The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-08-24 00:00:00

EXCHANGES, &e.

The subjoined account of the weights of coins issued in
various countries and of their value in United States currency,
is taken from Mr. Woodbury's "Report on Exchanges," and
may prove of great service to merchants in this country.
The American dollar contains 374 grains of pure silver, or
416 grains of standard silver.

The Spanish dollars are not all of the same weight. Those
in circulation in 1829 were said by the director of the mint to
be worth on an average, 100 cents 3 mills _

The Mexican dollai; are said to he equal to the Spanish.
The "Carolus" dollars are the Spanish coined prior to
the year 1809, in the reigns of Charles 111. and IV. They
are said to be not superior in weight and firmness to the
Mexican.

The American eagle of the old coinage, previous to the 31st
of July, 1834, contained 2-171 grains of pure gold.
The American eagle of the new coinage contains 232 grains
of pure gold.

The British sovereign, when coined, contains 113 grains
18-121-1 parts of a grain of pure gold, worth, according to our
present mint valuation, 4 dollars 877-120.
The Spanish doubloons should, according, to the regulations
which have nominally prevailed since the year 1772, contain
376 grains of pure gold, which would, at our mint valuation,
be worth 16 dollars 20 cents. But, according to assays made
at the London and Philadelphia mints previous to the year
1829, Spanish doubloons contained only from 360 to 362 4-10
grains of pure gold. This would make their average value, at
our mint valuation, about 15 dollars 56i
The Patriot doubloon are said to be equal in weight and
fineness to the Spanish.

The difference in the price of Spanish and Patriot doubloons,
and of the different species of dollars at New York and Phila-
delphia, is chiefly owing to difference of demand for them in
foreign markets.
In the price currents, 4 dollars 414-9 are assumed as the
par of exchange on England. This practice began when the
Spanish pillar dollars were in circulation, and when the mar-
ket value of gold, compared with silver, was less than it is
at present. The true par varied as the market value of gold
varied, when compared with silver. It was estimated by
Mr. Gallantin, writing in 1829, at 7 per cent, above nominal
par; by others at 8 per cent.
Since the passage of the act of 1834, for reforming the
American gold coinage, the true par exchange with England,
estimating gold against gold, is about 9 7-10-above the nomi-
nal par.

The quotations of exchange on France are so many francs
and centimes payable in France for a dollar paid here. Ac-
cording to the regulations of the French mint, the silver
franc should contain 69,453 troy grains of pure silver, equi-
valent to 18 708-1000 cents in silver currency of the United
States. The quantity of pure silver in an American dollar
is equal to that in five francs 3-1 531-1000 centimes. But as
foreign coins are not a legal tender iniFrancj., and 'is a
siegnorage of about 11 per cent. is charged on silver coinage
at the French mint, American dollars, when sold as bullion
in France, are said to bring, on an average, not more than 5
francs 26 25-1000 centimes. This is, by some writers, assumed
as a par of exchange on France. Other writers assume 5
francs 34 centimes as about par.
The quotations of exchange on Holland, are so many cents
a guilder; of Hamburg, so many cents a mark banco; and
on Bremen so many cents a rix dolllar.
The exact value of the guilder of Holland is 39 97-100
cents., of the United States silver currency; but 40 cents.
are usually assumed as the par of exchange.
The mark banco of Hamburg is a money of account equal
to 45 114-1000 cents. United States currency.

The rix dollar of Bremen i;;;Ueiofaci;Ount equal to SO
cents and a very small fraction United States currency.

At a recent marriage in high life a very singular circum-
stance occurred, that has occasioned great talk in the beau
monde. After the whole of the family circle had assembled
in the vestry-room, preparatory to proceeding to the altar,
the bridegroom discovered that he had entirely forgotten the
license. A hackney cab was immediately procured, when
the bon. gentleman, in company with a friend, went with all
haste to Doctor's-commons. The parties left the church for
their mansion in C—h-square, and after a delay of an
hour and a half returned, when the marriage was solemnised.
The noble father of the bridegroom, during the interval,
went to a neighbouring jeweller's to purchase a ring, saying
" Perhaps the silly fellow has forgotten that also.—London
Paper.

QUEEN'S COLLEGE OXFORD.—We feel the highest gratifi
cation in being able to state, upon authority we can place
confidence in, that the memorials which have been forwarded
from Cumberland and Westmorland to the heads of the
Queen's College, Oxford, have produced the desired effect,
and that the exclusive privileges heretofore enjoyed by the
natives of these two counties, at the college in question, will
be continued to them. We trust that the agitation of this
question will-give such an impetus to education in this and the
adjoining county as will prevent a renewal of the complaint
of the want of the requisite amount of attainments on the
part of the candidates for the honours of Queen's College.—
Carlisle Patriot.

TOURNAMENT AT EGLINGTON CASTLE.—The following
is a description of the proposed tournament at Eglington
Castle:—Who shall say the age of romance is passed, or the
military ardour of our knights abated? Old Froisart, Mont-
facon, and Chaucer will rejoice in their graves when they
hear that the blast of the herald's trumpet is again about to
sound the onset. The empty harness in Goodrich Castle will
echo with the rejoicings of Meyrick, and the elms of Bromp-
ton quiver with -delight at the ecstacies of Manche. A tour-
nament is actually announced to take place at the seat of
Lord Eglington, in Scotland, during the present summer.
A real tournament, in all the panoply of gracious chivalry.
The combatants have been supplied with the most gorgeous
armour and every suitable requisite for the joust, by the
Messrs. Pratt, from their Gothic armoury in Lower Grosvenor-
street, and we understand that the pageant will be under their
direction, assisted by their able coadjutor, Mr. Tucker, three
of the most able antiquarians of the day. The splendour of
the spectacle will be much greater than such games were be-
fore they had fallen into disuse, because the knights in this
case are to be habited in the armour of different periods, thus
doing away with the monotony of the scene. There will be
the mailed knight of the crusades rUnning a tilt with the plate
clad warrior of the Elizabethan era. Charlemagne encoun-
' tering probably the Earl of Leicester or William Rufus.
Some of the suits purchased for the occasion we have seen :
they are either Milanese, German, or Spanish, and of the
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most exquisite workmanship, as well as the arms attached to
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or
the attendants in brigantines, jacks, and jazerines, with every
other particular of costume peculiar to the time. In all these
articles the splendid collection of the Gothic armoury abounds,
and every facility is given to any one curious about such in-
teresting matters; visitors are permitted to take their own
time in examining or even sketching any article. The herald
in attendance has caught some portion of his employers'
knowledge, and in this respect is superior to the beef-eaters
at the Tower, who have been known to assure their company
that a lobster-backed helmet, which they point out, was worn
by one of the guards of Poutius Pilate.—Glasgow Courier.