 meet the demand for notes constantly
used up, the bank has its own paper. makers
its own printers, its own engravers, all the
work under the same roof, and even makes
the machinery by which most of its own
work IS done. complicated but beautiful
operation is register extending from the
aTinting office to the banking Offices which
marks every sheet of paper that is struck off
from the press, so that the printers can not
manufacture single sheet of blank-notes
that is not recorded in the bank. n-.IU


On the same principle of neatness, a shaft
is made to pass from one apartment to
another, connecting a clock in sixteen wings
OF the establishment and regulating them
with such precision that the whole Of them
are always pointing to the same second of
time. N another room wss a machine, ex-
ceedingly simple, for detecting light gold
coin. A row Of them is dropped one by cae
upon a spring scale. If the piece of gold
was Of the standard weight, the scale rose to
q certain hight, and the coin slid off anon
the side Of the box; if less than the stand.
ard, it rose q little higher, and the cola slid
upon the other side. asked the we;pher
what was the average number of light coins
that came into his hands, and strangely
enough, he said it was question he was not
allowed to answer.


The nezt room entered was that in which
the notes are all deposited which are ready
for issue.


awe have G32, 100000 sterling in this
room,n the officer remarked to me; twill
you take little of it2'. I toldIhim it would
be vastly agreeable, and be handed me fI,-
100000 sterling, ($5,OOOoO which l re-
ceived with many thanks for his liberality,
but ne insisted upon my depositing it with
him again, as it would hardly be safe to carry
so much money into the street. l very much
fear that shall never see that money again.
IN the vault beneath the door was director
and a cashier, counting the bags of gold
which men were pitching down to them,
each bag containing e., 600 sterling Just from
the mint


This world of money seemed to realize the
fables of Eastern wealth, and gave me new
and strong impressions Of the magnitude of
the business done here, and of the extent of
the relations of this one institution to the
commerce of the world.