The Sun.
London, England, 1842-06-23 00:00:00

THE ,c LIGHT GOLD"
INFLICTION.

You can form no adequate conception of the embar-
rassment produced by the ill-judged proclamation o.f the
Tories relative to the gold coin. The working people
are the greatest sufferers, as many of them had sove-
reigns at full weight in their pockets on Sunday last ;
and such was the panic spread abroad that gold of all
descriptions, light and heavy, was refused in many
places, and numerous families were deprived of their
dinners in consequence. In some instances, two shillings
discount had to be paid on a sovereign that was only
twopence-halfpenny deficient in weight. Had the pro-
clamation been to call in the light sovereigns on a given
day. or had the expense of recoining termed the subject
of a separate estimate, no complaint would be made ;
but the suddenness of the proclamation is denounced as a
Tory trick. and must operate against them hereafter,
when the long account is to be settled.—Correspondent
of the Ross-shire Advertiser.
The stories in the London papers of the effects of the
monetary panic in the metrepolis have been fully
equalled in the country. Some symptoms of the diffi-
culties that afterwards occurred exhibited themselves in
Southampton before the close of the last week, by the
refusal of several shopkeepers to take light sovereigns,
but on Saturday the panic spread universally ; and as
scarcely one shop in a hundred possessod gold scales,
sovereigns and half-sovereigns were indiscriminately
refused, unless at a discount of Bd. for the. former and
4d. for the latter ; this was the case in French-street
and in the market, where great numbers of the working
classes resort on Saturday evening to make purchases.
At some shops a reduction of 6d, for sovereigns and 3d.
for half-sovereigns was made, but in many others the
most scandalous trickery was used, and where people
had come in from the country, or the hour was late, ls.
and even ls. 6d. in the pound was exacted. In the case
of working people this shameful extortion was in too
many cases submitted to, from the parties having no
other resource. This deduction was made upon the coin
indiscriminately by the majority, but in the course of
the day a supply of Birmingham balances was thrown
into the market, and did good service for a time, as
being improperly •constructed they weighed down with
light sovereigns. Some shops exhibited labels intimat-
ing that light sovereigns were taken there for goods, and
did a good extra trade in consequence. As might be
expected, the panic induced the production of much
boarded money, in excellent condition. The coinage of
George 111., issued in 1817, and of George IV., in 1821,
1823, 1824, and 1830, are generally light, but on an
average to not more than a depreciation of 1 and per
cent., as stated by the Members of the Government on
Tuesday night in the House. We know of an instance,
however, in which a deduction was made at one of the
banks of 4s. 6d. on five pounds, in which there were four
half sovereigns. On Monday last at a large shop in the
High-street. ls. 6d. in the pound was deducted on a pur-
chase by a lady, and we therefore wish to put our readers
on their guard against such scandalous imposition. On
an average a deduction of 2i-d. in the pound would corer
all loss, and certainly a discount of 3d. is the utmost
that should be submitted to in a sovereign, and 2d. in a
half sovereign.—Hampshire Advertiser.
LIGHT SOVEREIGNS.—As proofs of the prevalence of
light gold, we may mention that a gentleman took one
hundred to one of the banks in Gloucester, on Wednes-
day, forty-one of which number were deficient in weight ;
and another person took fifty, all of which were declared
light, and sixpence paid upon each :—.l.lertford Times.
There has been a dreadful hubbub here about the pro-
clamation respecting the light sovereigns. This procla-
mation has been followed by another, commanding an
issue of half-farthings. Truly these proceedings of our
rulers seem not a little puzzling : What possible use the
half-farthings cau be the Master of the Mint can pro-