Account of the Gold and Silver Mines of Hungary. 25 
cient standard, even not more than one-third of this small quan- 
tity; and yet this has such a perceptible effect, that it is neces- 
sary to procure for this alloy the purest and most malleable cop- 
per which can be obtained from other mines, the copper of 
Kremnitz not being found suficietitly so for this purpose. Copper, 
as an alloy to gold, makes the coin much harder and less liable 
to wear than silver, which is the alloy used in the ducats of Hol- 
land. 
The silver having been melted in combination with copper, as 
its alloy, is cast, in moulds of iron the sides of which are kept 
together by a clamp and screw, and which are placed erect in 
iron sockets, into bars nearly two feet long, two inches thick, 
and four inches wide. These bars are drawn out between iron 
rollers, after frequent repetitions of heating in a furnace, and roll- 
ing to a given thickness, by which they are greatly extended in 
length, but little increased in width. After each time of passing 
the roller, the silver is plunged into cold water. 
A screw press is then used to stamp out the blanks of the re- 
quired size, which having been previously dipped in a dilute 
acid, to restore their colour, are separately weighed. 
The impress on the edge is next made by a sniall hand in- 
strument placed hor izontally, consisting of a circular plate move- 
able’by a handle on its centre, within an external fixed ring, 
leaving a space between the two equal to the diameter of the 
blank to be milled. On a portion of this extensive circle cor- 
responding in measure to the circumference of the piece, the 
device intended to be impressed is cut or fixed. The blank is 
placed in the intervening space; and by moving the plate, which 
presses tightly upon it, the piece is made to describe a complete 
revolution round its own axis, and, moving in close contact with 
the outer ring, receives the impression on its edge. 
kn order to complete the coin, nothing now remains but to 
stamp these pieces with their proper dies. This is done by 
means of powerful fly serew-presses, such as are generally made 
use of for the purpose; and are so constantly employed in va- 
rious processes of our hardware and plating manufactures at Bir- 
mingham and Sheffield, that they need not be described. 
The method used in the gold coinage is precisely the same. 
The whole both gold and silver coins are again separately 
weighed, packed, and sent to the Treasury at Vienna for circu- 
lation; but certainly not at this time for general use, as none 
were to be-met with in common currency. 
For inspecting and counting the copper coins they have a ready 
expedient. Trays, having their bottoms indented with one or two 
hundred hollows, are filled with money; and being shaken, each 
hollow receiyes a piece. The rest are swept out: the known 
number 
