FAQ 
Dubois. ] 548 [Oct. 4. 
with the appliauces of Gay-Lussac’s humid assay, and the printed details 
of the process. Soon after, Mr. Saxton, famous for his skill in construct- 
ing balances and other delicate instruments, returned from a long 
schooling in that line in London, and was employed in the Mint. Thus 
furnished, Mr. Eckfeldt felt, himself ‘set up,’? and able to compete with 
the foreign assayers, and if he was ever more precise, it was because he 
disregarded certain allowances which had become a time-honored custom. 
A large importation of fine gold bars from France, known as the 
French Indemnity, and which came because President Jackson declared 
he ‘would submit to nothing that was wrong,’”’ gave a fine opportunity 
for testing and comparing foreign assays; and it was generally found that 
these bars were somewhat below the alleged fineness. Still the deficit 
was inconsiderable ; but it is characteristic of French gold coin, as well 
as bars. 
It is not surprising, that he felt at first the inconvenience of passing 
from one form of nomenclature to another, though to a better one. A 
friend remarks, ‘‘T recall conversations with Mr. Eckfeldt, showing how 
ser‘ously he felt the revolution. He would think in carats, and report in 
decimals. And I often recur to this as illustrating the kind of difficul- 
ties which would arise incase of a decimalising of weights and measures.”’ 
For some years prior to 1842, Mr. Eckfeldt and his assistant, in addition 
to their ordinary duties, engaged in the preparation of an original and 
comprehensive work on the Coins of all Nations; on the Varieties of 
sold and Silver Bullion; on Counterfeit Coins, and on other subjects 
related thereto. This was published in 1842, and has long been regarded 
as a standard authority. In 1850, they issued a supplementary smaller 
work, and again in 1852. 
As the United States increased in commerce, wealth and population, 
the Mint of course increased in work. In particular, Mexican dollars 
came in great quantities for recoinage. Not only were our vaults full, 
but our entries and corridors were at times crowded with rows of kegs. 
Every day, for years, we had the constant task of sixteen melts of silver 
ingots to melt and assay ; and it was a great advantage and satisfaction to 
be supplied with the hamid apparatus. 
The success of gold mining in our Southern States, and the increasing 
commerce of New Orleans, gave rise to the establishment of three branch 
mints at the South, in 1837; and it devolved upon Mr. Eckfeldt to become 
schoolmaster, and educate the three assayers appointed for those places. 
The same had to be done again at a later date for other mints and assay 
offices. 
In December, 1848, came the first lot of gold grains from California ; 
and with the opening of the next year the tide set in most powerfully. 
I shall not here speak of this great turning-point in metallic currency 
any further than as it affected the mint, or rather the labor which it laid 
upon Mr. Eckfeldt and his department. As is well known, the lots were 
numerous, and the aggregate amount was enormous. Instead of making 
