ion.

Almost everybody knows that Mr. Shaw was, for many years, chairman of
the _old_ Birmingham Banking Company. In this capacity he was no
doubt the means of introducing a large amount of profitable business.
Unfortunately for the company, the manager of the branch establishment
at Dudley made enormous advances to an ironmaster in that locality.
The amount at length became so large that the directorate became
alarmed, and deputed their chairman, Mr. Shaw, to see what could best
be done for the interests of the bank. Mr. Shaw took the matter in
hand. There was a good deal of secrecy about his manner of treating
the matter, and eventually some of his colleagues on the direction
were suspicious that he was making use of his position in the bank for
his own advantage. He was called upon to show his private account with
the concern in question, to which he gave an unqualified refusal. His
colleagues intimated to him that he must either do so or resign. The
next post brought his resignation. Offering no opinion either way,
but looking at the transaction as an outsider, I think it was an
unfortunate business "all round." The bank lost money, and eventually
collapsed, but I fully believed then, and I always shall believe, that
if Charles Shaw had been at the helm, the bank never would have closed
its doors. I believe he had energy enough, and influence sufficient,
to have averted that great calamity; and I am firmly of opinion that
the company had sufficient vitality to have overcome the drain upon
its resources, and that it might at this moment have been in vigorous
existence.

Many amusing stories are current as to Mr. Shaw's shrewd and keen
transactions, and of cases where he himself was overreached. One of
the best of these he used to tell with much humour.

When the Great Western Company cut through Birmingham, for their line
to the North, a cemetery, pretty well filled, was on the route they
selected. It was the Quakers' burial place, adjoining Monmouth Street,
exactly where the Arcade commences. Mr. Shaw, being a director,
negotiated the purchase of many Birmingham properties. This burial
ground was one, and the Quaker community had for their agent a very
shrewd spokesman. Shaw and he had a very tough fight, for the Quaker
drove a hard bargain. At length terms were settled, and a memorandum
signed. The negotiations had then lasted so long, that the contractors
were waiting for this plot of land to go on with the wor