parts of Ireland by silver notes; but in Dublin, where notes of a very small description are not issuable, by an extremely base silver coin, which was privately fabricated in great quantities, and to which nothing but the want of any other medium capable of effecting small payments could have given currency. Some impediments having arisen to the circulation of the very base silver, the attention both of the Bank of Ireland and of the government was called to this subject, and measures appear to have been taken in consequence of a communication with his Majesty's privy council, for the coinage and issue by the Bank of Ireland of a considerable quantity of dollars, at the price of six shillings per dollar. These Irish dollars contain the same quantity of silver with those lately issued by the Bank of England at five shillings British, and differ little in appearance, except in having the name and device of the Bank of Ireland in the place of those of the Bank of England. The copper coinage is so defective, that it appears there is not a mint halfpenny in circulation; and if it shall be thought expedient to equalize the currency by making the shillings contain only twelve pence, your committee submit the advantage of doing so, if it could be accomplished with due regard to other circumstances, before a new copper coinage shall take place, and the making the copper penny, half-penny, and farthing of England equally current in Ireland, as the silver shilling and golden guinea, and to abstain from coining any copper with any separate device, or under any separate weight or description for Ireland." The bankers registered this year were as follows: Sir Andrew Ferguson, Bart. Henry Alex-Londonderry,Jan.3,1804. ander, and John Bond, Richard Wogan Talbot, Edward Glascock, (in place of the firm registered on the Malahide 10th of March, 1803.) Jan. 27. The following return was made by the collectors of the revenue of the total number of banks in Ireland, that issued bank notes, silver notes, and I. O. U.'s. Dublin...? Banks issuing notes for even pounds {Waterford or guineas only..... Banks issuing gold and silver notes Banks issuing I. O. U.'s 6 1 28 62 128 225 In addition to these, the return stated that I. O. U.'s were issued by every shopkeeper and publican in Cork, and by several shopkeepers in Kinsale. There were no banks in the following districts: Athlone, Belfast, Clones, Coleraine, Donaghadee, Drogheda, Dunkalk, Ennis, Foxford, Dundalk, and Newport, Killybegs, Larne, Letterkenny, Lisburne, Mullingar, Newry, Sligo, Strabane, and Strongford. An account of the amount of stamp duties received on account of bank notes or bank post bills in Ireland, with the duties of three-halfpence, threepence, and fourpence separately, and the names of the bankers for the year ending 5th January, 1804. As the law then stood all notes under three guineas, were required to be on a three-halfpenny stamp; under £10, on a threepenny stamp; and under £50, on a fourpenny stamp. The present stamp duties are:-under £5, three-halfpence; under £10, sixpence; under £50, eightpence; under £100, two shillings; £100 and above, three shillings. 1805. The Act of 1799 repealed, and notes of any amount, not less than one pound, were again permitted to be issued by private bankers. In this year notes under £1 were abolished in Ireland. The following is the form of some of these notes which I have in my possession: THE SILVER BANK. I promise to pay the Bearer on demand, Six Shillings, here or in Dublin, at No. 10, St. Andrew Street, in Notes of the Bank of Ireland. Malahide, the 1st day of February, 1804. SIX SHILLINGS. For Richard Wogan Talbot and Edward Glascock. MALAHIDE BANK. I promise to pay the Bearer on demand, Three Shillings and Ninepence-halfpenny, pursuant to Act of Parliament, here or at Messrs. Mason and Thomas, No. 10, St. Andrew Street, Dublin. Malahide, 1st August, 1803. For Richard Wogan Talbot, Honorable John Leeson, and Three Shillings and Ninepence-halfpenny. EDWARD GLASCOCK. Some were drawn in the form of cheques and signed by the banker's clerk, as the following: Payable at the CALLAN BANK. Pay the Bearer on demand, One Shilling and One Penny, for account of To Michael Kearn, Esq. Banker, Callan. W. DAVIS. A book published a few years ago, entitled, “The Clubs of London," contains the following humorous account of a bank that issued small notes. "To speak of the banking system in Ireland during the late war, and, indeed, at the present day," said an Irish gentleman, one evening at Brookes's, "is as bad as talking of a fire to a man who has been burned out, and lost all his property in the flames. To such an extent was this species of robbery carried, at one time, that provincial or country notes were issued for sums so low as threepence; whilst those for six shillings were actually accounted high." Another gentleman having expressed amazement at this state of things, the first speaker gave the following instance of the truth of his assertion:— "In the town of Killarney," said he, "was one of those banks; the proprietor of which was a kind of saddler, whose whole stock in that trade was not worth forty shillings; but which forty shillings, if even so much, was the entire amount of his capital in the banking concern. "I once accompanied a large party of English ladies and gentlemen to that enchanting spot; where, having amused ourselves for a few days, we were on the point of returning to Dublin, when one of the party recollected that he had in his possession a handful of the saddler's paper. Accordingly we all set out, by way of sport, to have them exchanged; one principal object being to see and converse with the proprietor of such a bank. Having entered the shop, which barely sufficed to admit the whole company, we found the banking saddler hard at work, making a straddle. One of the gentlemen thus addressed him :'Good morning to you, Sir! I presume you are the gentleman of the house.' "At your service, ladies and gentlemen,' returned the saddler. It is here, I understand, that the bank is kept?' continued my friend. "You are just right, Sir,' replied the mechanic; this is the Killarney Bank, for want of a better. "My friend then said- We are on the eve of quitting your town; and as we have some few of your notes, which will be of no manner of use to us elsewhere, I'll thank you for cash for them.' "The banker replied, Cash! plase your honour, what is that? is it any thing in the leather line ?-I have a beautiful saddle here as ever was put across a horse; good and chape, upon my say so. How much of my notes have you, Sir, if you plase?' This question required some time for an answer, calculation being necessary; at length my friend counted them out as follows: Three notes for 3d. each Two do. for 4d. each.... for 64d. each, half a thirteen... S. d. 0 9 0 8 1 for 84d. each, three-fourths of a thirteen 2 1 Two do. Three do. Two do. One do. for 3s. 93d, or three thirteens and a half 3 9 1 6 'There, Sir,' said he, are no less than sixteen of your promises to pay, for the amazing large sum of fifteen shillings and ninepence, sterling money.' "I should be sorry, most noble,' returned the banker, 'to waste any more of your Lordship's time, or of those sweet beautiful ladies and gentlemen; but I have an iligant bridle here, as isn't to be matched in Yoorup, Aishy, Afrikey, or Merikey; it's lowest price is 15s. 6d. we'll say 15s. 6d. to yer Lordship. If ye'll be pleased to accept of it, there will be twopence halfpenny, or a threepenny note coming to your Lordship; and that will close the business at once.' 1808. The Belfast bank established. John Holmes Houston, Esq., a partner in this bank, delivered the following evidence before the Parliamentary committee in 1826. "Were you in business previous to the time when your bank was established? Yes; I was in mercantile business; but I was originally a partner in that bank, and have been in it since it was established. "Of what did the circulation of Belfast consist previous to that period? Mostly guineas. "Did those guineas disappear? The guineas disappeared after the banks were established; they went out of circulation. There was another cause, a very high premium paid on guineas for sending abroad, in consequence of the exchange, and paying the troops, and they were mostly bought up at a premium. "Was there any inconvenience experienced in the trade of Belfast during the time that the circulation consisted chiefly of gold? The chief inconvenience was, I think, that the persons who wanted to have bills discontinued at that time, were obliged to pay a very high premium for it. There was a discount office, and that discount office charged a discount and a premium on the bills, which made it amount to about nine per cent. to the persons requiring discount. "Previous to the time when there was a discount on gold, was there any inconvenience felt in the circulation? Yes; I think it has happened that a person who has wanted a £300 or a £400 bill discounted on London, was obliged to go to a monied man in Belfast, and give him this bill; and this person probably might not have all the money at the time. He would say, I will give you £100, and will give you the remainder when I can get it. And it might be a week probably before the remainder was got. Occasionally sometimes they got it immediately. In fact there did not appear to be sufficient capital. Your notes are payable in Dublin only? Yes; in Dublin, our notes were so printed, and we have made no alteration. 'How does your notes run? I promise to pay the bearer on |