The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and
Instruction, by Various

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction
Volume 14, No. 395, Saturday, October 24, 1829.

Author: Various

Release Date: February 22, 2004 [EBook #11222]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MIRROR OF LITERATURE, NO. 395 ***

Produced by Jonathan Ingram, David Garcia and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team.

THE MIRROR OF LITERATURE, AMUSEMENT, AND INSTRUCTION.

VOL. XIV, No. 395.] SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1829. [PRICE 2d.

* * * * *

[Illustration]

The Original Royal Exchange.

(_From a Correspondent_.)

Four centuries since the Merchants of London could not boast of a public
Exchange. They then assembled to transact business in Lombard-street,
among the Lombard Jews, from whom the street derives its name, and who
were then the bankers of all Europe. Here too they probably kept their
_benches_ or _banks_, as they were wont to do in the market-places of
the continent, for transacting pecuniary matters; and thus drew around
them all those of whose various pursuits money is the common medium.

At length, in 1534, Sir R. Gresham, who was agent for Henry the Eighth
at Antwerp, and had been struck with the advantages attending the
_Bourse_, or Exchange, of that city, prevailed upon his Royal Master to
send a letter to the Mayor and Commonalty of London, recommending them
to erect a similar building on their manor of Leadenhall. The Court of
Common Council, however, were of opinion that such a removal of the
seat of business would be impracticable, and the scheme was therefore
dropped; but in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, Sir Thomas Gresham, who
succeeded to the Antwerp agency, happily accomplished what had been
denied to the hopes of his father. In 1564 Sir Thomas proposed to the
Corporation--"That if the City would give him a piece of ground, in a
commodious spot, he would erect an Exchange at his own expense, with
large and covered walks, wherein the merchants might assemble and
transact business at all season