This fact plainly shews the vast temptation which is held out to those who carry on the counterfeit coinage, where the profit from the coiner to the dealers, and from these dealers to the utterers, at the full denominative value, must be in many instances from two to three hundred per cent. When to this circumstance is added the security which the deficiencies in the present laws hold out, the whole operates as a kind of bounty to these fraudulent people, who cannot resist the prosecution of a trade where the profit is so immense, and where a coinage equally _pure and heavy_ as the old mint standard would even be extremely productive.[48] [Footnote 48: This observation does not apply to Mr. Boulton's New Copper Coinage; for although some feeble attempts have been made to counterfeit it, these can never go to a great extent, from its not being a sufficient object of profit; besides the fraud is easily detected, since each penny weighs an exact ounce: of course the halfpence should weigh half an ounce, and the farthings one quarter of an ounce, when these last two denominations are brought into circulation; as it is expected they will be.] In every view the evil at present arising from base money of every denomination appears to be of the greatest magnitude--while its extent will scarce be credited by any but those who have turned their attention very minutely to the subject. The trade of dealing in counterfeit coin acquires its greatest vigour towards the end of March; for then the Lotteries are over, when _Swindlers_, _Gamblers_, _Pretended Dealers in Horses_, _Travellers with EO Tables_, and _Hawkers_ and _Pedlars_ go into the country, carrying with them considerable quantities of base silver and copper money; by which they are enabled, in a great degree, to extend the circulation, by cheating and defrauding ignorant country people. In the spring season too, the dealers in counterfeit coin begin to make up their orders for the different country towns; and it is supposed, upon good grounds, that there is now scarcely a place of any consequence all over the kingdom where they have not their correspondents; it is also a fact well established, that many of these correspondents come regularly to the _Metropolis_, and also go to Birmingham and the neighbouring towns once or twice a year for the purpose of purchasing base money, where the evil is said to be increasing even more than in London. It very seldom happens, on account of the great demand, (especially of late years) that the dealers have ever any considerable stock on hand. The base money is no sooner finished, than it is packed up and sent to customers in town and country; and with such rapidity has it been fabricated, on occasions of pressing emergency, that a single dealer has been known to procure from the coiners who worked for him, from £.300 to £.500 for country orders, in the course of the week!