A Digest of the Evidence on the Bank Charter Taken Before the Committee of 1832, Arranged Together with the Tables Under Proper Heads

37. The number of country bankers who act with Bank of England

notes exclusively, having fixed amounts assigned; the total amount

of the credit; and the rate at which they discount

38. An account of country bankers who issue their own notes, and who

have been supplied with, or are now receiving, coin from the branch

banks, as occasion may require

Capital of the Bank, Dividends, &c.

39. An account of the variations which have taken place in the amount

of the capital of the Bank, at different periods, from the date of the

first charter to the present time

40. A statement of the capital of the Bank; of the annual distributions

to the proprietors of Bank stock in dividends and bonuses, and of

the amount per cent. of such distributions; together with the surplus

funds of undivided profits in each year, from 1790

Particulars of Profits.

41. An account of the profits of the Bank of England, in the year ending

29th February, 1832, stating the description of the securities held

by the Bank, and the sources from which the said profits have ac-

crued

42. An account of the amount received by the Bank of England for the

management of the Public Debt, for the year ending 5th April,

1832, excluding the life annuities and annuities for terms of years

Genaral Balance Sheet.

43. The Bank, 29th February, 1832

Balance of Profit and Loss for 4 Years.

44. Statement of the profit and loss account of the Bank of England for

An account showing the increase and decrease of the balance of

undivided profits in 1829, 1830, 1831, and 1832

45. Expenses of the Bank of England, for the year ending 29th Fe-

bruary, 1832

46. The banking department, for the year ending 29th February, 1832

47. An account of the estimated expense for managing the public ac-

counts at the Bank of England, in the year 1831

48. An account of the number of items received and paid on account of

the public drawing accounts kept at the Bank of England; also, the

number of bills paid as advised, and the number of bills, drafts, and

country notes, presented for payment by the bank, in the year 1831 ib.

No.

49. An account of the expense attending the circulation of the promissory

notes and post bills of the Bank of England, both London and the

branches, for the year 1831, exclusive of the stamp duty paid to Go-

50. An account of the expense for conducting the business of the Funded

Debt, for the year 1831, made up as nearly as the same can be

51. An account of the total amount of salaries, morning money, gra-

tuities, &c. paid to the servants of the Bank in London, and at the

Bank of England branches, and of the number of persons to whom

the said amount was paid, for the year ending 29th February, 1832 257

Forgeries

52. An account of forgeries of bank notes discovered to be forged by

presentation for payment or otherwise

53. An account of the average loss per annum, incurred by the Bank

from forgeries in the public funds, in the last ten years, and the

actual loss in each year

Profits from Government.

54. An estimated account of profit derived by the Bank from circulation

of promissory notes and from Government business

55. An account showing the number of powers of attorney issued from

the Bank of England between 19th of March and 14th April, 1832. 260

56. An account of the places at which boards were established for ad-

vances on goods by the Bank of England, and the amounts of such

advances in the year 1826

Acts of Parliament, &c.

57. An abstract of the Acts of Parliament relating to the rights and pri-

vileges of the Governor and Company of the Bank of England

Panic.

58. Correspondence of the Bank with Government during and in con-

sequence of the panic

59. Returns, furnished by Mr. Burgess, of the issues of 122 country

banks in England and Wales, from the year 1818 to the year 1825,

taken in the month of July in every year

60. The amount in value of bank notes for which stamps were issued

from the Stamp Office to country bankers in the under mentioned

years

61. An account of the amount of stamp duty on re-issuable notes in

England and Wales, from the year 1816 to 1831, both inclusive 273

62. An account of the amount of stamp duty paid in each year by country

bankers upon each description of stamp issued

63. A list of the banks which now compound for their notes

64. A return of the number of commissions of bankrupts issued against

country banks in each year since 1780, and of the number of

licenses granted to country banks in each year since 1808

Sir James Scarlett's opinion on the Act of 1826.

65. Case and opinion of Sir James Scarlett, on Act 7 Geo. IV. c. 46,

s. 9, 13, being an Act to authorize the establishment of joint-stock

companies at the distance of 65 miles from London

Report of the Directors of the Bank of Manchester.

66. Report of the Directors of the Bank of Manchester to the second

annual general meeting of Proprietors, held on Thursday the 11th

August, 1831

Foreign Loans.

67. A list of foreign loans contracted in England, with the amounts of

the same, the names of the contractors, the year in which the con-

tracts were made, and the prices at which they were issued: ex-

tracted from the memorandums of Messrs. Wetenhall, publishers of

"The Course of Exchange," &c.

Prices of Stocks. &c.

68. An account of the average price of the 3 per cent. Consols, exclusive

of fractions, and the premium or discount on Exchequer bills, on the

28th February and 31st August in each year, from 1797 to the

present time (7th August, 1832)

Prices of Commodities.

69. An account of the average prices of Sugar, Coffee, Cotton, Hemp,

Flour, Tallow, Deals and Tobacco, in the months of January and

July in each year, from 1819 to 1832

70. A return of the average prices of Wheat, Beef and Mutton, at Smith-

field Market, Coals, Iron, Wool, Cheese, Butter and Linen, in each

year, from 1819 to 1832

288

71. An account of the Contract Price of the ration of Provisions per

Head supplied to the Royal Hospital, Chelsea

72. An account of the Contract Prices of Flour and Meat supplied to the

Royal Hospital, Greenwich, from the year 1818 to 1831, both in-

clusive

Exchanges.

73. A Monthly Account of the Market Prices of Gold and Silver Bullion,

and course of Exchange with Hamburgh, Lisbon, and Paris, from

1st January, 1819, to the 5th of June, 1832; extracted from Weten-

OBSERVATIONS,

&c. &c.

THE records of past history have invariably designated a time of peace as one of prosperity and happiness. But ever since the last war, the different great interests of this country have been in a continual state of fluctuation, between the extremes of prosperity and adversity: though the latter has unfortunately predominated. Yet nature has been remarkably bountiful. The seasons, with one exception, have been generally favourable for the space of twenty years, and the improvements which have taken place in all the arts of peace during that period have been quite unprecedented, so that the country teems with the products of its own labour.

It appears now, indeed, to be fully established, that population always treads closely on the heels of subsistence; and that there is little chance of any thickly populated country being over supplied with the necessaries of life. But

this will not explain the phenomenon of provisions being cheap, while half the community are starving; and how, when all the comforts of life are more abundant than ever, a large portion of that community is unable to command that moderate share of them, which by the fair allotment of nature would seem to be their due.

Every man's portion of the annual supply furnished by nature for all, is, however, meted out to him through the medium of money, or currency, and he endeavours by his skill and labour to gain the portion of it necessary to enable him to supply his wants.

But if a ship were sent to sea with provisions barely sufficient to supply the crew for the voyage, and if each man obtained his allowance by a written order upon the steward payable to bearer, and these orders were subject to derangement, so that one portion of the crew got always more than their share, whilst another got less, the crew of that ship would continually appear to be in distress; for the voices of those who were starving would always be heard, while those who had more than their share, and were enjoying abundance, would be silent.

Now as the money in circulation is the medium through which each of the crew receives his supply in the great vessel of the nation, in the absence of any better means of explaining the cause of these fluctuations in the comfort and

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A Digest of the Evidence on the Bank Charter Taken Before the Committee of ...