house for the meeting of all _marchants_, at noone and evening:
which house was called the _Burse_, of the houses of the _extinct
families Bursa_, bearing _three purses for their armes_, ingraven
upon their houses, from whence these meeting places to this day are
called _Burses_ in many countries, which in _London_ wee know by the
name of the _Royall Exchange_ and of _Britaines Burse_."

BOLTON CORNEY.

I think it probably that the expression "Flemish Account" may have been
derived from the fact that the Flemish ell measures only three quarters
of our yard, while the English ell measures five quarters, and that
thence the epithet Flemish was adopted as denoting something
_deficient_.

Q.Q.

When commerce was young, the Flemings were the great merchants of
Western Europe; but these worthies were notorious, when furnishing their
accounts current, for always having the balance at the right side (for
themselves), and hence arose the term. I am not at this moment able to
say where this information is to be had, but have met it somewhere.

JUNIOR.

I wonder that some better scholar than myself should not have explained
the phrase "Flemish account;" but though I cannot quote authority for
the precise expression, I may show whence it is derived. To _flem_, in
old Scotch (and in old English too, I believe), is to "run away;" in
modern slang, to "make oneself scarce," "to levant." _Flemen_ is an