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

£l6 16 4

TUESDAY, JANUARY 3, 1854

....-
imports
portune, inasmuch as a question of greater
than decimal coinage was now agitating the eountral,i
that the attention of her Majesty's government ,
the anxieties of the country were all engaged on 10
mar
question of peace or war ; and that it would be s -
what out of place for the inhabitants of Liver)
to meet on the question of decimal coinage, instep
of the question of peace or war. He thought, hovel
there was a little difference between these two 0.
tions. (Hear, hear.) They met with a view of informs
her Majesty's government what was the opinion ofi
people of Liverpool on decimal coinage, so as to en!
then, to legislate on it. He apprehended that, be'
holding a meeting on peace or war, they must wait at
parliament met, and until they had information of wi
her Majesty's government had done or would do. 'l°,
perhaps it would be necessary for this town to meet on'
question of peace or war. (Hear, hear,) But if they tcl
to let that question stand in the way of every improvems
they ought to have done nothing during the last 1
mouths. The decimal system, he thought, was all
important question, and one on which they should let .t
government know what their opinions were. They wig
not all agree as to the exact details, or to the exact meth
in which this system should be carried out. They I,
had many very excellent plans proposed, the first be'
that proposed by the Chamber of Commerce, more th
twelve months ago. He would just refer to what tb
scheme was. It proposed that the coinage should cons'
of a sovereign, equal to 1,000 cents ; half-sovereign, 6,
cents ; a crown, 250 cents ; half-crown, 125 cents ; a film
100 cents, or 1-10th of a sovereign ; a shilling, 50 cent
sixpence, 25 cents; fourpence, 16; ; threepence, 1,
a penny, 5 cents • a farthing or cent 1 cent, or 1-100 et
florin, and 1-I,oooth of a pound. Part of that scheme lt
been adopted by the committee of the House of Comma
but Mr. Brown had stated more clearly than he could '
what the views of/hat committee were. Mr. Horsfall tb!,
read a quotation from a report of the committee of P
House of Commons, and remarked that there was tatli
in unison in that and the report of the Chamber of Cd
merce. But what appeared to him some very impo
suggestions had been thrown oat in an able pamphlet„
Mr. Theodore Rathbone, who recommended the adopt!!
of the ls. as 10d. That, in his (Mr. Horsfall's) opiaLl'
was a very valuable suggestion ; but he only laid it beP.
the meeting for the purpose of enabling them to cons
the different views propounded, in order that they niN
ultimately arrive at the best. Mr. Horsfall went 004
say that he was very much in favour of leaving as OM,
coins in circulation as they could. Though they were!
agreed as to the grand principle at the preliminary 0,
ing, it was decided that they should ask the prose'
meeting to assent to the great principle, leaving the leli
lature to carry out the details in the way most accepts,,
to the country. (Cheers.) He joined most cordially in t 7
thanks tendered to Mr. Brown, not only for his servi;
on the committee of the Chamber of Commerce, with l'e
rence to the present meeting, but because he knew 9,
the assiduity with which he attended to his duties!,
chairman of the parliamentary committee in Lon k'
(Hear, hear.) Had it not been for his diligence en v
committee, and his great practical experience, he (1'
Horsfall) very much questioned whether they would 11.,,
had such an admirable report as the one before the!
(Cheers.) He spoke, of course, generally of the syste'.
differing, as they all did, more or less, upon the detail'ei
but, for his own part, although lie had a comparatir,
limited knowledge of the question, he confessed he ral
leaned, at present, to the view propounded by Mr. Ra.",,
bone. He did not, however, commit himself to that
any other plan ; but he stated that if he could only asev,
tain, as one of their representatives, what the views of th
people of Liverpool were upon the details of that quest
he would do his utmost to carry them out. (Cheers.) '
had much pleasure in moving the resolution.
Mr. PICTON, in seconding the motion, said their atte3;
tion was, he was glad to see, directed to the principle
a decimal coinage rather than to any particular niode,
carrying it out. It wag desirable that the prineil:
should be laid down as simply as possible, because the!
were in certain quarters a considerable mistrust and ort,
apprehension of what the decimal system was. i''
t! system of decimals was simply the art of computing ,
tens. After counting ten they began again and went e;
to 20, from 20 to 30, and so on. Every man had t,°,l
fingers; and the fignres were called digits, from t.:
fingers, which showed that this was the natural systedv
So far as integers were concerned, they had everithl:
that could be desired ; but the subdivision of our monkweights, and measures was such that it did not fit tl!!
decimal system, and to obviate this difficulty was t,;
object of the plan proposed. The movement could not 'iii
confined to the monetary system alone ; if it was to be_,
utility it must be carried further, for its advantab;
would be as great, if not fully greater, when applied 4
weights and measures, as it would be when applied to o¢
coined money. He gave several instances of the cumbre'
nature of the operations required under the present s);
tem. For example, if he had to pay £l6 17s. 2id•,„c
sums of 13s. 7d., lie could not divide it without hrin*4
the pounds an shillings of the two sums down to%
same denomination of pence, and dividing the one by ii
other; but if the decimal system were adopted, he Wos'
only have to divide the one sum by the other. They had I!,
rale in the present system by which they could multif,
£2O 13s. 4d. by £2O 13s. 4d., without reducing both sA
to pence, multiplying the two together, and then redo. _,
the sum again into pounds ; but if they had the decoP,,
system they could do so without any reduction whatei
He concluded by paying a high compliment to Mr. MI;
for his zealous exertions to promote not only that ilt,°et
meat, but to forward all measures which have for the
object the welfare of the people and the good of the coonle
Mr. J. R. JEFFERY moved the next resolutiorl•kko,
considered it the duty of all, on so important a .3.-t.ii"
to spread, as widely as possible, a knowledge of the aill;;;
tages of the decimal system over that now in use. ,e
system was one that must be advantageous to all tnuid
in the higher, and he might say more especially those.;
the lower classes of society. In proof of the latter Ili,
he called attention to the difficulties experienced by 5, i
dren, amongst the working classes, in obtaining such
knowledge of figures and calculations generally as il
might otherwise obtain during the brief period decTei
to their school education, if a better and more simpliPile
system of enumeration were brought into operation.
pointed out some of the absurdities and inconsistencies
our present arithmetical system, and said that if a Pv"iA were adopted more in accordance with the spirit and li
gress of the times, education might be much more extol if
amongst the labouring, classes of our population. ~,,
the schoolboy could avoid the difficulties which beset l',",
present arithmetical system, he would attain a position r
education in half the time now spent for that purP°_,l,
He was in favour of a purely decimal system, and e0:1,,,!
not coincide in the views advanced on the subject by cow!
Theodore Rathbone. The principal laid down by Ij
House of Commons was the most simple and intellign
and it might be brought into operation at once. He -ivr
great pleasure in moving the resolution. 107
MR. 111`ILvEmi seconded the resolution, and in doing,,
called attention to the high standing and ability of tv,,,
witnesses who had been called upon to give evidence 'IL
the subject of the decimal coinage, which were a guarani
that in any suggestions they offered they were not actual
by any other motives than to promote the public g.ci
The public convenience had been alluded to as regat4
making the change, though he did not think there w°.!",l
be any great difficulty in that respect. He did not tiny
much inconvenience could arise front making the aril
and persons ought not to be afraid of making any chatt
when it was clearly for the public good, and seeing to"
the time had arrived when it was called for. (Cheers) 0
Ms. T. TIIORNELY, M.P., expressed his hearty desl,
that the decimal system. should be adopted in this countri
Since coming to the meeting, he was given to understallt
that the government of the United States first adoptj
the decimal currency in all their official departments, Iv,
the community very soon fell in with the change. 1'
same thing might be adopted here.
die
Mr. P. HEYWOOD, in moving the next resolution, - 0
he -
that early in life he was in a French counting house, w ei
he became accustomed to the decimal system, and whellii
came back to one in London he was perfectly astonish
r
that a great commercial country like England should 1)4
severe in a system involving so great a loss of time, for
was frequently kept till one o'clock in the morning at 0;1
counts which he could have made up under the decilti
system before ten o'clock : and he expressed his hope tty,
through the exertions of Mr. Brown, they might be a'-',O
on the Ist of January, 1855, to bring down the balances
that system

CI,INT seconded the motion.
On the motion of Mr. BROWN, M.P., seconded by
TnonNEL-r, M.P., a vote of thanks was passed to ,be
Mayor for his kindness in calling and presiding over
meeting.
the

The XiAron having acknowledged the compliment,
proceedings terminated.

Is
NeAoxfrAeLe,isSoaulstohebriciinAgfi successfully
P x
Ct.-RE FOR HYDROPHOBIA..—At Udine, in Friule,
tive.rov rootrtie ids. very prod
_ J ;
man suffering under the tortures of hydrOphobia
cured by draughts of vinegar given him, by m' ,ot
s,
instead of another potion. A physician at Padua T'so
intelligence of this event and tried the same remedy 0,011
a patient at the hospital, administering a pound of vinveetf
in the morning, another at noon, and a third at sun'
and the man was spedily and perfectly cured. aft
A CIIEVALIER D'INDUSTEIE. —Last week a fore.l,
who put up at an hotel near the Tuileries, presented 'II;
self at the hanking-bouse of Messrs. Rothschild, at oe
opening of business, and gave notice that some person htil
entered his room during the night and taken away b 0
watch, his purse, and pocket-book, this last containinte
letter of credit for 2,000 f., given by the house of Ret_rj
child, at Vienna, on the house in Paris. This he requeP",
fashionably-dressed
to have stopped if Presented About half an hour afterj
young man made his appearance, 34/
presented the order for payment. He was told that l'ej
money would be paid as soon as the order was retaljoi
from the office of one of the heads of the house. In
i)(
meantime a police-officer was sent for, and just as
g man had signed his name to a receipt, he was .ce,
rested. Being taken before the Commissary of poi
he declared his name to be G—, and, as a proof of t
being the fact, he showed several papers and docnine!,4
in which that name appeared. When searched there Vive,
found on him a gold watch and chain, a port nionn4,
containing a certain sum of gold a blue silk purse, erol,ll,c
and a pocket-book containing visiting cards with the nield
on them of Count de W—, Rue de Ponthieu, 10:01
article he declared he had found in the street the
morning. Just as the search had concluded, the fore 4
gentleman, from whom the letter of credit had been stele e
appeared, and at once recognized the blue silk purse flos
the gold watch as his property. In consequence oft
declaration, the Commissary of Police ordered a visit to
made with the prisoner to the address in the Bne.op,
Ponthieu, mentioned on the cards found in his possessie „
and there he was identified as always passing by the nwrif
of Count de A great quantity of valuable prelpid
of various kinds was found in the apartment, and not
than 17 paletots, Further investigation proved that the I'd
saner was really the Count de V--, a Pole by birth,
of a high family, but living in Paris, principally by ateu:',lo,
property from the rooms of wealthy persons in 110`...36
Two days after, a person who had been on intimate fe',oo
with the prisoner, without knowing his real character p
hearing of his arrest, gave notice that two large trues
had been left in his charge by the prisoner. These
also found to be full of things of a most miscellanea
character, and which are suspected to have been st°iDe
The prisoner has been committed for trial unger„3.
double charge of forgery and theft.—Galignant's la`
senger.