The Sun.
London, England, 1825-09-06 00:00:00

ANECDOTES, &c.

• ORIGIN OF THE TERM STERLING FOR MONEY.—In
the time of Richard the First, money coined in the east parts
of Germany came in special request in England, on account of
its purity, and was called easterling money, as all the inha-
bitants of those parts were called Earterlings ; and soon after
some of these people, skilled in coining, were sent for to Lon-
don, to bring the coin to perfection, which was soon called
sterling from Easterling. King Edward the First established
a certain standard for the silver coin of England ; but no gold
was coined until the reign of Edward the Third, who, in the
year 1320, caused several pieces to be coined called florences,
because they were coined by Florentines. Afterwards he
coined nobles, then rose nobles current at 6s. lid., half nobles at
3s. 4d., called halfpennies of gold ; and quarters at 20d., called
farthings of gold. The succeeding Kings coined rose nobles,
and double rose nobles ; great sovereigns, and half henry
nobles, angels, and shillings. James the First coined unites,
double crowns, and Britain crowns, shillings, sixpences, and
inferior pieces. Charles the Second converted most of the
ancient gold coins into guineas.
CURIOUS TITLE OF AN OLD MANUSCRIPT.—" The
earth generated and anatomized; wherein is shewen what the
chaos was ; how and when the oyster-shells, cockle-shells, and
all other marine productions, were brought upon and incorpo-
rated in the rocks and mountains of the earth ; proving that it
was not at or by the Deluge, as is vulgarly supposed."
OFFICIAL DISINTERESTEDNESS.—When King William
entreated Mr. Locke to retain his place in the Commission of
Trades and Plantations, although unable to give constant at-
tendance through ill health, that gentleman replied, that he
could not in conscience hold a place to which such a salary was
annexed without discharging the duties of it.
Tuz PorTs or FRANCE.—The Journal des Debars of
Friday informs us that.'" every province—every town in France
possesses a crowd of Poets Prodigious ! as our old friend
Dominic Sampson would say, but where the deuce do they
all hide their works
Crer NVIT.—The RECORDER of LONDON, at a city
dinner, having been called upon for a song, regretted that it
was not in his power to gratify the wishes of the company : a
worthy Alderman, who was present, observed, that he was much
surprised by the refusal of the learned person, as it was notorious
that numbers had been transported by his voice.
CROMWE LL's SoI.DIER.—A soldier, who had served in the
Protector's army, after the Restoration was a tenant of an Irish
Bishop, who knowing Ivhat the man had been, always severely
reproached him with having supported the cause of an usurper.
The veteran apologized on the plea of necessity, but the Bishop
constantly resumed his reproaches when the man came to pay
the rent. On the last occasion the Bishop said to his tenant,
" Your old Master is gone to hell." The soldier, still keeping
his temper, calmly answered, "I am sorry for it." " Sorry,"
said the Bishop, " for such a scoundrel !" " No," rejoined
the soldier, " I am sorry on the Devil's account, for wherever
Master is he'll be uppermost."