CURRENCY. 127 



During this time 1,000,000 in silver was coined, and 154,511 

 \4s. q\d. in gold, according to the same authority. Taking 

 this period at eleven years, the coinage of silver was 90,909, 

 that of gold 14,047, annually. 



The real reign of Charles the Second lasted a little over 

 twenty-four years and eight months. Taking it at twenty-five 

 years, we are told that there was coined 3,722,180 2s. 8d. 

 in silver, and 4,177,253 iqs. $d. in gold; or 148,887 

 in silver, and 167,090 in gold, annually. 



The reign of James the Second may be said to have lasted 

 four years. During this time the coinage was 518,316 2s. 5}*/. 

 for silver, and 2,113,638 iSs. %\d. in gold. Besides this he 

 coined 1,596,799 in base money for Ireland. This gives an 

 annual average of 129,579 in silver, and of 528,407 in gold. 

 The reign of William may be taken at a few days over 

 thirteen years. In this period 7,093,074 5^.4^. were coined in 

 silver, and 3,418,889 uj. 7^. in gold. The annual average 

 of the former was therefore 545,621, of the latter 262,991. 



In two of these reigns, that of Elizabeth and William, there 

 was a recoinage on a large scale. In Elizabeth's time the 

 amount reissued from the Mint was (vol. iv. p. 737) 733,248 ; 

 in William's, it was about seven millions, and therefore most of 

 the Mint issues of this reign, the process having been completed 

 in 1699, were of the recoinage. Besides this, during the Civil War 

 both parties kept their respective mints very actively at work, 

 though it is certain that Parliament coined more money in 

 the King's name than Charles was able to do for himself. It is 

 ular that the Commonwealth coined so little, less indeed 

 than Elizabeth did. 



Nor is (I am assuming throughout that Ruding's figures 

 are authentic) the comparatively scanty coinage of the 

 restored monarchy less remarkable. If we make a large 

 culative deduction from the average coinage of Charles 

 the First, on account of the Civil War and the extensive 

 melting down of plate, the increasing yearly issue of coin 

 from the Mint is plainly checked between 1649 and 1685. 



