170 GOLD. 
Gold has been known, and in request, from the very 
arliest ages of the world. By the assent of civilized 
e ations, it has become the representative of wealth 
under the form of money; and it is now an universal cir- 
culating medium for the purchase of all kinds of com- 
modities. It has been chosen to occupy this important 
place on account of its scarcity, its weight, and other 
valuable properties. 
As gold is not liable to tarnish or rust, it is frequently 
employed for ornaments of dress* But, beyond its use 
in the coinage, its most important uses are for gold- 
smith's work, in jewellery, and for gilding. In each of 
these its standard or purity is different. That denomi- 
nated coinage, or sterling gold, consists of an alloy of 
about twenty-two parts of gold with two parts of 
copper; whilst gold of the new standard) of which gold 
plate, watch-cases, and many other articles are made, 
consists of only eighteen parts of gold, and six parts of 
copper. Each of these is stamped at Goldsmiths' Hall ; 
the former with a lion, a leopard's head (the mark of the 
goldsmith's company), a letter denoting the year, the 
kings' head, and the manufacturer's initials ; the latter 
is stamped with the king's head, letter for the year, a 
crown, the number 18 to designate its quality, and the 
manufacturers initials. The coinage gold of Portugal 
and America is of the same standard as our own ; that 
:of France is somewhat inferior ; and Spanish gold is 
inferior to the French. The Dutch ducats and some 
of the Moorish coins are of gold unalloyed. Trinket 
'gold, which is unstamped, is in general much less pure 
than any of the above; and the pate gold which is used 
by jewellers is an alloy of gold with silver. 
The ductility and tenacity of this metal, particularly 
when alloyed with copper, are extremely remarkable, 
and are fully proved by the great extent to which a 
very small quantity of it may be beaten into leaves, or 
drawn into wire. Leaves of gold may be beaten so 
thin, that a single grain may be made into fifty-six 
