The Sun.
London, England, 1860-09-10 00:00:00

DEC,IMAL 01NAGE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS.
As the present appears to be the most favourable
opportunity that has ever occurred for the introduc-
tion of a decimal currency, I take the liberty of
offering the following for the consideration of those
most interested in the proposed change :
The new copper coinage is nearly ready for circu-
lation. Pence, halfpence, and farthings are already
coined, each of rather less value than those at pre-
sent in use. To introduce the decimal system, it is
only necessary to reduce the value of a farthing to
to the I,oooth part of a pound instead of the 960th,
as at present, and to issue one new coin of the value
of ten farthings, and the whole matter will be ac-
complished without the necessity of deranging ac-
counts or interfering with them in any way except
to render them more simple and less liable to error.
The alteration would not even necessitate new
account-books, as accounts would still be kept in
pounds ; and, as 10 of the new coins (which I should
name decime) would be equal to one florin, they
would stand thus—pounds, florins, decimes, far-
things, instead of pounds, shillings, pence, far-
things; but this would be sufficiently indicated by
merely pointing off the figures to the right hand—
thus, 9,8, 7, 6 would represent 9 pounds, 8 florins,
7 decimes, 6 farthings. But, as farthings have
always been represented as fractional parts of f_t
penny, so they may be still written as fractional
r Arts of a decime in the decime column; thus 9 B,'eight
"7,;-10th, or 3-x, would represent nine pounds, eight;
By this
. gins, seven decimes, three farthings;
worn
arrangement nearly the whole of th
ned: T corn
ei3 being gt e stilllat th pre-
sente in use might be retained until
out, their relative value to the pound
being
value con.,
same, the only variation in 1
andr insignificantea
facilitatecoicoin—viz.,
--
viz.) the
the intro-
ductionfined to the most
far-
thing.
recommend that, to avoid
I should, however,
confusion, and to simplify
decimal currency, the
calledthreepenny
and fourpenn y . pieces
t. in, and, as
he crown and half crown •
soon as convenient
new gold
.
pieces
also; in lieu of which
.w coins of the value of
and three florins might be advantageously •
two
troduced ; the current coins would then be all of a
uniform though not strictly decimal character, and
would stand as follows :
Farthings, of which four
would still represent
one penny, and ten one
decime ;
Declines, of which ten would represent one florin.
Florins, of which ten would
The shilling would pound . representone p _
Id
ou still represent half a florin, and
the sixpence the quarter florin. But the sooner they
could be altogether
superseded by pieces of a strictly
decimal character so much the better, and these
might be of the respective value of two and five
decimes, and would prove admirable substitutes for
both coins ; the one being named the half florin, the
other the double decline. Both the decline and
double decime should be silver coins.
The advantages of the introduction of this system
of accounts are not easily realised. The saving in
time in calculating extensive monetary transactions
cannot be estimated ; but when the simplicity of the
mode of converting any amount of the lowest de-
nomination into its equivalent in the highest be
taken into consideration, it will readily be con-
ceived that the saving in the number of clerks alone
in all Government offices, and the reduction in
quantity of all kinds of stationery used in them,
will be quite sufficient to justify me in saying that
it would soon prove very nearly, if nOt quite, an
equivalent for the total repeal of the excise duty'
upon paper. _

A DECIMAL FRACTION•

It is the intention of the Queen to give a new fleet
f her
e The
window to the Church of Sidmouth, in merVe.
Majesty's lamented father, who died t'whch will
parishioners feel much pleased at this gift,
.urc
remains, materially add to the beauty of the
what in a dilemma, as the organ, if it .
real aitilculties to
the window being seen, and there are
.rourtmi.
but aurpermeort
Russell and.
overcome as to removing the origrall
The disputes between II•
sting to the Great Eastern
the Great Ship CompalVcriby the arbitrators, Messrs.
have at length been dql.rowler, awarding him the sum
Hawkshaw, Isl'Lean, and
of £lB,OOO.
rosnectus has been issued of the
Scott
A preliminary.Pooloury, and Coast of Wales Rail.
" West Midland,
tulles,Sia'.. to connect Shrewsb
of
90
way"—a line
ad„, passing through sorno of the most
f North Wales, and 'd•
~ arts 0 avoiding heavy
pictureeVe,rtahe exception of one tunnel ofmile and
sea coast a
works, vriti,
ourbyable thet
rlaVffieset
arrange.
estimates are under 410 000 a
"ill bet Pwrrtni with whomfav '
a-half. The ked and maintained
RaAil :eynnC Company,per mile, and the
Midland
line
niertim practically insuring a fair Minittlf4M dividend will In
made."
paper says that there are thirty-seven.
Hungarian officers serving under Garibaldi, one-half of
whom went expressly from Hungary to Italy, the re-
mainder baying been emigrants. Ten Hungarian officers!
it is added, fought at Melano, and of them Neyouwers killed
or badly wounded.