226 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



As a variety of the penny piece occurs witli the ribbon inscribed 

 " Banque du Peuple," it has been inferred by some that this bank was 

 to have participated in the coinages of 1838 and 1839; but this is alto- 

 gether unlikely, as none of the 1838 coins nor of the 1839 halfpennys 

 are inscribed with the name of this bank. What in all probability 

 actually did occur, was, that Furniss in seeking to impress upon the 

 manufacturers in Walsall the necessity of producing as good a coinage 

 as that of 1837, sent over a penny as a pattern and that, as the penny 

 was one inscribed " Banque du Peuple" on the ribbon, a die was made 

 like it, and that a quantity was struck off before the mistake was 

 noticed. The fact that the letters on the ribbon of the 1839 coins are 

 incased, proves that such a sample was sent over and instructions given 

 respecting avoidance of the divergence on the coins of 1838. 



The reverse of the coins of 1837 bearing the arms of 'Montreal 

 was retained for the coins of 1838, but a new obverse was adopted. The 

 French inscription and the habitant were dropped because of the rebel- 

 lion of 1837, which, in Lower Canada, was attributed altogether to the 

 French Canadians. Consequently, for a time everything savouring 

 of that nationality, especially the costume worn by Papineau their 

 leader was not zealoaisly denounoed. The design adopted instead was 

 a corner view of the bank building, showing the St. Francois Xavier 

 street side as well as the front ; from this they are known as " side 

 views " to distinguish them from the later " front views." 



The only difference between the coinages of 1838 and 1839, is in 

 the dates and the name of the bank on the ribbon, which on the for- 

 mer is raised, and on the latter in incused letters This change was 

 no doubt an attempt to follow the coins of 1837 more closely. The 

 metal from which the tokens of 1838 were struck is more like brass, 

 showing that it had been alloyed with a certain percentage of zinc, 

 an alloy much used in the manufacture of saddlery hardware, the chief 

 industry of Walsall. Those of 1839 are of much purer copper. 



The side views have long been eagerly sought after by collectors, 

 for they have always been scarce. On one occasion a fine impression 

 sold as high as eighty dollars; but, from time to time, specimens have 

 been unearthed in Birmingham and sent out here, so that now they 

 seldom bring more than fifteen or twenty dollars. They are all equally 

 rare except the halfpenny of 1839, which is more frequently met with. 



After these two abortive attempts the bank held off for a while 

 and did nothing in the line of a copper coinage for four years. In 

 the meantime the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada had been 

 united, and the ordinance of 1839 above mentioned revised and 

 extended to the whole country. The Bank of Montreal, availing itself 

 of the clause providing for the supply of copper coin by banks or other 



