selves with the Bank of the United States in 1839, which was the cause of the embarrassments of all the banks of the great commercial cities during the eighteen months following.[1]
When the Bank of the United States attempted to resume it held 24,714 of its own shares. It had in specie, on the 21st of December, $2,171,722. The circulation of the old Bank still out was $547,856; of the new Bank, $8,788,144; post-notes outstanding, $1,887,658. It owed the United States on a bond $633,643.
On the 4th of January, the stockholders' meeting took place, which caused a report to be published with a list of the securities held by the Bank. These were seen at a glance to be among the poorest on the market. "Bicknell's Reporter" estimated the losses, at the market price of these stocks, at $17.3 millions. The stock fell $17 on the publication of this report.
On the 15th, the banks resumed. The Philadelphia banks within the next three weeks paid out $11.3 millions, of which the Bank of the United States paid out $6 millions. The others tried to separate themselves from the Bank of the United States.[2] The latter failed February 4th. The deposits when it failed were stated at $2.2 millions, and the notes out at $2.8 millions. This does not include the notes of the old Bank, most of which were supposed to be lost. The stock fell $30 per share on this failure. In a report of the directors to the stockholders, April 3, 1841, it was stated that after the Philadelphia banks had exchanged $5 millions of their credit for post-notes at nine and eighteeen months, they still had $1.5 millions in notes of the Bank of the United States for which they demanded specie. This was paid. Then another call for $1.1 millions was paid to creditors in the East who had suits pending which they then withdrew. In January also, the Bank lent the State $400,000 in specie, and the other banks made a loan to it in notes of the Bank of the United States, which thus became a specie demand on the latter. After February 4th, the Philadelphia banks refused the notes of the Bank of the United States. It was a run from the eastward, therefore, which overthrew the Bank.
The Bank, when it failed, had eight agencies outside of Pennsylvania and three offices in that State. The number of stockholders in Europe and elsewhere abroad was 1,390; in Pennsylvania, 1,481; in the United States, outside of Pennsylvania, 1,658. Out of $35 millions capital, $27 millions were held abroad, $6 millions in New York, and $2 millions in Philadelphia. The number of persons owning five shares or less was 864; between five and ten, 661; between ten and twenty, 732; between twenty and fifty, 994; between fifty and one hundred, 588; between one hundred and five hundred, 614; over five hundred, 80. A great amount was held on the islands of Guernsey and Jersey. It was equal to three or four pounds per head of the population. The news of the failure reached England with the news
