[m'lachlan] copper CURRENCY OF THE CANADIAN BANKS 221 



About the same time " La Banque du Peu,ple " ^ issued a coin simi- 

 lar in design but smaller in size and totally different in workmanship 

 and arrangement. The value un sou is given correctly. Its place of 

 manufacture was in the town of Belleville, New Jersey, at that time a 

 copper producing centre. As two or three die varieties exist, and as 

 the coin is still quite coanraon a considerable quantity must have been 

 issued. 



Shortly after the appearance of the last, " La Banque du Peuple " 

 issued a new un sou also of the same general design but differing still 

 more in arrangement. As the letters in the inscription were sunk with 

 a graver instead of punches, which indicates that they were made in a 

 workshop not fully equipped, and as the dies were held by the Bank of 

 Montreal, I have come to the conclusion that this coin was struck in 

 Montreal. Some time before this Josepb Arnault, an engraver, had 

 come out from France and set up his atelier on Craig Street, neaT Côté. 

 The bouquet on this coin while comjpiosed of the same emblems is dis- 

 tinguished by a large maple leaf out of proportion as to size when 

 compared with the other plants. In the wreath too the maple leaves 

 are large and well formed. Much better than on the Belleville made 

 coin. All this would indicate an intense patriotism on the part of 

 some persons connected with the bank. But still farther the intro- 

 duction of the star and the phrygian cap indicate that they were in 

 svmpathy with the movemenit for the independence of Canada and with 

 the rebellion of 1837. From tliis fact the coin is called the "Rebellion 

 token." It is much scareer than any of the other un soil bank tokens , 



The banks had hardly got their tokens well into circulation before 

 imitations began to appear, w(hich imitations were, of course, much 

 lighter than the regular bank issues having evidently been imported for 

 profit and not '"' for the convenience of trade." A number of Montreal 

 firms took part in the introduction. Among the more prominent of 

 whom was Dexter Chapin, an exchange broker. The quantity thus im- 

 ported far exceeded that of the banks. So great was it, indeed that 

 over forty varieties are known. Some of these varieties were struck 

 in Birmingham, others in the United States and a few in Montreal; 

 and curiously enough many by the same makers as furnished the bank 

 tokens. This fact is proved with respect to those from Birmingham 

 liy the one variety, which bears on the reverse a bouquet exactly like 

 that on the Bank of Montreal token. All the other varieties from Bir- 

 mingham are intimately connected with each other by style of work- 

 manship and interchange of dies. And yet all express un sou correctly 

 while none of them are of such fine workmanship as the regular bank 



^ This Bank not having received its charter was at that time doing business 

 under the name of Jacob de Witte, Viger & Cie. 



