290 EAST PRUSSIA TO THE GOLDEN GATE 



Francisco bankers, who informed the people as to the 

 real value of the ' ' Gulden. ' ' As soon as the fact became 

 generally known, the agency had to stand the inpour of 

 the rejected coins, as well as the many uncomplimentary 

 suggestions, that were offered gratuitously. Now and 

 then one runs across one of these importations and as 

 you will have noticed, even your only son,— bright as a 

 fond parent may think him to be!— counts one of them 

 among the miscellaneous coins in his porte-monnaie. 

 Somebody got the best of me lately but, never mind, I 

 shall get rid of it sometime. "Tit for tat" or, as the 

 Germans say: "Wurst wider Wurst." 



III. The Half Dollar-50 cents-21 sgr., 3 pfg. 

 Pruss., likewise acceptable are: Medio Peso, Bolivian, 

 Peruvian but rarely Spanish coin. 



East Indian Rupee: 



IV. The Dollar— One thaler 12 sgr. 6 pfg. Prussian. 

 American dollars are so rare here that I have not come 

 across a single one during my stay in San Francisco. In 

 its place, one receives foreign coins of the following 

 kind: 



Five Franc pieces, silver, very common. 



Bolivian and Peruvian Peso — one thaler 14 sgr. Pruss. 



Old Spanish and Mexican Piaster: likewise Prus- 

 sian Thaler is not at all rare, though only the large 

 old coins with the images of Frederic II and Frederic 

 William II pass for dollars; the later and smaller 

 ones do not serve the purpose, as people generally de- 

 cline to receive them, except as seventy-five cent pieces, 

 which in reality is just about what they are worth. Prus- 

 sian money has come into such disrepute since the half- 

 gulden speculation fell through, that many people abso- 

 lutely refuse to accept it, even at a liberal discount. In 

 fact, it is a growing belief that the Prussian money, as 

 we have it here, is but a counterfeit, that is, that it con- 

 sists of silver-plated copper coins. It is hardly credible, 

 but I personally overheard the assertion of an educated 

 American, that this supposed or apparent fraud proved 

 to his satisfaction the rottenness of the Prussian govern- 

 ment. 



