228 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



Bank of Montreal. But before describing the coinage of this bank, 

 it will be well to describe one issued by the Quebec Bank. 



In January, 1851, Noah Freer, cashier of the Quebec Bank, 

 wrote to the Hon. James Leslie, provincial secretary, asking permis- 

 sion to import copper coin to the amount of £3,000 sterling, on the 

 ground that it was urgently needed for change by the merchants and 

 traders of Quebec.^ This request remained under consideration until 

 the 12th of March, when it was refused because the Bank of Upper 

 Canada had been authorized to import £5,000 worth and that this 

 should be sufficient for the requirements of the province, and further 

 that the coins had actually been landed in the United States.^ On 

 the 31st of the same month the cashier replied urging more strongly 

 the need for small change, enclosing at the same time a petition from 

 a number of the principal merchants of Quebec setting forth the great 

 trouble they were experiencing " for the want of a sufficient amount of 

 copper coin for ehange."^ Those merchants, some twenty in number, 

 contracted to take and pay for copper coin to the extent of £1,400, in 

 amounts varying from £35 to £350. This second request was also 

 refused for the same reasons as before, and because the Bank of Upper 

 Canada had promised to land a portion of the coinage at Quebec. Still 

 the cashier was encouraged by the promise that if the stringency 

 should continue the request would be considered later on.* Evidently 

 the quantity landed at Quebec was insufficient, for the cashier in 

 November of the same year sent in a third request. This was 

 aeceeded to and the necessary authority by order-in-council, given to the 

 Quebec Bank to import copper coin to the extent of £3,000 sterling.^ 

 In September, 1852, the cashier again writes advising the government 

 that coins had been received, but that through some mistake only 

 £3,000 currency had been imported, whereas £2,000 sterling had been 

 authorized. The latter asked for extension of time for importing the 

 balance, some £500, and for authority to import a further quantity 

 amounting to £1,000.® This request was refused because the govern- 

 ment intended to pass a bill favouring the adoption of the decimal 

 system in Canada. This law, passed during the session 1853-3, was 

 only a tentative measure which declared dollars, cents and mills to be 

 legal forms of expressing money in Canada concurrent with pounds, 



* AoDendix F, No. 26. 

 ^ Ibid., No. 27. 



" Jbid., Nos. 28 and 29. 



* Appendix F, No. SO. 

 ' Ibid., Nos. 31 and 32. 

 " Appendix F, No. 37. 



