COINAGE AND CURRENCY. 301 



After a year's use of the metric system in Brazil, all my work 

 being carried out thus, as the calculations, estimates, etc., had 

 to be submitted to the Government, I do not consider that 

 system a convenient one, especially for small quantities ; but am 

 of opinion that our duodecimal method has the advantage, both 

 by facility of expression and simplicity in working. 



The ease with which vulgar fractions can be worked out 

 mentally is an advantage which the decimal system does not 

 possess. I have never yet met any one who could perform the 

 same feats of mental arithmetic with decimals that can be 

 executed by fractions. 



I was glad to find by the remarks of Sir Frederick Bramwell 

 (President), at a meeting of the Institution of Civil Engineers 

 (January, 1885), that he is in favour of our retaining our frac- 

 tional system. As thus, my unworthy conclusions are endorsed 

 by a man not only of the greatest experience, but possessed of 

 a far-seeing, comprehensive, and scientific intellect. 



COINAGE AND CURRENCY. 



It may be asserted as a fact that the only coinage current 

 in Brazil is copper. In Rio, the money consists of nickel tokens 

 of one hundred reis and two hundred reis, some lately coined 

 copper pieces value forty reis and twenty reis, and notes from 

 five hundred reis upwards. Up country there is an abundance 

 of the old copper eighty reis and forty reis pieces, issued in 1829, 

 to which I shall refer later. Captain Burton remarks, " The older 

 travellers were obliged to have a mule for the carriage of this 

 Spartan coinage." It reminds one of the old time when Naaman 

 " bound two talents of silver in two bags, . . . and laid them 

 upon two of his servants." * 



The coinage in circulation is as follows : The old eighty reis 

 and forty reis pieces of copper (if inches and if inches in 

 diameter), most of them overstarnped with their present values of 

 forty reis and twenty reis respectively ; the neat modern forty reis 

 and twenty reis pieces, about the size of our penny and half- 

 penny ; nickel tokens of one hundred reis and two hundred reis 

 (i-rV inches and i-^ inches in diameter); and silver is represented 

 * 2 Kings v. 23. 



