248 American Assocint'wv. 



element in the valuation of the slickel. The chemists of the 

 middle ages used nitric acid aud muriatic in preparing the pre- 

 cious )netals, and in earlier times they had what is called tlie dry 

 process, which is described by Hebrew writers Avith great minute- 

 ness. In South America the Eastern methods prevail, and it is 

 a remarkable circumstance that a pilot in Pizarro's expedition 

 observed, in one of the native vessels, a scale for weighing gold 

 similar to what he had been accustomed to see in his own country. 

 The principle of procedure in preparing gold has in all ages been 

 the same, althougli the practice has differed. In the second 

 chapter of the Book of Genesis, the different qualities of gold are 

 spoken of, and through these records of antiquity examples are 

 given, similar to the modern process, of melting, casting, graving 

 and stamping metals. From these facts he concluded that very 

 great progress in tlie arts and sciences must have been made at 

 the time when these books were written.'' 



Lastl}', the avoirdupois weight, according to Mr. Gibbons, can 

 claim a very remote antiquity, and is also based upon the weights 

 of seeds: — " This kind of weight, which he stated to have been 

 fixed in various countries by an arbitrary rule, was anciently called 

 Poids de Marc, and was designed for weighable articles — " Choses 

 Poisibles" and to bo used for current market purposes. It had its 

 origin in Babylon, " a city of Merchants," and was carried to At- 

 lantic Spain by colonists from Tyre about 3056 years ago. Spain 

 produced a large amount of gold, and the Royal mint was noted 

 for the purity of its coin, but in the 14tli century no less than 150 

 mints were licensed, so that the coin became so debased that all 

 trade was carried on by barter. At an early period it was said 

 that there was a mint in nearly every county in Great Britain. 

 In ancient times it is supposed that an affinity existed among the 

 weights and monies of the various nations similar to that now 

 existing among modern nations. Thus the average weight of a 

 shekel, a coin of current money, is described as being half an 

 ounce avoirdupois in refined silver, and by Hebrew tradition it 

 weighed 320 common barley corns ; and proof of an understood 

 standard of current money in very ancient times is given in 

 the sale of several instances in the sacred writings ; as in the 

 sale of Joseph by his brethren; the purchase of a burying 

 ground by Abraham, which was evidently " a cash transaction," 

 the payment being made in metallic silver, current money among 

 the inerchants ; an<l the payment of his fare in a Spanish vessel 



