The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1884-05-06 00:00:00

Pawl &until Expren.

DOROHIATICR. 1141/' kb, 13.114.

THE COINAGE ALTERATIONS.

It is not surprising that the Chancellor of the
lacienwer's proposal to adulterate or debate our half-
sovereigns should have given it.. ti considerable
divinity of opinion, or that misgiving should appear
to be the predominating Whig with regard to the
proposal. Upon the current, as distinguished from
the intrinsic value of coins, the popular mind is in
some cases very sensitive, and in others equally
apethetic ; and it is Impossible to foresee which mood
would be exhibited towards any new experiment in
nominal, as apart from real value. Many persons now
living can well remember when massive old ounces
wanks were in gamed oiroulation, and how the
people of this realm und to pride themselves upon
having a wpm °oblige which, if it did not represent
the full nominal value planed on it, at lent represented
• substantial part of it. Yet pennies times been suc-
cessively corbelled in weight until it now takes three
of thaw to weigh an ottani without exciting
any protest from the piblio. What is more
reenarkehle is that French 00i0.1 of similar site,
material, and general &pennies, but whose nominal
vain lea 23011 instant of a 210:h of • p mad, pain
coureatly among Boglin brans m insy In London
without demur from anyb ydy bet tbs inexperieno it
country visitor. Tons the millions of the London
population not oily awaken in the nominal value
ooiaily aioribed to their own broils oolus, but
complacently attribute • quite fictitions value to
French ooins. With silver coins the disparity between
nominal and intrinsic value is much less, but still it
Is considerable, as anyone may avorriain for himself
by welt/king a " heedful of silver," and calculating
the Merinos interne their nominal worth sad the
'skink an of the metal at about 4. an ounce.
Bat In our geld acne we haw* until now had • •ob-
stainial as well as a nominal standard of V111:1., —that
Is, except so far as the monetary disoa of this precious
metal have been depreciated in value by simple wear,
or by the nefadons prongs wiled " sweating." By one
mean oe the other, somewhat more than ball of the
gold eons In circulating have become light, • • tremtite
or kes extent, but so largely le the eg;assreale as to
denead prompt rehabilitation. The cost of redeeming
tin light sovereigns In oireulation by amine new one.
of fall weight would amount to a considerable
item in one of our Budgets I mid, Instead of
charging the revenue with this expense, Mr. Childers
proposes to restore the substantial of the sovereign
by niacin the real vain of tbe half-sovereign, while
maintaining its nominal valise. The intrinsic value
of the new Itell.sov‘reign would be only nine
shillings ; and the quinine arises would people accept
then debased hilleovereigne for halves in value, as
they now ainept crowns for quieter., or half.orowas
for eighths, of • pound sterling. This is • question
which on only be settled by angel experiment. But
It should be considered that the case of a merely
Domaine' half ostensibly made of the same metal, is
different from that of a similar quarter, made of quite •
different metal. Yet we di not think the practical
objection would be so much the dnoreoinion
of the proporel coin in public intimation.
As long as people c mild pay th taxes
or bay stomps with claimed half-s 'ensigns,
there would not be much fear of its correct value fall-
ing. The practical difficulty in the way of Mr.
Childers proposal seems to lie in other directions. For
imam" is the new win to be reskoned at Its nominal
value, or its Intrinsic value, as gold held in reserve
Waite& • beak note circulation' If the former, the
reserve would consist to • considerable f base
metal; and if the latter, • bank would only be
aredind with bolding £4 10s, In the Amps of ten half.
sovereigns, which would purchase its own £5 note,
and for which latter it would have to pay five
sovereign on demand. Title, however, is rather •
dUlloalty for the banking word i than for the penal
pablk to consider. What more concern the people
at barge is the risk of unsuthorind manufacture—we
will not say spurious imitation—of the debewid coin.
The profit of • shilling per coin to be made might
tempt men with more capital than integrity to priduos
by thousands counterparts of coins containing only Sa
worth of gold each, but pining for 10i.; and, while
they were about it, the imitators might make •
farther debasement of another 10 per cent, on their
own account. Altogether, we repeat, it is not
earprking that Mr. Childers' proposal should excite

Low. Oa(111511101.—Tbs London Choutto on Friday
night contacted the following :-3rd Battalion, the
Dorestshirs Regiment, Herbert Carey George Batten,
Esq., to be Captain.
AT the meat examinations in London of the Phu,
nisceutical Society for qualification to act as Chemist
aad Druggiat in Great Britain, 144 candidates pre-
sented themselves, of whom 52 pawed, Among the
socessefill we ate pleased to notioe the IMMO of Mr.
Thomas Groves, el lest sou of Mr. J. H. Groves, of
North-square.
" FUT.DINGTOT PARISH MAGAZINT."—ThIa m inth'e
number of the above contitine as interesting article
from the pen of Mr. H. J. Houle on the history of
the parish church, and with the permission of the
editor, a oontinuation of the edime will be given in
future unmbers. N., doubt this will make the Pariah
Megatiar more popular. many parishioners knowing at
preens' but very little of the titulary of their parish
Auras.

MOIll &LITT STATISTICS roa Boaooom rot
Arau.—Doatlis 15 (74r41niton 6). Brsin durum,
apoplexy, bronchitis, and oanoer each imam 1 two
deaths ; boo• disease, old sea consumption," drink,"
soevisleinaa lives diessee, sad heart disease raoh
named one. This deeth-rete (24 per 1,000), being
Mew than natal, It should be soled that is... were
over ‘6O years of age, three over 80. &al two only
under a twelvernJoth. —E. J. DA T, Medical Offloar of
Health.