ST. HELENA 289 



Space will not permit of further accounts, although they 

 are full of interest. 



The foreign coins current in St. Helena in 1844 were the 

 gold doubloon of Spain, Mexico or South America (£3 4s.), 

 and the silver dollar of Spain, Mexico or South America 

 (4s. 2d.). 



From the records we find that, although payments to 

 the military and civilian servants were expressed in sterling, 

 yet sterling coin did not circulate. 



In the seventeenth century the commercial coin was the 

 Spanish dollar (or piece of eight). This was rated at 6s., 

 but copper money and pieces of eight to the value of £400 

 were brought from England in 1673, though dollars or pieces 

 of eight must have remained in general use, for we read : — 



Fines for non-attendance at Council were : absence, 

 i dollar ; second absence, 1 dollar ; third time, i£ dollars. 



In 1678 a fine of 4 dollars was imposed for picking lemons, 

 and of 2 dollars for throwing rocks into the sea ; and in 1707 

 a fine of 6 dollars was paid by Mrs. Clavering to escape 

 being " duckt in the sea at the Crane for scandalizing the 

 whole island." 



In 1683 figures ("two setts"), engraved in iron from 

 1 to 10, were sent out to stamp copper money ; these 

 stamped coppers were id. the ounce. Obstacles arose 

 concerning this copper, and orders were issued in 1687 

 that not more than half of any debt should be paid in such 

 currency, the remainder was to be paid in coined money. 

 In 1708 we find that " Crowns and Spanish pieces of eight 

 were to pass at 5s. instead of 6s.," but "they maybe paid 

 into the store for old debts at 6s." 



The reduction of the value from 6s. to 5s. produced a 

 disastrous effect on the currency, for in November, 1708, 

 it was recorded that " Cash is all gone from the island : in 

 selling £800 worth of stores only 7 dollars was received in 

 ready money." The explanation given in 1716 is that 

 dollars (being worth 20 per cent, more than 5s. in Madras) 

 could not be kept in the island. After this the colony was 

 in considerable straits for a circulating medium, and in 1713 

 it petitioned for one whole ton of Chinese money, called 

 " Petiese," which would be of advantage here, of the value 

 of farthings ; or allowing them to be passed at six for one 



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