MOST FAMOUS FINANCIAL INSTI TUTIONS IN THE WORLD. England and France’s Two Great Banks—Treasures in Their Yanlts That Might Purchase a Kingdom — History of Each. On the first day of January, 1893, the Bank of England will celebrate the second centennial anniversary of its establish- ment. Of the many great banking insti- tutions in the world none is more widely or better known than this bank. This famous institution was founded in 1694 by William Patterson, a Seotchinan, and the origin of banking in England,in Any- thing like the modern sense of the term, may be said to date from that time. On January 1, 1693, the doors of the bank were opened for business, Its capital was then £1,200,000. Two years later it was increased to £2.201,000, A dozen years later (1710) it was again increased to £5.560,000. In 1816 the capital was raised to its present amount, £14,553,000, upon which dividends are paid at the rate of £10 per share. serve fund of £3,200,000. The price of the stock is quoted at about £338 per share. The charter given (July 27, 1694) to the Bank of England was a very liberal one. It included the exclusive privilege of issuing notes payable on demand.and also, in consideration of advances made to the go to be the sole keeper of the government balances. The disastrous paunie of 182) enabled the Ministry to compel the Bank of Eng. land to re linquish some of the privileges of its charter. Up to the vear 1826 it was the only joint-stock bank in Eng 1834 it remained the only ernment, was land, and un ii Joint-stock bank in London. The first offices occupied by the bank were at the Grocers’ Hall in the Poultry. In 17534 the bank moved to Threadneedle The present building occupies nigue position of being situated in i It is reared on the site sireet. the u four parishes, gs, including the Church of St Uhristopher-le-Stocks, the burial ground of whict the ‘garden’ of the bank. In this place was buried in the last century a clerk of the bank named Jenkins, who was six feet six ength and was interred there to save the buildi is now 1 hes in I from the resurrectionists, The interior of the bank has little of special interest. The various halls are spacious transactions during b dom invoely ment is entered guarded iron door, where th ables are t There are also the barracks where thirty- six soldiers are : every evening COT PSe isiness hours sel. I'he base- through a carefully In it are the vaults e bullion, specie and other valu- e any crowding. and curiosities o be found until 7 o'clock the next morning for the protection of the bank. This custom of quartering soldiers in the bank originated at the time of the Lord George Gordon riots. when an attempt was made to sack the bank. The Bank of England which were of the denomina The £10 notes 1759 and the £5 notes in 1 ¢ 1 first issued notes ion in 3. Three or ef £20 were issued -“} our years later notes for £1 and £2 were issned These latter lation in 1544, and were from ci notes pre tse th 5, and notes of £1000) an ED r denomination than & good as gold” faith a Bank of Eugland His tender overy- t the to issued ithout institution by ] the Bankof F ninted (even taken five window , but are r going throuzh a most L cancellation. where in bank itself. where they are required he paid i Id. and e by the #in except at FOTY note I 80 Dee n iw ae 3 capital v FRE ’ i Ar Note a into £f the being fon issned and once § Are never : they may not has from bough feet de min- tH course, Boies Deen 1 the tellers uch circumstances, ¢ note the bank “brand-new note circulation of ery 1% } 2 the bank ot the manaze: Cel ve public debt the bank 17.000 per vear, The remain. wofits of the bank are derived from its use of its deposits, on which it allows no interest, and of its own capital, 8 3 der the care of gach of twenty-four directors, whom receives the sum of £¥X) per vear for lis services. William Lid. derdaie, the governor, receives £1.000 a year, and the deputy -governor, David Powell, a like a at tached to the h in far beyo: Many of ablest would gladly accept the the Bank of England solely § that attaches to it, land is the greatdeg of that holds in its vaults about £25,000 000). This is u much smaller amount than is held by the Bank of France. accountod for by the fact that the smallest notes issued are for £5, thus ne. ecssitnting an enormous quantity of gold being kept by the people. Then, too, the lending powers and the commerce of Great Britain are so enormous that there is almost a porpetual drain of gold such as is not found in other European coun. trios or in the United States. The total amount of bullion in the Bank of Eng- Tend November 12, 1891, was £33.16, in London the Bank of England is known as the “Old Lady of Threadneedle street.” In Paris the Bank of France is known ns the “Old Lady of the Rue de Ia Valliere.” The Bank of France was instituted in 1803 by laws which wore approved in 1808, and, as Napoleon said, was established with the object of pro. viding money at all times at 4 per cent, interest. Since its opening it has had the exclusive privilege in Paris, and since 1857 in France of issuing notes payable on demand. Its charter extends only ‘to the year 1897, The capital of the bank is 182.500,000 francs. This bank in not the fiscal t of the Government as is that of England. It does not collect or disburse the revenues of the exchequer, but it lends to it largely in its exigencies, and has “borne the Government safoly through extraordinary needs, a most motable case being the ad ance of funds The honor these Ont. £ olding of offices London's financiers v for the honor The Bank of Eng- wisitory of nt al during the time of the Franco-Prussian war. When the war began the circuln- tion of the bank was $251,000,000 and its specie $220,000,000, or 90 per cent. of its circulation. In June, 1871, when the war was closed, the circulation was $1442,000,000 and its specie $110,000,000, orabout 25 per cent, of its circulation, The Bank of France is situated close The build. ing which it ocenpies was originally con- structed in Duc de Ia Valliere, It covers all the space between the Rue do la Valliere, the Rue Croix des Petits-Champs. In 1810 the building was restored and some- still retain their original ornamentation, The size of the banking room proper is tion with that part of the building to The golden gallery (restored in 1875) is one of the intoresting sights, as is also the room where by a chemical process all the old bills are reduced to pulp. A large number of employees are found in the printing office; cutters, CNgravers, printers, chemists the bank makes its own paper and ink and does all the work in connection with the production of the bills. financiers in Paris, and under whose di. rection and influence the bank has en- are two deputy governors, stitute the board of management. This to the Somo relative bank's interest are passed upon. of the rules and methods of conducting he busi f thia } ed ate back the business of this bank date bate back to a time when banking was in its infancy, and an eff interesting questions tort 18 now being made to have certain of these rules laid aside. New York Recorder. DRAWN DOWN BY ALLIGATORS. Awful Fate of a Mexican While Crossing a River. vo shot any number of alliga- swamp immediately the my quarters at Belize abounded with them, und I often popped off one in the early morning from ny veranda, They proved uninteresting i how. ever, up the at the still I ean tell you tors in rear of jre y alwavs gis ghost 1 1184 ing harge: but $T1¢ in first « quite a tragic ident ecannected with tho brutes which occurred uuder my very that 1 British Honduras, for The name of the i Ince etty enough, but that's all there It is, in fact, nothing but a wretched Spanish Indian village, so ow stationed Walk, veral months yas t tis #0 sounds pr is pretty about it that we had no outside associates and no i liversion except hunting and ridi Sng ion with the latier pursuit, in the habit of ri “In connect & ing San FEetovan, ' Were 00 ion. fit. the tir te aze called twenty miles distant on but on the far side from , 80 that we had to evoss the his we did Walk, #unetimes o ange Wal order to get there sometimes at t San Estevan There regular ferry at either place, so that our way of range : 0 us, just as the whim seized : wis no bridge or by a canoe, while As the canoe Crossing was moans of Orses sw in aller Liu ir horsea preparatory to remounting, when we saw a native sugar planter, or ranchers, come trotting down to the of Ha presented quite a contrast fo u hia p cturesque and splendid tis 1 fo it. yposRite shore # in costume noedless describe Every one 1 i knows the velvet garments trimmed with and brad sombrero of the typical Mexican, He was mounted on a spirited little white which contrasted fav The ferryman was o put off to bring him over, when with a careless wave of the hand. he put his horse to the water, and the gallant little beast started on his journey brave Iv and resolutely. : “We all bridered linen, huge silver spurs, orably with $ stood mechanienlly watching any soishap, when the horse uttered a landgrant suit in whioh the certificate was issued to John Gibney in 1836 by the { Republic of Texas. Fifty-two yours | later the widow of John Giboney n'aimed { the land, saying that the original grantee { had been her husband, She sucesedod | in establishing her olaim in spite of the | lapse of years, aud ono of the points de. jeided was that Giboney and Gibney { sounded near enough alike to overcome { any objection founded on the diffesvnce of spelling. When, however, a deed was signed “F. W, Chandler” and the neler. inl certificate was that “I. W. Chanl. ler” acknowledged the document the variance wus considered important awl the deed set aside. A man accused of wurder was indicted in Louisiana for the murder of Edmund Remball. The copy of the indictment served upon him charged him with killing Edmund Kem. bell. He wus tried, convicted and Supreme Court has recently granted him a new trial on the ground that an incorrect copy of the indictment was served. A new {trial was also granted to Turnor Clem ents, who was convicted of allowing his | cattle to go on the inclosed land of some other owner. The indictment or mfor. | mation was against “Clements Turner,” but when the witnesses began to testify { the name was discovered to be “Turner Clements,” and by that name the pro ceedings were carried on until the verdict | was recorded.—{ New York Teibune. Executions in Chi ni. “ For the minor offences the punish ment in China is beating on the mouth with a bamboo,’ says a iruveler who has just returned from the Flowery King. dom, ““ It is terrible to sce the mouths women as the cane i= laid on When sent to jail they vii food and that of are allowed to starve not sufficient blankets they are al to to death. There are different methods of execention, {no Of BW i and of men must sup HY Ir on the jailer, or If they have lowed frig is what would correspond with our hang ing, bat it is different. The vietim put against a post and a rope is thrown around his neck. Then it pulled till the breath of life departs. Another form of exceution is that of cutting to pieces it is by inches, which is done when the sen. tence of death murder of a fa. near rela- r is taken off, then the i and starvation, | ROiNe other five, other, 80 ON, next i ken out, A thi @ en a i the hin t 8 MOTE Spe he most coma ¢ by the sword and the o is shown ir I have bie i fore s . SIroLes of nerve of these Chinese this more than two nury anv other. worn the the he one placed thr rst, 147 he sided It took i to kill the eration and while thi d ki down with his neck outstretehed wait his turn was ng on the secon eit f i Thinking that the process was turned ned to the executioner be much | the stratched bh WTO oy gmnze to iw wilh the frst hen, whon tioner came to him, he RENTED aa: wailed § » HOw severed St. Louis (Globe IROMs Frise { some taxable Janlter expon becomes Hustored if a pe Shiv fe. n at hor dress as if trating look is aimed colors up and acts she were ill at ase “It is@ funny thine, but tre. that a i cin be detected by giancing at her feet and then looking suddenly If has grled articles {turn all the If not she simply looks at vou in juiringly and then at her feet. The story printed tho other day about a woman smuggling $30.000 worth of diamonds in the beak of a pelican is all The very fuct that a woman had such a pet and cared for it, as she naturally woull in view of its value, vould excite suspicion, and then a thorough investigation would follow.” — (ct. Louis Globe-Democrat, female smuggler into her face, she diamonds, laces or any sm concealed about her she wil a fourful scream and slowly sank from view, For a moment no one moved or spoke. but all stood gazing spellbound at the spbt where so lately had been a human being fall of life and gayety, while his sombrero floated slowly down the sulen stream. A moment later Coleman and I had sprang into the canoe, I peering anxiously over the prow while he wiolded the paddle in frantic haste neither « £ us, however, entertaining nay hopes of doing any good. For u few tently watching the water's surface, till a and left no doubt as to the terrible fate of the Mexican. The Sandwich Islands Tipple, 6. ¥. Burrell, of California, says tha ing of what we eall whiskey, they have a fluid which can discount any corn juice in existence. It is called kava or ya: quota. The me'hod of production is so simple and the ingredients so cheap and plentiful that the stimulant is within the reach of ail. A man with a shovel.a lit- The principal thing used in { { by our crossing over, and arrived iu time to make a meal of the unfortunate ran. choro, I doa't know, but we decided fo recross at Orange Walk, and I swore that if my borse Jack got over safely he should never enter that accursed stream again. He nover did.”—[Globe Dem. ocrat, ¢ What's in a Name I’? “What's In a name?” is froquently askod in the « ourts, with varying answers, Among the cases recently reported is a He who aspires to intoxication has only to Then he places it upon a plantain Joaf toddy is ready for business. Milk used in place of water makes a more but no less effective a drink. immedintel would bo if kept 100 years, are almost immediate and last for ten or who are not secustomed to the use of kava. Striped winter fabrics are made up quite on the bins, and, as a rule, there is nothing but three “baby” frills or a tiny aff of silk or roll of fur at the hem. ore are also soon threo bands of fur on cloth skirts, Differont Kinds of Buffalo. The buffalo is evidently a whole-souled common domesticated calves of the fron. tier furms standing patiently waiting for a buffalo to dig a place in the snow and when he had accomplished his task the calves would cat the grass fearlessly, sharing, huge companions toil. Hunters have often been saved by buffaloes from a terrible death from thirst, says the ius. trated American. The buffalo, like the camol and the elephant, has the power of taking a large amount of water into his body, and depositing it in the reticulum, or cells of the honoycombed department of the stomnch, until needed. The hun ters, therefore, when their vessels are empty, and they seo no sign of ou stream within a day's travel, promptly slay the first buffalo that comes in view, for the sake of the water which they kuow will be found in the usual situation. The bonasus, or zubr buffalo, found in the Russian forest of Bialowikza, has a very peculiar trait. It gives forth a powerful and very pleasant odor, which partakes equally of musk and violet. This really found to penetrate the whole of the body, to un certain ex- tent, but it i delicious perfume is exhaled most powerfully from tho skir. and hair which upper part of the { ad. The zubr in appearance js very much like our Ameri- can buffalo. but the hair on the head and shoulders js more tightly curled | Mr To Pr long p magnincent annnal in perfection it is pro- tected by then iid forest The yak which is cover the 1 ore so rough og inws ious species of i i found not only the ground, buy hair waich thick, silky is white, nne to dye red P| neeygs Gang ooming to bie the milk-maids, as a pet cow micht de Ethiopian King of Kings. Th tonishe d rulers on them a general noti Pls He Gig words add, ‘Beware “The bull purport of his oi hdence is simply this Is dangerous ik of Ring He announced him 10 ro-es : Me he of Rings for § rom the sen including all he add ferent spectator ng Africa and concludes with a kb Hot, or are dividi the Christ wil 4 ropeans so th and Nenelik 11 is a so 1 in the § el ii Cis 1euris of siny awns who reigned ang niso | io i His count interesting in the = ax a sort of Christian i ng gunnery gether his lotnsg among the For ages it 1 i { an ocean of ite King lnims Kol. n ganism, and the « sf r% to direct descent from Queen of Sheba have ¢ 0 i mon aad the alten bey Nn inatiers song and mance, Brooklyn Citizen. inquiry, ro. The Wonderful Paradise Fish. 4 he oddest of the Paradise fish of China. Like the German canary and one or two other species of bird and fish, this little finny beauty is the prodact of ealtivation only, there being no piace in the world where it is found in a wild state. In the laud of the dragon they are ke pt and culti. vated in ornamental aquariums, each succeeding generation of the little oddi tics exhibiting more diversified colors The male is the larger of the two se LO, measuring, when full grown, 34 inches The body is shaped very much like that of a common pumpkin.seed san-fish its color surpassing in brillianey any fish heretofore cultivated for the aquarium, The head of Macropodus (that's his gen. eric name) is ashy gray, mottled with ir regular dark spots. The gillsare azarine blue, bordered with brilliant crimson The eyes are vellow and red, with a binck pupil. The sides of the body and the crescent-shaped caudal fin are deep crimson, the former having from ten to twelve vertical blue stripes, while the latter is bordered with blue. The upper surface of the body is continually chang. ing color—sometimos it is white, at others gray, black or blue. end anal fing are remarkably large, Jwweo its generic name; Macro, large; podus, fin or foot. Both fins are shaped alike, and are striped with brown and bordered with a bright blue. The dali. brilliant scarlet colored spine, tending three-fourths of an inch behind tue body of the fin. The pectoral fins as well. shaped, but transparent and colorless, (St. Louis Republic. wow OL A SO Sun ““Fast’’ and Sun “Slow.’’ - The sun's time is too fast by clock time on November 2 by sixteen minutes and twenty seconds, and on Fobroary 12 it is slow nearly 144 minutes, ‘Tliere are only four days dura the year hen sun time clock wut agree, viz.: April 15, June 15, September 1 and December 24. There is also slight { difference between the rising, midday | and setting, varying with the longitude, but this is so small as to be hardly por. { coptible. Most almanacs give the appn- { rent time of the sun's rising and setting, { making the proper allowances for atmos. i pherie refraction, The difference be. tween the actual and apparent rising and setting of the sun also varies with the latitude where observations are being made. In this latitude this difference is set down aut about the width of the sun's diameter, which is about thirty-two min. utes of a degree. [8t. Louis Republic, How Harry Found the Calf, Samin— little smoeven-vear-old hunt the cows in the a short distance from he went past a clump something that made What do A dear little Jersey calf almost hidden from sizht under the green leaves, ‘Oh, the dear little thing! I've found nu little calf! I've found a little calf!” he cried, aud he sat down by the little soft-eved beauty, and lovingly stroked its silky ears, and patted it on the head to himselt, “Oh, i in. ter Nollie were only here: but I nm ¢ ving One evening | Harry started to wood pasture only the house, and us of bushes he saw his little heart Jump for joy. You suppose it was? i FAYIDgE f = ¥ E little © then some a to take it § home; so pet up aily, Just Little mamma Jersey to r baby when found an lowered Harry ball for a moment, you dear li time and Kiger she it she 11 head and knocked poor Ferst n ey fn big with the pine.colo hat (to use Harry's words she a nt oy it As he gate the Jersey made another knocking him down again, ing over him, stepped on his i { + in the house had not heard his serean and ran to bi i aimont had er went to apen the 1A dush for him and ! rod mek; BOD was no wr | more ound it from fed it as bad me, Treatment. iY Ww ndow pon Ww est Park. where a new be aw n large hea vy wk, which thedriver where the Gree. on exhausted, still they PHT DOSE Finally orse and then stroked nally went to his dinn the their heads two thes » box again pu as much the b the other's neck, & 800 II W 3 it, OTse ns ito say, aud when the ¢ reins and spoke mendous push the m back to the desired tightened up th gnivned up in sl to them, with one tre horses sont the if 1 have seen these horses, no one won {1ink of lifting his whip to his team again It was a lesson to us all Our Dumb Animal or - amsiers in our city could id ever "® spot, He Wrecked by a Mirage. A mirage in the Caribbean Sea was the the American while bound from tladeiphia with acargo street paving asphalt, When the Steadfast sights d the nfty peaks of ~t. Croix the atmosphere assumed a pecaline light color, and it became impossible to cause of the total loss of fast § i i 1 Ph barkentine Steac Port of Spain te { 0 resembling the cirro.stratus clonds, hid- to be twenty miles away. sky to earth. were pouring their smoke downward, Cand the workmen working upside down, and perfect control. well until a grinding sound ship. The vessel crashed over the reefs oo. was soon fast on the rocks of the i i ! miles away. [Chicago Post, In the Grand Canal, Venice, Nowhere else in the wide world is there such a sight. A double row of creamy white palaces tiled in red and topped with quaint chimneys. Overhanging balconies of marble bursting with flowers, with gay awnings above and streaming shadows below. Two lines of narrow quays crowded with eopie flashing b. ight bits of color in the bl ring sun. Swarms of gondolas, barcos, lessor water. p darting in and out. Lazy red. suiled Taggers melon-loaded with crinkled n shadows crawling beneath their pty while at the far end ever ures The. Sovanitar Diag Wy i arch against a tarquoise sky . A Dog With a Memory. A lively demonstration of eanine the Darwin stage, never missing a trip, Changing the drivers makes no difference; io clings to the route and not the man. to Cerro Gordo, and doing so recently was sot upon and whipped by a dog there. Attached to Bolands store st g dog thet has quite 8 reputation as scrapper. On the morning Ef the next Cerro Gordo trip Barney was noticed playing with the big When the stage started Barney followed, and us his companion seemed averse to going be would run back and play. then forward, and finally persuaded ] he fighting dog into going too. Arriving ti on dog «t Lis for rmer vanquisher. John L. in” and the bully was soundly Barney wore a broad grin of satisfaction when he returned to Keeler, but he does not vigit Cerro Gordo any {nyo C Independent, sHLE Hiatond arashed nore, Breathe Pure Alr. With these membered BOmMe Curious exporie urn I was not strong, and in fit to be in the found myself statements in mind, I re- iin of my own in 1862 and 1863. iced was hardly And when | lay long to a . £4 il army at all i : exposed nil i fi at night to the outdoor sir, f clothi no sheiter bu ering at | ends, through which the rain drip} it seemed certain that the n, and h no fire, no change o 1d us a canvas oo Constantly, “death o Bureiv § cold’ #0 often predicted must Why it did not follow was + mistery then, however, than Ow, more o it nince where man po longer excluded one of the hed For l wns ina art of oy Hg: pure health. 1 breat air because 1 could not help ifteen months, wit! but fresh air immunity from colds too, that when * the blessing 4 of the « we ther 11 , breathe, 1 ut very soon, related trouble . ” cience Mont} ime principles of Juring a service of of 8 t stantly, VOTE exposures, OO - i the same prevailed. | remembered, i Came home from the iT8C8 A SNaered Vase, vears thers Cathedral of M1 emernle hexagonal Its principal diameter measure inches and its height 52 This ticle i several locks, the kevs of which are in different hands but rarely exhibited in public, on a decree of the Senate. or exhibition is slung to the neck of the oftici ing priest by means of a card fastened 4 y he n to pass out of his hands ; of the 24th May to touch this » ix hundred the i LT IBS wan preserved in Of % inches * secured under 1 is 1 ang . gy 1a t only When brought out f vessel ever allows jt By an ancient 1476, it is for- ase or go too near both its handles, and deored at in 1319 | Lu but it siege of Genoa RR Pel iam 1 sje eng to Carding Cue gold marks A rs 1g reqevined book was ritien a verse! i 1 Loiverselia, The Uses of Soapstone, 1] commonly known As font 1 iis SOUpY Or gre of tale,is a silicate . white, or greenish valuble uses inthe The purest quality is the pure which is ground into the finest mur and for adulterating candy, for mixing with fine p pulp, and for the plasts ring of the inside wall ¢ Fhe darker colored, impure is used for the lining of stoves and furnaces, griddles, and other domestic purpases for which an incombustible substance is required. The best quality is used by tailors for marking patterns on cloth, and is commonly known as French chalk. The mineral is abundant und is not of mach value. The common price of it is 810 per ton in the rough, iNew York Times. ney : er name watt mineral that has som fits whi to, fle used per & of i GIReE ®long Electrical Fire-Extinguishing. In a new fire-extinguishing system, the building is provided with a chemical res. ervoir, from which pipes lead to a jar of acid near the ceiling of each room. The Jor also contains a cartridge connected with an open cirenit battery. The thor. mostat in each room is sot at any desired point-say 80 degrees—and in case of fire the mercury rises to that point and closes the electric circuit. This explodes the cartridge, a valve drops, the chemicals are precipitated in the room, and the number of the room is signalled. This arrangement is supplemented by 8 series of dry pipes aud, in case the chemicals fail to put out the fire, the room can be flooded with water by turning a cock on the outside of the building. {Trenton (N. J.) American. The Pretty Girls of *Friseco. — Permit me to allude to the beautiful women of San Francisco. 1 have seen them as they moved along with the . ing show arrayod in the height of fashion. Die cannot help but notice their x ceptionally graceful carriage. » ny ! what sivie, what beauty, what splendor | Is it any wonder that man bows down before them and utube ? It is a grand sight to pass down one of these "Frisco streets on a retly day and feast thine eyes upon me inhale the delicious breath of the ) wears at her breast, for every here woars r™ in this sunn of flowers the air is laden their [Chattanooga Times, Ex-Benator Edmunds ia but is a very «ld looking
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers