The Sun.
London, England, 1853-09-12 00:00:00

Council there have been sitting during the past few
months two foreign Ministers so diametrically op-
posed to each other as the Earl of ABERDEEN and
Viscount PALMERSTON. Naturally, therefore, rather
we might say inevitably, the Foreign Office, during
all this critical period, has yielded, in regard to
the blundering inconsistency of the Cabinet, a se-
ries of disastrous illustrations.

Beholding the miserable course pursued of late
by England between the rights of the SuLrAN and
the lawless aggressions of the AUTOCRAT, we know
not which is the more long-suffering of the two—
the people or Lord PALMERSTON. The one has so
long, but as yet so vainly, expected the other as
the Coming Man to preside over the affairs of the
Imperial Government. The hopes of each must
surely have within them what is called the prin-
ciple of longevity—otherwise they would scarcely
by possibility have survived so many disappoint-
ments. How runs, indeed, upon this head, the
old Italian proverb 7

" Aspett,are e non venire,
Stare in letto e non dormire,
Servire e non gradire „
Son tre core, da far morire.
Here, assuredly, one has been expected who has
not arrived—while there, on the other hand, one
has served who has not been advanced. It were
a circumstance to console the nation for many past
shortcomings on the part of her administrators, if
in this particular, however tardily, its hopes were
in truth to be realised. It might not, to
be sure, compensate for the evils accruing
from these disgraceful negotiations with the
Courts of St. Petersburg and Constantinople--
but at any rate it might prove successful in im-
parting to the British Government something like
an approximation to the merits of dignity and
consistency. We might then, at least, be spared
the misery of beholding the foreign policy of
Englan made ignominiously subservient to the
CZAR'S awless pride and insatiable greed of Ido-
minion. We might then be relieved from the re-
gret of questioning important despatches like that
from the Earl of CLARENDON to Sir GEORGE SEY-
MOUR, dated as far back as the 16th of July,
creeping out inopportunely on the 11th of Sep-
tember. We might, in fine, have the satisfaction
of beholding the destinies of the British Empire
presided over by a resolute and patriotic, a vigo-
rous and magnanimous Administrator.

We recently asserted with respect to the con-
templated decimal coinage, that " the system
which retained both the penny and the pound
with the least possible alteration, would be the
most efficient in every respect." Now, by apply-
ing this test, we shall speedily find that the florin
of twelve to the pound sterling, that is to say, of
the value of ls. Bd., is the only unit that com-
plies with this essential condition, and which
would save the community in general from a con-
siderable increase of taxation on postage and re-
ceipt stamps, and the working classes generally from
serious losses in their daily transactions. Under this
principle, the only change immediately necessary,
would be in the farthing, a matter of comparative in-
difference, as that " the smallest coin in the realm"
is but little circulated, and few, if any, sales are
effected in " terms of farthings." The calling in
of the trifling amount would lead to scarcely any
inconvenience, more especially if the more conve-
nient " cent," five of which would go to a penny,
were substituted in its place. No other change
would be immediately required, nor would there
be a loss on, or the necessity of, withdrawing any
other coin now in circulation. It is true that it
would be advisable to make some alterations, with
the view of ultimately placing the matter on the
best foundation, but they might be so gradual as
to be almost imperceptible.
Thus, the penny under the proposed system
would be equal to five cents, and the half-penny
to 2i. Both would therefore be retained as the
most convenient denominations that could he
adopted, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer
would not be afforded an excuse for adding
400,0001. to the public burdens under the head
of additional charges for postage, or a nearly equal
aura for increased receipt stamps under the
Plausible pretext of " convenience." We have no
doubt that any individual, or body of individuals,
would find an in creaseof 20 per cent. to his or their
receipts exceedingly " convenient," but a similar
addition to the outlay would probably be regarded
in a very different point of view. The trouble of
fixing the compensation to the owners of tolls,
ac., fixed by Acts of Parliament, giving " small
increases to their charges for limited periods,
would thus be avoided. That increase could not
be less than 20 per cent., viz., from a penny to
five " mils," according to the recommendation of
the Committee—a change that might lead to
" mills" of a very different description between
the payers and collectors of turnpike and other
tolls. And much trouble and annoyance would be
occasioned by the attempt to ascertain the period
for which the five mils should be payable
before the reduction to four mils would
be proper. There would also be an enor-
mous amount of labour required to adjudicate
equitably between persons having life estates, or
other limited interests in such tolls, and the re-
mainder men and reversioners. It would, in
fact, cut out an enormous quantity of work for
-the gentlemen of the long robe, and, as a natural
consequence, occasion a by no means inconsider-
able expenditure to the parties concerned in ob-
taining a settlement. Every case should, in fact,
be decided on its own merits, and according to the
several periods for which the tolls, &c., were to
be levied. But all this would be avoided by
making the florin of l.s. Bd. the unit of the new
system. None would be thereby injured. The
relations between payers and receivers would re-
main unaltered.

The threepenny piece would then be equal to
fifteen cents, the fourpenny to twenty cents, the
sixpence to thirty, and the shilling to sixty cents.
The half-crown would be a florin and a half, the
crown three, the half sovereign six, and the sove-
reign twelve florins. Even the present florin, the
" one-tenth of a pound," might for a time be re-
tained, as it would be equal to one florin twenty
cents of the new denomination. Every one of
these could be expressed in the decimal notation.
For instance, we should find the following equi-
valents

One penny .5
Three pence 'ls
Four pence
Sixpence
One Shilling -60
Florin (of two shillings) 1.20
Half-crown
Crown
Half-sovereign 6. 0
Sovereign l2* 0

From this it is manifest that the decimal form of
accounts might forthwith be introduced into every
counting-house, and when, after a brief interval,
the new coinage best suited to the new system
and rendemriend:
Were issued from the Mint, and the old gradually
withdrawn, the
munity during the ne amelioriation would be completed
nearly perfect as possible, and
With the
coinage r of inconvenience to the com-
e state of transition. The new
once
retained, and in lf-pence would of course be
as the pence ate would in copper only be of cents,
quarter-florins, silverequivalent
eof florins, half-florins and
gold
tnbtereeszeicgthitveblye
itnoirlos.duBcde.d,
10d., and sd. In
b©
anyclimfiorins
by degrees pieces of five
for
rhiche
would be worth Bs. 4d. and ten
and 16s. Bd, /
piepounds
florin piece would easily be substituted 1-i- The ten-
pound, nor would there b the
culating the terms of exchange, as euilve tY in cal-
' be exactly equal to six ten-florin
Under such circumstances, then, We esesub•
submit
that the balance of advantages is greatlyra t
in favour of the florin of is. Bd., as the
unit of the new decimal system, and that it is the
only way in which the change could be effected
without serious injury to the less wealthy classes—_.
those who earn their daily bread by their daily
labour—and some loss to every receiver of money
to the value of 405., and every letter-writer or
toll-payer in'the community. The pound will, of
course, be eventually got rid of, but we confess
that we can bear that loss with great patience.
We cannot see the use of retaining a denomination
unknown in any other country, albeit it may be
" associated with all our ideas of money value, and
that it is the basis on which our exchange transac- i