The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-11-11
Miscellany.



The American dollar is derived from tbe
German 'thaler' Literally, "ValIey piece, The
nrSt thalers having been coined i'm Goechins-
tnai, IN bohemia, where there are extensive
siVer mlnes.D The same name IS also used in
sweden and Denmark, where the unit OF cur
rency is called a rixdale or royal dollar. AS
Tor the sign OF abbreyiation of dollar tS), au-
thorities are divided as to its origin, but 1t is
generally admitted that 5 was originally writ
ten with the Oh the u but for the sake OF
CELEBRITY it was considered TO be expedient to
change the u TO two strokes through the S,
which has remained the accepted sign.
The American mill, cent, and dime, the
French Genuine 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 mart 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 nat
ufaiiy spread over the world, and their names
were taken for the coins of MANY other conn
tries, thus the world renowned Florentne
Gorta lin Italian iiorino, so called from the
Hover, the hly 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 Guldep-derived
nom gold money. The Venetian sequin, in
Italian zecchno-from zecco, a mint-was
adopted by most OF the Oriental countries
wirh which the Venetian merchants traffjck-
ed.
The Mlanese ducat was taken into France
and Naples when the armies of these conn
tries ovelTan Milan. The Neapolitan coyEno
is small coin, with the head of Charles on
1t. The Roman Scado-in French ecu-took
its name from the shield originally placed ON
this coin.
Another Italian coin which spread over
europe was the Roman crosse, called in En-
gland gIote, in France a qros in Bremen a
sfote, and still retained in Prussia and Sax |
ony as a little groat grOslea The French
sou Is evidently derived from the Italian sol
%, or piece with which one can solde or nav
ones debts. FN'
Inc hanseatic towns also furnished coins
witness the marx, so called from the Govern
ment mart, that 1t was of good weight. The
SeHe1Hg oil Hamburg was adopted in Eng
11nu, WHERE II IS caiied shfAing, and also by
skelling.
Many COINS derive their names from the
marks or signs, printed on the reverse. and re-
tam the name, although the sign NAV have
been disused. Thus, a coin which has a
crown ON the recersc was called an can in
French, cro1cn in English. A piece which
had cross on it is called a krellzer in Ger
many rom the The German work kreutz--a
cross although no sign of a cross can he
discovered on the modern kreutzer
me English pound was originally
pound OF money; but it has been gradually
reduced to its present form, and called a "s0r
efeign," from the soyereign's head being on
its face.
In France, during the reign OF Louis XVI.
tneie was com called a lire, or pound,
which the republic adopted as the unit of cnr,
reney changing the name to that of franc
which it still retains q'F'
When the Kingdom OF Italy, and more re-
Gently the Papal States adopted The French
system, they retained the old name of liere
in Italian, Ira, and made that the unit of
currency, SO that the franc OF France, and
inc IRA OF Italy are of exactly the same val
lie. III ~
The " Napoleon or "I4ouis" of the French
Is simply conventional name given by the
rfehch 10 twenty franc piece; in the same
manner as the Americans call ten dollar
piece an edgte, and as the Prlissians have a
.fredertck' The English guinea derived
lts name from the fact OF the gold from which
the hrst gulneas were made coming from the
o9ihea coast lhe English .fdrthing is so
the derivation OF the Spanish c,varto is The
same, The cwarto being the quarter of a real
or royal piece
The names of the South American coins
are mostly OF Spanish or Portuguese origin.
the peso, OF Rern, is piece that ,oeiohs. from
Po'W 10 Wei9ns the Centd1O is the hunirpdtt
part OF the unit of currency, and tbe rel OF
Brazil is royal piece. From the above men
TONED facts il will be seen that the tendency
OF all nations has been to adopt the coins Of
other nations; witness the groat which tray
eled RON Italy TO England, France and Cor
many.
Sometimes the value was altered for IN
stance there is a form in Bavaria worth 40
American cents, and divided into GO krent
zefs, While in Austria there is one of the val
ne OIL 5o American cents, divided into 100
heutZers.
10 give an idea OF the difficulties a mer.
chant doing business with Germany has to
encounter, 1t must be remembered that there
are IlVe distinct coinages in use in that coun-
Try, namely: Prussia and Saxony who use
Maters, worth Is cents, divided into 80 gro
schens; Hamberg with marks of BIC, d.
Vlded INTO 10 shillings; Bremen with its gro
ten, and Austria and Bavaria before men |
toned. ~
In Italy the same state of things existed |
until the establishment of the Italian King |
dom IN 1850. Several years ago the French |
government proposed to the States whose |
coinage was the same as here namely: To |
Belgium, Switzerland and Italy. that the |
CONS OF one should pass without dimnutiop |
OF value In the territory of each of the other |
inns proposal was Immediately accented |
oy these countries, and by Rome some time
after 1t is this arrangement, called in Eu-
rope La Contention Moaetaire," which If is
proposed TO extend so as to make universal |