Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1892-11-09
Observation-Disclosures COINS.
Richmond Times.l


people than General Washington has
upon those of the American people. |
They never tire of anything that tends
TO throw light upon the various sides !.
Of his noble and rounded character.
A work has just been published call
ed Itinerary of George Washington,
from June, Is, 1775, to December %,
1888" by William S. Baker. The au-
thor, with great industry, has sought
to make out history of Washingtons
daily life during that period, from his
letters and other writings, and he has
been eminently successful in his under
taking. He has made both a readable
and useful book.
The chances we haye given at this
Edmund Harrison, of Richmond Col
lege, accidentally fell recently upon
an original, and, so far as we know,
letter from General Wash
ington, at the house of Mr.. w. II. l.
Lewis, in Clarke county. Va, which
that gentleman presented to him, and
which the Professor has deposited in
the library of Richmond College. The
letter reads as follows:
Mount Vernon, Feb'y Is, 1887.
Sir.-I have just received your letter
of the 4th instant, and the so pounds,
sent by Mr.. A. Morton.
Mr. \VavlQc aaconta5 tho ordar rnnn
him, and says he will endeavour to pay
it when it becomes due, but as the time
of payment has not yet arrived, | can
not say anything decided upon it. 1t
is not in my power to send a person to
meet you at Leesburg, as the time
which you mentioned to be there is al
ready elapsed. Tho l am not in want
of horses at present, yet, as it may pre-
vent my tenants from being distressed,
and perhaps be the only chance l may
have to secure my rent, l will consent
to take few at reasonable price,
provided they are young, strong and
seryieeable. 1 should prefer good
breeding mares, but old horses l will
not receive at any rate The cut money
which you sent me in the so pounds fell
short, by weight, 10 pei cent. do not
regard the present deficiency, but only
mention it that in future you may re-
ceive it by weight, as it is the only way
in which it will pass here.
am, Sir, Y'r Obd't, Ii BILE Serv.,
Geo. Washington.
Mr.. Battaile Muse.
CA copy.)
The last paragraph of this letter
throws d curious light upon provision
of the Constitution of the United States
which was intended by the trainers of
that instrument to play a very impor-
tant part in the finances of the coun-
try, but which has come in turn to be
wholly abandoned and ignored The
Constitution provides that Congress
shall have power Ito coin money, re
gulate the value thereof, and of foreign
coins" t was expected that the coin
brought here by Immigrants, and the
general flow of foreign coins here if
provision was made for their free cir
culation, would keep us always sup
piled with an abundance of hard
money, and SO probably it would if this
provision of the Constitution had been
carried out according to its intention.
In d speech made in the United States
Senate in 1884 Senator Thomas H. Ben
ton said that Bent0n's 80 years, chap
ter cv.) he hat seen no less than nine
statutes passed in the first four years
of the actions of this federal govern
ment, all enacted for the purpose of re-
gulating the value, protecting the pur-
Ity and promoting the circulation Of
these foreign coins. Not only the we'll
known coins of the principal nations
were provided for in these statutes, but
/ the coins OF all nations with whom we
ro ar ,,aF ho Il,
coin, or how remote or inconsiderable
might be the nation. BY a general
provision of the act of 1889, the gold
coins OF all nations which equalied
those of England, France, Spain and
Portugal in fineness, were to be cur
rent at 80 cents the pennyweight; and
the silver coins o. all nations, which
equal the Spanish dollar in fairness,
were to be current at III cents the
ounce. Under these general provisions
a great influx of the precious metals
took place; doublOons, guineas, half
Joes were the common and familiar
currency OF farmers and laborers. as
well as of merchants and traders.
Every substantial citizen then kept in
his house Il pair of small scales to weigh
gold, which are now used by his poster
ity to weigh physic. 1t is great many
years-a whole generation has grown
up-since these scales were used for
their original purpose; nor will they
| ever be needed again for that use until
the just and wise laws of 'S9 and 80,
for the general circulation of foreign
coins shall again be put in force. These
early statutes, added to historical re-
| collections, could leave no doubt of the
true meaning of the Constitution, and
that foreign coins were intended to be
forever current within the Unite d
States"
Senator Benton then argued that it
was the influence of General Hamilton
in the Government that perverted il
from hard money tendency into q
paper money tendency, and which
gradually caused the provision in the
Constitution for regulating the value
OF foreign coin to b acome dead letter
Possibly he was right, and the quest ~
arises was the movement a wise one
Might we not to day have all the metal.
lie circulation demanded by the free
coinage men If we would only make
effectual the provision of the Constitrl-
ton in regard to foreign coins? An in
teresting side light is thrown upon the
theme in a very rare book, from which,
because 1t is so rare, we shall take the
liberty of quoting:
In 1883 an Englishman named Par
kinson came to this country to settle as
a planter near Mount Vernon. He re
turned to England and published an
account of his experiences here under
the title:
"a tour in America in 1898, 1879 and
1900. Exhibiting sketches of society
and manners, and a particular account
of the American system of agriculture
with its recent improvements. BY
Richard Parkinson, late of Orangehili,
near Baltimore, 2 vol, Svo., London
Harding, 1905"
See review of it, Edinburg Review,
vol. 7, p. 30, Oct. 1905.
AT page 436 of vol. 2, Parkinson says,
speaking of General Washington:
There are several anecdotes related
of him, for being methodical l was
told by General Stone, that he was
travelling with his family in his CARR
age across the country, and, arriving
at ferry belonging to General Wash