Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1879-02-06

huS uanh Omceg VINO saw Compen.
rsting advantage from the passage OF
The silver dollar bill because payments
Of silver would be so bulky as to assist
an checking runs, and in cases Of large
amount would render a wheelbarrow
necessary, probably based his remarks
upon knowledge OF the experience Of
The Swedish merchants Of the last CEN
tury. During that period copper was
the chief medium Of exchange IN Swe-
den, and business men who went out
20 collect their bills carried wheelbar-
rows to contain the copper dalers. The
Inconvenience Of such a medium kent
down trsde--a result which the Spar
tans Of old sought 10 obtain by the in
PRODUCTION OF iron money. Cattle were
The medium OF exchange in still earlier
times. Homer frequently valuing the ar
NOR Of bis heroes al so many head Of
cattle. Indeed. il is now generally con-
ceded that our word pecuniary Is de-
rived from the Latin pecus, cattle. Sir
n. s. Maine. in his interesting Early
HtstOry Of Institutions, shows that be-
ing counted by the head, the kline were
called capifaLs, whence "capital, !" "chat.
tel" and "cattle." Skins were early
used as currency, and leather money is
said 10 have been circulated in Russia
as late as the reign of Peter the Great.
Among che few facts that are LEFT Us
about The laws and usages Of Carthage
j. the employment Of leather currency.
Maize formerly circulated in Mexico;
and in Norway corn is even now de-
posted in banks, and lent and borrow
ed. AS our Indians use wampum, the
natives Of East Indies, or portions OF
them, have Tesorted 10 cowry shells as
small money, and Q considerable export
of them goes on from the Maldive and
Laceadive islands. The Fijians circu-
late whales teeth--red teeth express
ing the higher denominations. The in
PRODUCTION Of American gold into Eu-
rope displsced silver rs the common
measure Of vaIue--a position II held in
Queen Elizabeth's reign. The French
use The word argent tsilver) as a CON-
prehensive term for money, a circum-
stance illustrating the position the me-
tsl once held. A French saranl is of
The opinion that in the very earliest
ages stone implements were used as the |
medium between tribes. |
He bases bis theory on the circumstance |
that some OF the implements are made |
Of materials not to be found in the re-
gion Of their discovery. In our own
colonial period. bullets and tobacco |
passed ~ currency, and, during the
civil war, hotel tickets, car tickets and
even shoe-irons were accepted as such. |
Olive.oiI continues to be the medium
in some Of the Mediterranean countries,
and large transactions have been based
upon u. Antioch and Alexandra are
said to have used a wooden talent.
Lead passes current in Burmah. Tin
were struck by Charles II. in
1880, stud Of copper being inserted in
The middle of the coin to render coun-
'ariesting more difficult, and tin hall
peace and farthings were used as late
A. 1891, but never obtained a really
vide circulation. Tin coins were form
nriy employed in Java and in Mexico.
md the metal Is sand to be still current
NJ weight in The Straits of Malacca.
Ae Russian government, which owns
he principal platinum mines began i'fly
FeaFs ago 10 coin that metal. 6nt after
seventeen years of experiment gave il
II. The appearance q the metal il in
error 10 gold, and the fact that il is sell
ION or never used for purposes Of or
iamentation is also sgaInst its use.
at the monetary confer
nee in Paris, IN 1857, the Russian rep
esentative proposed that platinum
konld be employed for the coinage Of
iRe-lFaae pieces. The forms Of coins
- rrpFvsented in almost every shape,
rom the gold button or grain Of Pondi-
berry to the scimetar-shaped pieces
nee employedin Persia. Austria finds
pFoftable 70 continue the coming of
he Maria Theresa silver dollar, with
Ne pFiginal design and date (l7BO), be-
aase Of ITS great popularity in North
m Africa and the Levant. When the
British government undertook the Abys-
inian expedition, the military chest
onlained large quantities of these dol
ars, which are in great demand among |
he natives. In some portions Of the
)rient porcelain coins are used, and are ;
mite in demsnd.-Bosfoa Journal Of ,
'ommerce.