short, precisely the man to make such a
child as he had in hand, walk alone before it
was a year old. It was perfectly marvellous
to see how the institution grew and throve.
People were lost in amazement at it. Even
the cunning old foxes of natives were not
prepared for it—and they are usually prepared
for a good deal. Bramins and Zemindars
became envious of the Great Chowsempoor
Bank, and determined to become shareholders.
It was not long before the list of directors
contained the revered names of Baboo Futty
Maund, and Dustomiewallah Dutt.

The resources of the Presidency were now
being fully developed—in vulgar words, the
exports were doubled; credit was lavishly
given, and as freely taken. Small men of a
few odd thousands shipped produce to the
extent of hundreds of thousands, and they were
not over particular as to what they shipped.
Shopkeepers swelled into merchants.
Merchants expanded into princes. Civil servants
turned up their official noses at their dry
routine duties, thought seriously of
retiring from the service, and, as they revelled
in the winning Hookah, gave themselves up
to dreams, which in fairy splendour and
impossible magnificence, could only have found
a rival in the Arabian Nights' Entertainments.
To their imaginative vision the fabled
Pagoda Tree appeared to be putting forth its
glittering foliage, and ripening its tempting
fruit with magic rapidity.

That was a right merry season for the
bold and the venturesome; and everybody
became bold and venturesome. Each member
of the Hooghly Bund community appeared
to possess a chip of the real original philosopher's
stone, a touch of which transmuted
every object into the precious metal. Many
and brilliant were the evening parties, and
the dinners, and the nautches given by the
élite and the non-élite, at which the " Lions"
were sure to be one or two directors, with
perchance the Manager of the Hooghly Bund
Branch of the Great Chowsempoor Bank.
The shares of the Bank continued to rise
until they reached one hundred per cent.
premium: where they remained, either lacking
the courage to go any higher, or feeling that
they had done their duty.

It may be as well to state here the
principle which regulated the allotment of the new
shares, of which the Bank's enormous success
warranted the issue, as it will at once show
the immensely superior management of Indian
banks to that of the old school. The new
scrip was not permitted to find its way at
once among the vulgar crowd. It was
apportioned among the existing
shareholders in an exact ratio with the number
of shares held by them, and of course made
over to them at par—i.e. each share of
fifty pounds, was handed to them at that
figure, although worth, in the share market,
double that amount; and, inasmuch as
most of these same proprietors had taken
as many shares as they could find cash
to pay for, the Bank very considerately gave
them the new scrip on credit. The fortunate
possessors of this fresh stock, at once turned
their acquisitions to good account, by selling
them for cash at the ruling high rate of
premium; paying in, to their account at the Bank,
the price at par, and comfortably pocketing
the difference. This simple and good-natured
process was repeated several times over,
infinitely to the satisfaction of those in the
secret. In order to prevent the possibility of
any serious decline in the market price of
these new shares, and to make assurance
doubly sure, the wary manager watched the
course of events; and, on any appearance of
there being more sellers than buyers, went
in and bought up all, at a trifle below the
full rate. On account the Bank? Not at all;
purchases were made with the Bank funds
it is true; but in the name of the directors,
in equal proportions. In time, the crafty
Bank Manager contrived to monopolise every
share as it fell in the market, and thus,
buyers went to him, as a sheer matter of
course, as the only chance of obtaining a
share; so that, not only was the price well
maintained, but something handsome was
turned over in the shape of profit for division
among the " direction."

Far and wide the Bank share mania spread.
The Cholera and the Plague travelled at
a mere snail's pace—and a very infirm old
snail's pace too—compared with the rapid
raging of this Joint Stock fever. High and
low, rich and poor, washed and unwashed,
Christian and Heathen, Jew and Gentile,
were alike struck down. The judge upon
the bench, the pleader at the bar, the priest
in the pulpit, the poorest clerk, the meanest
money-changer,—all bowed the knee to the
new golden image, which they of Chowsempoor
had set up. A bank director was thrown from
his horse on the parade; quick as thought,
half-a-dozen doctors rushed to the disabled
man; and, as the foremost and most fortunate
among them felt his pulse, whispered in his
ear an inquiry about a few of the next issue
of shares. The trustee of a Benevolent
Fund for Widows and Orphans, was so
anxious to add to the means of these poor
dependent creatures, that on his own
responsibility, and in secret (as good should
ever be done), he invested the whole of the
moneys in his hands in Chowsempoor Bank
Stock.

The young and rather speculative firm of
Hookey, Walker, and Company, went boldly
to work in the way of "developing the
resources of the country;" which signifies
literally, making enormous shipments of raw
produce. They made large purchases of silk,
indigo, rice, gums, and, in short, of all the
most valuable products of the land; and,
having shipped them to England, they found
not the least difficulty in obtaining from the
very useful Chowsempoor institution an