Scottish Banking(part 4)

 Mr. Carrick, with his wrinkled face and keen, piercing
 eyes, was usually attired in a brown coloured coat,
queerly made, with deep flaps on the outside pockets,
the broad skirts reaching down nearly to his heels,
and adorned with large brass buttons; drab knee-
breeches ; a striped woollen waistcoat, of hotch—potch
tinge,allowed a very moderate display of " ruffles " at
the breast; white neckcloth with longish ends; ribbed
white worsted stockings,and buckles in his shoes;while
a small brown wig covered the pate of this singular-
looking but able old financier.

Mr. Carrick was fond of music, and accustomed in
the evenings, as a relaxation, to play the violin, often
 with an old friend who performed well on that instrument,
in the queer and very plainly furnished house above the
 bank. This old musical friend laid Mr. Carrick’s head in
 the coffin, by special request of the ancient virgin
who long superintended the old banker’s household.

Glasgow arms bank ,One guinea note
(above)


As has already been mentioned, the Glasgow Arms
Bank was started in the same year as the Ship Bank,
and the success of these banks soon roused the ire of
their Edinburgh rivals,the Royal Bank and the Bank
of Scotland. In fact,the Ship and the Glasgow Arms
banks had scarcely been established when they were
fiercely attacked by the Edinburgh banks. These last
had long had a bitter feud between themselves, and
tried to drive each other off the field in Edinburgh. The
particulars of this contest may be seen in the pamphlets
 printed by their respective partisans, and in other
publications of the day. But now that Glasgow had
presumed to act herself, in a field peculiarly her own,
the Edinburgh banks, full of jealousy of the Glasgow
banks, quashed their own disputes, and resolved if
possible to crush the two new competitors. With great
arrogance,therefore, the Edinburgh banks insisted on
Provost Dunlop and Provost Cochrane, and the other
gentlemen associated with them, immediately discon-
tinuing the business of banking, under threat of their
notes being protested. This unwarrantable request
was firmly refused ; whereupon the two Edinburgh
stranger banks employed an agent, named Archibald
Trotter, to collect as many notes of the Ship and Glasgow
 Arms as possible, and suddenly present these at
the banks for payment.



Much more to follow........