178 



differ among ourselves too, I am not able to say with 

 certainty. 1 find that in ]()3J onr liou.se of l)urgesses 

 desirrd of the privy council in England, a coin del)ased 

 to twenty-five per-cent: that in 1()45 they forbid deal- 

 ing bv barter for tobacco, and established the Spanish 

 piece of eight at .six ?liilling.s, as the standard of their 

 currency : that in 1655 they changed it to five shillings 

 sterling. In 1680 they sent an address to the king, in 

 consequence of which, by proclamation in J683, he fix- 

 ed the value of French crowns, ri.\ dollars, and pieces 

 of eight at six shillings, and the coin of iXew-Ensland 

 at one shilling. That in 1710, 1/14, 1727, and J7G2, other 

 regulations were made, which will be better presented 

 to the eve stated in the form of a table as follows: 



