APPENDIX. 401 



all together, the consumption of gold must be now not far from 

 what it was in 1 789, because if the number of watches and 

 jewels is now inferior to what it was, they are also not so 

 heavy as they were formerly. 



At Neufchatel they only began to make watches at the end 

 of the 17th century. In the year 1780 they exported 40,000 

 watches, while they export now 130,000, and have more 

 chance of a regular increase than we at Geneva. 



Our gold is supplied partly by ingots, and partly by coins 

 of different countries. Silver is more generally taken from 

 coin, I believe. Hardly any money is coined in Switzerland, 

 where foreign monies circulate widely. We have only a very 

 considerable quantity of low coin (inferior to the shilling) 

 composed of mixed copper and silver. Comparing the popu- 

 lation with that of England, I suppose we have about three 

 times more of this little coin than in England. You are 

 aware, I suppose, that a large quantity of Swiss watches and 

 jewellery is smuggled into France, and they are there stamped 

 and sold as French products, so that you can give no credit 

 to the French official returns of the watches manufactured at 

 Besan^on or Paris. 



No. 12, A. 



Silver Watches at Birmingham. 



Silver watch-cases assayed and marked at the Birmingham 

 Assay Office (not charged with duty) from 26th March, 1798, 

 to 14th April, 1831. 



ozs. , ^ 



From 25th March, 1798, to July, 1798 2,549 



June, 1798 1799 10,305 



1799 1800 11,094 



1800 1801 13,617 



1801 1802 16,363 



1802 1803 20,617 



1803 1804 23,254 



1804 1805 30,199 



1805 1806 41,408 



1806 1807 42,128 

 VOL. II. D D 



