The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-09-12
TIE MINES or COINS

AT the present time, when the acts of the
international Committee for uniform cur
rency, now sitting in Paris, excite so much
interest in all parts of the world, and particu-
larly in the United States, perhaps a few
words in reference to the names of the coins
now or formerly in use may be of interest.
The American dollar is derived from the
German "thaler" Oiterally, "Valley piece. -
the first thalers having been coined in Goa
chimsthal, in Bohemia, where there are ex-
tensive silver mines). The same name is also
used in Sweden and Denmark where the INIT
OF currency is called rixdale or royal dollar.
AS for the sign or abbreviation of dollar ($),
authorities are divided as to it's origin. but It
is generally admitted that was originally
written with the S on the U; but for the sake
OF CELEBRITY it was considered to be expedieut to
change the U to two strokes through the S,
which has remained the accepted sign.
The American mill, cent, and dime, the
French centime and decline, the Italian cente-
simo, the South American centaro, are terms
derived from the Latin, denoting the thou
sandth, the hundredth, and the tenth part of
the unit Of currency. When the Italian cities
were at the height of their power in the mid
die of the sixteenth century, their coins natu-
rally spread over the world, and their names
were taken for the coins of many other coun-
tries; thus the world-renowhed Florentine
,fOria Tin Italian horino, so called from the
flower, the lily of Florence, being on the re-
verse OF every cOin) was adopted by the
French and English, who also give the same
name to the German coin gulden-derived from
gold money. The Venetian Sequin, in Italian
zecchino-f1om ON Secco, mint-was adopted by
most OF the Oriental countries with which the
Venetian merchants traffcked.
The Milanese ducat was taken into France
and Naples when the armies of these countries
overran Milan. The Neapolitan carlino is a
small coin, with the head of Charles on it.
The Roman scudo-in French-took ecu its
name from the shield originally placed on this
coin.
Another Italian coin which spread over
Europe was the Roman crosse, called in Eng
land grote, in France gros, in Bremen a
grote, and still retained in Prussia and Saxony
as little groat or groschen. The French sou
is evidently derived from the Italian solde, or
piece with which one can solde or pay one's
debts.
The Hanseatic towns also furnished coins.
witness the mark, so called from the Govern
ment mark, that it was of good weight. The
SchelLing of Hamburg was adopted in England,
where 1t is called SHILLING, and also by Dem
mark and Sweden, where they call it skel-
ling.
Many coins derive their names from the
marks or signs, printed on the reverse, and
retain the name although the sign NAV have
been disused. Thus, coin which has crown
on the reverse was called an ecu in French,
crOWn in English. A piece which has a cross
on it is called kreuzer in Germany (from the
German word kreutz-a cross); although no
signs of a cross can be discovered on the
modern kreutzer.
The English 'pOund'' was originally a
pound OF money but it has been gradually
reduced to its present form, and called a
"Socereign," from the sovereign's head being
on it's face.
In France, during the reign of Louis XVI
there was a coin called a lure, or pound
which the republic adopted as the unit of cur
rency, changing the name to that of franc,
which it still retains.
When the Kingdom of Italy, and more re-
Gently the Papal States adopted the French
system, they retained the old name of Iyre-in
Italian, Ira, and made that the unit of cur
rency, so that the franc of France and the Ira
of Italy are of exactly the same value.
The Napoleon" or "Louis'' of the French is
simply a conventional name given by the
French to twenty franc piece; in the same
manner as the Americans call ten dollar
piece an "eagie," and as the Prussians have
"Frederick." The English guinea derived its
name from the fact of the gold from which the
first guineas were made came from the Guinea
Coast. The English Jarthing is so called from
its being the fourth of penny; the derivation
OF the Spanish c'0drio is the same, the cwarto
OSlnS lilo quarter Vi Il Teut or royal piece.
The names of the South American coins are
mostly of Spanish or Portuguese origin; the
peso, or Reru, is piece that Ceighs, from pesar
to weigh; the centaro is the hundredth part of
the unit of currency, and the rel of Brazil is
royal piece. From the aforementioned facts
1t will be seen that the tendency of all nations
has been to adopt the coins of other nations;
witness the groat which travelled from Italy TO
England, France, and Germany.
Sometimes the valuewas altered, for instance
there is fiorin in Bavaria worth 40 American
cents, and divided into 60 kreutzers. while i'm
Austria there is one of the value of 30 Ameri-
can cents, divided into 100 lxreutzers.
To give an idea of the difficulties merchant
doing business with Germany has to encounter
It must be remembered that there are five dis
nnct ooinages in use in that country, namelv:-
Prussia and Saxony, who use thalers, worth
ioc', divided into 80 groschen; HAMBURG
marks of 30c., divided into is schillin 90. %,
bremen, with its groten, and Austria and
Bavaria before mentioned.
In Italy the same state of things existed
until the establishment of the Italian kin1.
dom, in 1860. Several years ago the French
Government proposed to the States whose
coinage was the same as hers-namelv To
elgium, Switzerland, and Italy-that the