The Express.
London, England, 1853-03-22 00:00:00

exported pretty nearly as fast as the respective
Mints can supply them.
Now, this circumstance gives to the whoop.
Mint regulations a new bearing. We are beim.
manufacturers of coin for other cations. Oa trade,
pervading the globe, carries ear coin • with.it ; and
the question arises •hether the.publio should bear
the cost of this manufacture far foreigiMre.- it is
proposed to levy a seignorage nn it, which they would
then have to pay ; but the United States are
placed in almost the same condition as England.
They have great gold mines; their trade is
fast pervading the world; and they are
eoin manufacturers for other nations. Even in

the matter of coinage, therefore, which is
still claimed by prerogative, unrestricted competi-
tion, and not Mint regulations, except as they con-
form to its dictates, will be the guiding principle.
Wo shall only retain this new business of coin manu-
facturers, provided our coinage be good, simple, and
cheap. The exportation of our coin for use abroad
has facilitated the diffusion of the new formed bul-
lion and prevented us from being smothered with our
own gold. It is desirable therefore, that it should be
continued. Why should we not when we have a
plentiful supply of the raw material, and great ac-
credited skill, continue to be coin manufacturers?
Though it may be right to charge the cost of the
manufacture and the ordinary rate of profit,
we must not raise the scignorar so high
as to impede the export. To the United States
this reasoning applies as well as to England, and
thus we shall be compelled, by penalties of serious
loss, not only to look at our coinage regulations, but
to make our coins as nearly as possible approach in all
points to perfection. Whenever they are meddled
with, they must be remodelled on the decimal sys-
tem, and divided in a rational manner. Whether our
statesmen like it or not, they will be compelled to
take our coinage in hand, and being so compelled,
and exposed to competition, it will he only cummon
sense in them to consider carefully the principles of,
coinage, and to make the necessary change at once
comprehensive and complete.
The gold discoveries have been justly described as
constituting a great epoch in social history, and in
no respect will they be more important than in
making England and the United States the means of
spreading over the world a uniform gold coinage of
the best possible form. Something of the kind took
place with the Spanish coin after the discovery of
America. It was generally nationalised, and became
to a great extent the money of the world. A similar
effect is now to inning to take place with respect to
our coin and the coin of the United States. No
Government can prevent an excellent foreign coin
from invading its country, if it have any trade, ex-
cept by making its own coin equally good. Thus the
end we contemplate will be answered, though the
names of the coins should be different in different
countries; and a uniform measure of value, so long
desired, seems likely to come into use at no distant
date, and to become universal. For such circum-
stances Governments should be prepared, and should
not be surprised by them, as by a thief coming in the
night, and suffer themselves to be despoiled by them
of their reputation, honour, and power.