blows nobody good." This may be considered as being appropriate with regard to the present condition of the much-cherished and over-adored Temple Bar, one of the postern gates of the City of London.

It is now a matter of history that at the end of the month of July or the beginning of that of August, 1874, the keystone of the arch was observed by some architect to have dropped, and Temple Bar was out of the perpendicular. This caused, as might be expected, a great outcry from all the daily newspapers, who clamoured for the instant removal of Temple Bar. The City authorities were duly informed of its dangerous and critical condition, and they at once sent up a gang of workpeople to shore up and put the dilapidated old structure upon crutches, to prevent any further subsidence of the structure.

The immediate cause of the disaster may be attributed to the fact of the foundations being set in alluvial deposits resting upon the London clay; and after the houses which supported it on the north side of Fleet Street were removed to make way for the much-talked-about New Courts of Justice, a very deep excavation was made, close to the Bar, into the London clay to allow for the foundations of a lofty tower being built. This operation exposed the foundation of Temple Bar. It fortunately so happened that there had not been much rain, or it would have percolated the surface soil, and so reached the clay, which it could not have penetrated; thus it would have formed a sort of slide upon which poor old Temple Bar would have been gracefully let down, and the building might have

Had there been rain in any quantitie have prevented this catastrophe, which started by the great vibration caused by stantly passing beneath.

So much has been written, both true an indifferent, relative to the old arch, that I further upon it than to mention that the pr was erected in 1670, from designs by Wren. Originally only posts, rails, and the boundary of the liberty of the City w Holborn, Smithfield, and Whitechapel directions. Afterwards a house of tim across the street, with a narrow gateway, and south side of it under the house.-STRYPE,

This old structure being considered da already stood some hundred years or more, after the great fire in 1666. It must have time that Messrs. Blanchard and Child bu their house.

To return to the existing Bar, after the had taken place, Messrs. Child and Co., th rooms over the gateway, which are rented of London at the rental of £20 per annum move all their old ledgers and other books the Bank, amounting to many tons in wei relieve the arch from an extra burden.

It has always been felt that a history o and Co.'s Bank would be a very interestin

this would be the time of all others to commence, whils all the old books, papers, &c. are in a transition state previously to being stowed away for an unlimited period or perhaps destroyed.

We are pleased to record that our labours have been amply repaid; for from the many interesting documents to which we have had access, and from information obtained from other sources, we are enabled to publish the following records of the old Bank.

In olden days it was customary for tradesmen to adopt signs, which they were in the habit of displaying on the outside of their houses. A house known by any particular sign generally retained it, under a succession of occupants, without regard to the avocation, calling, or trade of the new comer. After 1764 signs abutting into the street were no longer tolerated, but were in some cases affixed to the walls of houses, and finally were abolished.

It is said that Wood Street and Whitecross Street were among the last from which signs were taken down, and that these signs existed as late as the year 1773.

The sign of the Bank of Messrs. Child and Co. was the Marygold, which may still be seen in the water-mark of the present cheques. The original sign is still preserved in the front shop, over the door which leads into the back premises. It is made of oak, the ground stained green, with a gilt border, marygold and sun; the motto beneath it is, Ainsi mon âme."

Many of the customers of the Bank used to address

smiths, at yo sign of ye Marygold, next dore to Ten Barr;" and in 1694 we find a cheque addressed Mr. John Rogers, goldsmith (who was a partner with Francis Child), "at ye signe of ye Marygold, next dore t▪ Devill Taverne in Fleet Streete ;" and again, in 1732, w the second Sir Francis Child was Lord Mayor, we find t the second Earl of Oxford addressed his cheques to "" Worshipful, the Lord Mayor and Company at Tem Bar;" and another cheque we find addressed to Mr. Fran Child, "a goole Smyth, att Temple barr, in London."

The sign of the Marygold, in Fleet Street, next Tem Bar, appears to have originated in the sign of a tavern any rate it was first mentioned with reference to a tavern may be gathered from the following paragraph, extrac from Beaufoy's Tokens,' p. 75:-"The Banking-ho of Messrs. Childs was, in King James the 1st's reign public ordinary, the sign being the Marygold.' As ordinary it appears to have borne a riotous character, a at the wardmote held on St. Thomas's day, December 1619, Richard Crompton, keeping an ordinary at Marygold, in Fleet Street, was presented for disturbi the quiet of John Clarke, being next neighbours, late in nights, from time to time by ill disorder."

By an old lease, dated 1676, we find that Rob Blanchard rented the Marygold for sixty-one years of Ja and Elizabeth Land, which at the decease of Rob Blanchard in 1681 was taken on by Francis Child, un 1706, when we find that John Land died and left t premises to the parish of St. Dunstan's. By the followi

ent deed in and by his will dated 26 April 1697 did give and devise 1 his freehold messuage of tenements with appurtenances situated ing and being in Fleet Street on the South side of the same street ext adjoyning to Temple Bar in the Parish of St Dunstans now in the cupation of Sir Francis Child, and his other Freehold messuage &c the south side of the same street and adjoyning unto the last menoned messuage and late in the occupation of John Dutton and now or te in the tenure or occupation of William Biggins. And all that the Lid messuage, or tenement with the appurtenances commonly called nd known by the name of the Sugar loaf and Green Lettice situate c in Fleet St aforesaid on Sth side of the street and adjoyning to the id last mentioned messuage in tenure and occupation of Willm iggins, together with all shops, cellars, Chambers, Yards, rooms, lights, assages &c to ye Minister and Church Wardens of the parish of St unstans in the West for ever. The premises in occupation of Sir Francis hild from the feast of St Michael the Archangel 1707 and the preises known as the Sugar Loaf in occupation of Will Biggins from the ast of St Michael &c 1714 at the yearly rental of £60 for 61 years."

An agreement was entered into that Sir Francis Child hould lay out £800 in building. Of the Sugar Loaf and Green Lettice we cannot glean any history; it was situated nmediately in the rear of the Marygold, and the kitchen f the present Bank is a part of those premises, and puts ne greatly in mind of what the dining-room at Dick's Coffee-house used to be when kept by Mr. Quelch, and losely resembles the interior of the old Rainbow tavern. But both of these latter coffee-houses were established fter the Marygold ceased to exist as a tavern; the date f Dick's, according to Cunningham, was 1680, and that f the Rainbow 1657.