The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-01-03 00:00:00

£l6 16 4

TUESDAY, JANUARY 3, 1854.

portune, inasmuch as a question of greater importance
than decimal coinage was now agitating the country ;
that the attention of her Majesty's government and
the anxieties of the country were all engaged on the
question of peace or war ; and that it would be some;
what out of place for the inhabitants of Liverpool
to meet on the question of decimal coinage, instead
of the question of peace or war. He thought, however,
there was a , little difference between these two ques-
tions. (Hear, hear.) They met with a view of informing
her Majesty's government what was the opinion of the
people of Liverpool on decimal coinage, so as to enable
them. to legislate on it. He apprehended that, before
holding a meeting on peace or war, they must wait until
parliament met, and until they had information of what
her Majesty's government had done or would do. , Then
perhaps it would be necessary for this town to meet on the
question of or war. (Hear, hear,) But if they were
to let that question stand in the way of every improvement,
they ought to have done nothing during the last si%
months. The decimal system, he thought, was a veil
important question, and one on which they should let the
government know what their opinions were. They might
not all agree as to the exact details, or to the exact method
in which this system should be carried out. They had
had many very excellent plans proposed, the first being
that proposed by the Chamber of Commerce, more than
twelve months ago. He would just refer to what that'
scheme was. It proposed that the coinage should consist
of a sovereign, equal to 1,000 cents ; half-sovereign, 500
cents ; a crown, 250 cents ; half-crown, 126 cents ; a florin,
100 cents, or 1-10th of a sovereign; a shilling, 50 cents;
sixpence, 25 cents; fourpence, lei ; threepence, 12f ;
a penny, 5 cents • a farthing or cent 1 cent, or 1-100 of s
florin, and 1-I,oooth of a pound. Part of that scheme had
been adopted by the committee of the House of Commons;
but Mr. Brown had stated more clearly than he could do
what the views of that committee were. Mr. Horsfall then
read a quotation from a report of the committee of the
House of Commons, and remarked that there was much
in unison in that and the report of the Chamber of Com-
merce. But what appeared to him some very important
suggestions had been thrown out in an able pamphlet 1)1
Mr. Theodore Rathbone, who recommended the adoption
of the ls. as 10d. That, in his (Mr. Horsfall's) opinion,
was a very valuable suggestion ; but he only laid it before
the meeting for the purpose of enabling them to consider
the different views propounded, in order that they might
ultimately arrive at the best. Mr. Horsfall went on to
say that he was very much in favour of leaving as maid.,
coins in circulation as they could. Though they were al
I agreed as to the grand principle at the preliminary meet-
ing, it was decided that they should ask the present
meeting to assent to the great principle, leaving the legis'
lature to carry out the details in the way most acceptable
to the country. (Cheers.) He joined most cordially in the
thanks tendered to Mr. Brown, not only for his services
on the committee of the Chamber of Commerce, with refe-
rence to the present meeting, but because he knew well
the assiduity with which he attended to his duties as
chairman of the parliamentary committee in London.
(Hear, hear.) Had it not been for his diligence on the
committee, and his great practical experience, he (Mr.
Horsfall) very much questioned whether they would have
had such an admirable report as the one before them.
(Cheers.) He spoke, of course, generally of the system,
differing, as they all did, more or less, upon the details ;
but, for his own part, although he had a comparatively
limited knowledge of the question, he confessed he rather
leaned, at present, to the view propounded by Mr. Rath.
bone. He did not, however, commit himself to that or
any other plan : but he stated that if he could only ascer-
tain, as one of their representatives, what the views of the
people of Liverpool were upon the details of that question,
he would do his utmost to carry them out. (Cheers.) He
had much pleasure in moving the resolution.
Mr. PICTON, in seconding the motion, said their atten-
tion was, he was glad to see, directed to the principle 01
a decimal coinage rather than to any particular mode of
carrying it out. It was desirable that the principle
should be laid down as simply as possible, because there
were in certain quarters a considerable mistrust and wig'
apprehension of what the decimal system was. The
system of decimals was simply the art of computing bY
tens. After counting ten they began again and went up
to 20, from 20 to 30, and so on. Every man had ten
fingers; and the figures were called digits, from the
fingers, which showed that this was the natural systein•
So far as integers were concerned, they had everything
that could be desired ; but the subdivision of our money,
weights, and measures was such that it did not fit this
decimal system, and to obviate this difficulty was the
object of the plan proposed. The movement could not be
confined to the monetary system alone ; if it was to be of
utility it must he carried further, for its advantages
would be as great, if not fully greater, when applied to
weights and measures, as it would be when applied to our
coined money. He gave several instances of the cumbrous
nature of the operations required under the present syS•
tern. For example, if he had to pay £l6 17s. ad. In
sums of 13s. 7d.' he could not divide it without bringing
the pounds and shillings of the two sums down to the
same denomination of pence, and dividing the one by the
other; but if the decimal system were adopted, he would
only have to divide the one sum by the other. They had ne
rule in the present system by which they could multipll
£2O 13s. 4d. by £2O 138.4 d., without reducing both sums
to pence, multiplying the two together, and then reducing
the sum again into pounds ; but if they had the decimal
system they could do so without any reduction whatever.!
He concluded by paying a high compliment to Mr. Brown
for his zealous exertions to promote not only that move-
ment, but to forward all measures which have for their'
object the welfare of the people and the good of the country
Mr. J. R. JEFFERY moved the next resolution. tie
considered it the duty of all, on so important a question )
to spread, as widely as possible, a knowledge of the ado, 4
tages of the decimal system over that now in use. The ',
system was one that must he advantageous to all those '';
in the higher, and he might say more especially those in
the lower classes of society. In proof of the latter vies il
he called attention to the difficulties experienced by chit' 0
dren, amongst the working classes, in obtaining such 3 il
knowledge of figures and calculations generally as the!, i, f
might otherwise obtain during the brief period devote' , .
to their school education, if a better and more simplified !is
system of enumeration were brought into operation. 111
pointed out some of the absurdities and inconsistencies o ;I
our present arithmetical system, and said that if a plan f,l
were adopted more in accordance with the spirit and pro;
gress of the times, education might be much more extendea,
amongst the labouringl classes of our population. b
the schoolboy could avoid the difficulties which beset the
present arithmetical system, he would attain a position in
education in half the time now spent for that purpose.
He was in favour of a purely decimal system and could :.
not coincide in tho views advanced on the subject by 311'
Theodore Rathbone. The principal laid down by the ,
House of Commons was the most simple and intelligible,
1 and it might be brought into operation at once. He bad
great pleasure in moving the resolution.
Ma. M'ILvEEN seconded the resolution, and in doing s°
called attention to the high standing and ability of the
.:
witnesses who had been called upon to give evidence upon
the subject of the decimal coinage, which were a guarantee ~
that in any suggestions they offered they were not actuated
by any other motives than to promote the public good;
The public convenience had been alluded to as regarden fr
making the change, though he did not think there would i.
be any great difficulty in that respect. He did not think
much inconvenience could arise from making the changer
and persons ought not to be afraid of making any chane,
when it was clearly for the public good, and seeing that
the time had arrived when it was called for. (Cheers) '
Me. T. THORNELT, ?LP., expressed his hearty desire!
that the decimal system should be adopted in this count*,
Since coining to the meeting, he was given to understand
that the government of the United States first adopted
the decimal currency in all their official departments, and
the community very soon fell in with the change. The
same thing might be adopted here.
Mr. P. HErwoon, in moving the next resolution, said
that early in life he was in a French counting house, where
he became accustomed to the decimal system, and. when lie
came back to one in London he was perfectly astonished
that a great commercial country like England should per'
severe in a system involving so great a loss of time, for he
was frequently kept till one o'clock in the morning at se;
counts which he could have made up under the decimal
system before ten o'clock ; and he expressed his hope that,
through the exertions of Mr. Brown, they might be able,
on the Ist of January, 1355, to bring down the balances on
that system.
.iti

CmifT seconded the motion.
On the motion of Mr. BROWN, M.P., seconded by Mt i
TiroRNELY, M.P., a vote of thanks was passed to gig'
Mayor for his kindness in calling and presiding over the
meeting.

The liarou having acknowledged the compliment, WI
proceedings terminated.

IN NATAL, Southern Africa, arrowroot is very protiae;
tive. Coffee is also being successfully tried.
CORE FOR HYDROPHOBIA.—At Udine, in Friule, a poor"
man suffering under the tortures of hydrophollia.o.to
cured by draughts of vinegar given him, by mistake
instead of another potion. A physician at Padua go
intelligence of this event and tried the same remedy upon,
a patient at the hospital, administering a pound of vinegar'
in the morning, another at noon, and a third at sunset,'
and the loan was spedily and perfectly cured.
A CHEVALIER D'INDUSTRIE.— Last week a foreignek
who put up at an hotel near the Tuileries, presented biol.
self at the banking-house of Messrs. Rothschild, at the
opening of business, and gave notice that some person h3fl,
entered his room during the night and taken away 1,1:
watch, his purse, and pocket-book, this last containing
letter of credit for 2,009 f., given by the house of Rothe'
child, at Vienna, on the house in Paris. This he request
to have stopped if presented. About half an hour after 11
fashionably-dressed young man made his appearance, a,ld
.
presented the order for payment. He was told that 15
money would be paid as soon as the order was return/
I.l}-
from the office of one of the heads of the house.
-to°
meantime a police-officer was sent for, and just as the
young man had signed his name to a receipt, he was ar
rested. Being taken before the Commissary of Police'
he declared his name to be (I—, emd, as a proof of 63!
being the fact, he showed several papirs and documents
in which that name appeared. When starched there Were
found on him a gold watch and chain, a Port monnaie'
containing a certain sum of gold, a blue silk purse, empty
and a pocket-book containing visiting cards with the naive
on them of Count de W—, Rue de Ponthieu, whie
article he declared he had found in the street the same
morning. Just as the search had concluded, the foreign
gentleman, from whom the letter of credit had been stolen'
appeared, and at once recognized the blue silk purse O.:
the gold watch as his property. In consequence of tls'
declaration, the Commissary of Police ordered a visit to be,
made with the prisoner to the address in the Rue 'le
Ponthieu, mentioned on the cards found in his possession,
and there he was identified as always passing by the name
of Count de W—. A great quantity of valuable property„
of various kinds was found in the apartment, and not less
than 17 paletots, Further investigation proved that the Prl;
soner was really the Count de Ve a Pole by birth, 3,1
of a high family, but living in Paris, —principally by steal' ,"
property from the rooms of wealthy persons in hoteo•
Two days after, a person who had been on intimate terms
with the prisoner, without knowing his real character, on
hearing of his arrest, gave notice that two large truakis
had been left in his charge by the prisoner. These were
also found to be full of things of a most miscellaneas°
character, and which are suspected to have been stoles'
The prisoner has been committed for trial under the
double charge of forgery and theft.—Galignani's
sever.