[mclachlan] presidential ADDRESS 53 



The ordinances of Bigot, the money of the boodlers of the last 

 years of the old regime by means of which the habitants were de- 

 frauded, deserves mention. They are simply promises, signed by 

 Bigot, that the king's treasury would be held responsible for the 

 amount thereon inscribed. 



The first coin directly referring to this country, an English token, 

 inscribed "Copper Company of Upper Canada," dated 1794, shows 

 that at that early date the copper mines to the North of Lake Superior 

 had been explored and had sent supplies of that metal to England. 



A coin bearing the date 1811, known as the Vexator Canadensis, 

 inspired an article on the administration of Sir James Craig, by the 

 late Dr. Kingsford. He, in deciphering its obscure legend, found it 

 to be satirical in character, and, taking the date to the the true one, 

 believed the coin to have been issued by those French Canadians who 

 were dissatisfied with the autocratic rule of that Governor. But, 

 when this coin is viewed from a numismatic standpoint. Dr. Kings- 

 ford's interesting story is dissipated. It has been demonstrated that 

 the coin could not have been issued as early as its date would seem to 

 imply, but, like most of the tokens struck at Montreal between the 

 years 1832-1836, it was antedated, and refers to William IV as the 

 oppressor of Canada. 



Between the years 1813 and 1817, because of the dearth of copper 

 change that at that time prevailed, there were issued by Montreal 

 importers, a series of tokens, which from their chief design, have 

 become^ known as "Wellingtons." These, while they give us some 

 inkling into the condition of the currency of Canada at that time, 

 also, by displaying the bust of the hero of Waterloo and the figure of 

 Britannia, tell us of an intensely patriotic sympathy of Canadians, 

 French as well as English, with the Mother country in her titanic 

 struggle with Napoleon; similar to the conditions of to-day in our 

 herculean effort to overcome German military ascendency. From the 

 fact that the first issue of the Wellingtons was struck over an English 

 token, which was circulated in large quantities, in 1811, by a Bristol 

 nail manufacturer named Guppy, we are reminded that Bristol at one 

 time was the rival of Liverpool in an effort to control the Canadian 

 overseas trade, and that it was from that port that Cabot set out on 

 his expedition as the discoverer of Canada. 



Issued at the same time, there circulated among the Wellingtons, 

 a token similar in appearance which is deserving of notice. While, 

 like them, displaying on one side the figure of Britannia, the other 

 side shows the eagle of the United States silver coinage. As this coin 

 cannot be classed as patriotic, especially coming so closely after the 

 war of 1812, are we to conclude that it indicates evidence of a coquet- 



