4-42 Mr. Samuel Read on a Decimal System 



penny in excess of two " cents " ; the cent being of course an 

 imaginary denomination, and only necessary for the purpose of 

 calculating by an uniform scale. In the same way the present 

 halfpenny would be only j-§^ or j^ of a penny in excess o^four 

 cents ; and lastly, the present penfiy-p'iece would be ^^ of a 

 penny in excess of eight cents. We see, therefore, that the 

 wear of the present copper coinage would soon cause, if it have 

 not already caused, an equality, or a very near approximation 

 to equality, between the present penny and 8 cents, between 

 the present halfpenny and 4 cents, and between the present 

 farthing and 2 cents. The comparison may, however, be bet- 

 ter exhibited at one view as in the following table : 



Proposed Present 



Scale. Scale. Present Coin. 



2 cents equal to '24? of a penny, or very nearly o«^ farthing, 

 4f — — '48 — or — ow^ halfpenny, 



6 — — '72 — — — three farthings, 



8 — — '96 — — nearly one penny ; 



and 10 cents would be represented by the proposed copper 

 coin the " tenth." 



In proceeding up the scale of our present silver coinage we 

 have the following comparison : 



5 tenths equal ... 1 sixpence, 

 10 — ... 1 shilling, 



25 — ... I half-crown, 



50 — ... 1 crown. 



A tolerably simple progression of value, in as much as the third 

 value, or half-crown, is five times the five-tenth piece, or six- 

 pence, and the fourth value is also five times the shilling. It 

 appears, therefore, that all the silver coins at present in use, 

 with the exception of the half-crown, will be integral values 

 of all the denominations of money our decimal scale has 

 indicated. 



If, however, the gradual introduction of two new silver pieces 

 were allowed instead of the crown and half-crown, a much 

 more simple progression might be adopted, having a Series of 

 values derived from the five-tenth piece, or sixpence, in the 

 manner of a geometrical progression, whose common ratio 

 is 2. Such an improved scale would stand thus : 

 5 tenths equal ... 1 sixpence, 



10 — ... 1 shilling, 



20 — ... 1 half-noble, 



40 — ... 1 noble. 



The revival in this table of a famous old English coin would 

 put a much more convenient description of silver money into 



