84 



Coin and Currency m [No. 9, new series. 



the actual density of the alloy being 10*3, while calculation gives 

 10-5. 



I stated before that prior to 1826 the English gold coinage con- 

 tained an appreciable amount of silver, which is not present in the 

 later currency. In like manner the silver coin issued before that 

 year contained (as the old Spanish dollars and some other foreign 

 coins) a small proportion of gold. The relative value of different 

 specimens of silver depend upon amount of gold they may include. 

 The well-known Sycee silver contained a (comparatively) large 

 quantity, and was valuable accordingly. But since 1826 the Eng- 

 lish silver coin has been as free from gold as the gold from silver. 

 The metals are separated by means of hot concentrated sulphuric 

 acid. The silver must amount to not less than 25 or 30 per cent. 

 If the gold preponderate to a greater degree it exercises a protect- 

 ing influence over the silver, preventing its solution : so that if 

 the object of the process be to remove silver from gold previous to 

 coinage, silver must be added to the alloy to bring the proportion 

 up to the necessary standard. Further, there ought not to be 

 more than 10 per cent, of copper present, sulphate of copper being 

 little soluble in concentrated sulphuric acid. Regnault states that 

 by this process one-two-thousandth part of gold may be extracted 

 with profit. 



I subjoin an abridgment of Brande's Table of British Silver 

 Coinage. 



Number of 

 pieces in the pound 

 Troy. 



792 

 396 

 264 

 I 198 

 | 132 

 66 

 |26& Is. 

 |13&ls. 



Standard 

 weight of 

 each piece 



Fine silver 

 in each 

 piece. 





dwt- 



grains 



dwt. 



grains 





0 



7-27 



0 



6-72 



Twopences . . 



0 



14-54 



0 



13-45 



Threepences. . 



? 



21-81 



0 



20-18 



Fourpences . . 





5-09 



1 



2-90 



Sixpences. . . . 



1 



19-63 



1 



16-36 



Shillings .... 



3 



15-27 



3 



8-72 



Half Crowns. 



9 



2-18 



8 



9-81 





18 



4-36 



16 



19-63 



G ? • 



I £ & 

 £ e © 



£^rG 



G 



Legal 

 Ten- 

 der. 



Standard 

 weight 

 in troy 

 grains. 



grams. 

 7-272 

 14-545 

 21-818 

 29-090 

 43-636 

 87-272 

 218-181 

 436-363 



As might be expected the resemblance between the French and 

 English currencies in early times is very close. The time of 



