Gold has faithfully performed for the last forty-two years, and, in view of its abundance and prospective increase, will continue to support its _role_ of a fixed standard of value, and a firm basis for the bank-note circulation of the principal countries of the civilized world, which is evidently growing gradually metallic, as a comparative statement of the amount of bank-note circulation issued, and the amount of specie held by the Bank of England, the joint stock banks, and the private banks of Great Britain the Bank of France, the State banks, and the National banks of the United States, at different periods, will exhibit: --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1840. --------------------------------------------------------------------- | GREAT BRITAIN. | FRANCE. | UNITED STATES. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Circulation | £34,976,524 | 220,005,695 francs. | $87,872,171 Specie | 8,751,342 | 225,406,807 " | 35,207,690 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1850. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Circulation | £34,948,765 | 481,552,000 francs. | $118,984,112 Specie | 19,843,026 | 458,820,000 " | 45,379,345 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1862. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Circulation | £39,574,862 | 725,417,563 francs. | $126,599,167 Specie | 22,917,846 | 324,915,234 " | 102,507,559 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 1885. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Circulation | £37,215,968 |2,912,386,475 francs. | $112,027,858 Specie | 28,146,893 |2,065,937,158 " | 139,747,080 ---------------------------------------------------------------------