68 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



acid soap and a small portion of free oil. These enter into and through 

 every part of the fibre. After this treatment it is washed, and is then found 

 to be soft and silky, its spinning quality being thereby much improved and 

 its value very much increased. 



DISCOVERIES RELATIVE TO COINAGE. 



At the last session of Congress a joint resolution was passed, authorizing 

 the Secretary of the Treasury to appoint two competent commissioners to 

 inquire into the processes and means claimed to have been discovered by 

 Dr. J. T. Barclay, for preventing the abrasion, counterfeiting and deteriora- 

 tion of the coins of the United States, who are to report to the Depart- 

 ment as to the value of the alleged discovery. An appropriation of 

 $2,500 was also made to carry on the experiments at the Philadelphia Mint. 



In accordance with this resolution, the Secretary of the Treasury appoint- 

 ed Professors Robert Rogers and Vethake, of Philadelphia, to examine and 

 report upon the plan in question. 



The memorialist, in his papers submitted to the Finance Committee of 

 Congress, states " that he discovered many years ago a process, by means of 

 which a portion of the precious metal may be abstracted from gold and 

 silver coin at the cost of a fraction of a cent for every dollar's worth thus 

 withdrawn the appearance of the coin being so little affected by the opera- 

 tion, that about one-tenth of its value may be abstracted in such a manner 

 that the fraud cannot be readily detected by the unaided senses." The Dr. 

 on ascertaining this process in the course of his chemical experiments, and 

 seeing how dangerous it would prove if generally known, set about finding 

 a process which could prevent reduction in the value of our coin. After a 

 series of experiments, he claims to have " discovered certain means, which, 

 if adopted at the Mint, would materially diminish the liability of subsequent 

 coinage to such fraudulent practices," and has at last matured a process of 

 a remedial nature, to such a degree, that if it does not render the coin ab- 

 solutely insusceptible of reduction, will at least so far diminish its liability to 

 such a process, that the rate of reduction would be so small, and the risk of 

 detection so great, as virtually to guarantee its immunity. 



The memorialist also claims to have discovered a process of mintage by 

 which successful counterfeiting will be rendered impracticable and unremu- 

 nerative. But what is most worthy of consideration, he claims to have dis- 

 covered a means by which it is practicable by a certain process of depletion 

 and compensation connected with electro metallurgy, to abstract one-half of 

 the precious metal from coin without appreciably diminishing its weight, or 

 in the slightest degree affecting either its impression, appearance or dimen- 

 sions. 



A correspondent of the New York Commercial Advertiser states that the 

 memorialist exhibited to the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Finance 

 Committee, coins which had been subjected to that process, and which it 

 was ascertained by actual experiment, had lost half their current value, but 

 which could not be distinguished from other coin. 



