ROYAL EXCHANGE. 
The dreadful calamity of 1666 desti'oyed 
the old Royal Exchange, when only 234i. 
8s. 2d. belonging to the Gresham trust re- 
mained in the cotfers of the Company ; and 
yet the persons composing it contrived to 
employ labourers to remove the ruins within 
six months after the conflagration occurred, 
in order to prepare the ground for the pre- 
sent structure ; and on the twenty-fifth of 
February the King was petitioned for a sup- 
ply of Portland stone. In September, 
1667, the committee appointed to superin- 
tend the rebuilding of the Exchange sub- 
mitted their plans and elevations to the in- 
spection of Charles II., at the same time 
requesting permission to project the south 
portico into Cornhill. They had soon the 
satisfaction of hearing that the first were 
highly approved of, and that their request 
was granted, ©n the twenty-third of Oc- 
tober, in the above year, the monarch went 
to the scite, and placed the base of the pillar 
on the west side of the north entrance, af- 
ter which he accepted of a handsome enter- 
tainment provided at the joint expense of 
the City and Company of Mercers, and 
served under a temporary building erected 
on the Scotch walk. In return for this 
hospitality, the King knighted the Sheriffs 
Ganden and Davis, and gave 201. in gold to 
the workmen. James, Duke of York, laid 
the first stone of the eastern pillar, on 
the thirty-first of October ; and on the 
eighteenth of the following month Prince 
Rupert placed tliat on the east side of the 
.south entrance, each being entertained in a 
sumptuous manner. 
The Committee, inspecting the plan made 
by Mr. Jerman for rebuilding the Exchange, 
on the 9th of December, 1667, resolved 
“ that porticos should be built on the north 
and south sides, according as his Majesty 
desires, and as are described in the afore- 
said draft; and that houses shall be built 
on the heads of the said porticos, and shops 
underneath. Mr Malcolm has collected 
many particulars relating to this noble edi- 
fice, in his “ Londinium Redivivum,” and 
amongst others, the following extract from 
a book produced to a Committee of the 
House of Commons, 1747. “ The said book 
begins the 27th of October, 1666, and ends 
July 12, 1676 ; and it thereby appears that 
the total expense of rebuilding the Royal 
Exchange amounted unto 58, 962^.; the 
Company’s moiety whereof was the sum of 
29,481k To defray which expense, it ap- 
peared the Company were obliged to 
borrow money upon their seal, insomuch 
that in the year 1682, they had taken up 
money on their bonds, on account of the 
trust of Sir Thomas Gresham, to the amount 
of 45,795k” It appeared, on this occ.-ision, 
from the evidence of a Mr. Crumpe, “ that 
the company had hitherto contributed 
equally with the city in the repairing of the 
Royal Exchange, and paying Sir Thomas 
Gresham’s lectures and charities ; and tliat, 
in or about the year 1729, one of the lec- 
turers of Sir Thomas Gresham filed a bill, 
in Chancery, against the City of London, 
and the Mercer’s company ; to answer 
which, it became necessary to draw out and 
state;an account between the Mercer’s Com- 
pany, and Sir Thomas Gresham’s trust 
estates, as also between the City and Com- 
pany and the said estate ; and accordingly, 
such accounts were drawn np ; and thereby 
it appears, that there was due to the Mer- 
cer’s Company, for their moiety of the ex- 
pense of building the Royal Exchange, and 
other payments up to that time, the sum of 
100,659k 18s. lOd.” Mr. Cawne, the then 
Clerk of the Company of Mercers, produced 
a continuation of this account to &e Com- 
mittee above-mentioned, down to 1745, 
when the principal and interest amounted 
to the enormous sum of 142,885k 7s. Id. 
In the year 1767, it was represented tq 
the Legislature that essential repairs were 
required in different parts of the Royal Ex- 
change, which procured a grant of 10,000k 
and these were completed under the direc- 
tion of Mr. Robinson, surveyor, who thought 
proper to rebuild the west side. 
During the time occupied in rebuilding 
the present structure, the merchants of 
London transacted their business at Gres- 
ham College; and the new building was 
opened for that purpose, September 28, 
1669 : in 1703, the following notice appear- 
ed in the public papers : “ An act of the 
Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen is 
affixed at the Exchange, and other places 
in this City, by which all persons are pro- 
hibited coming upon the Royal Exchange 
to do business before the hours of twelve 
o’clock, and after the hour of two, till even- 
ing change. Wherein it is further enacted, 
that for a quarter of an hour before twelve 
the Exchange bell shall ring, as a signal of 
change time ; and shall also begin to ring a 
quarter of an hour before two, at which 
time the change shall end : and all persons 
shall quit it, upon pain of being pro.secuted 
to the utmost according to law. That the 
gates shall then be shut up, and continue so 
till evening change time; which shall be 
