Attention has been recently directed in this country to the premium on gold, or to the alleged fall in the value of bank paper and Government notes. Although the premium on gold as an article of merchandise has reached a high rate during the present year, it will be seen, on reference to the reliable tables in the History of the Bank of England, that a great difference occurred during the suspension of the bank in 1797 to 1819. Gold at one time (1812) reached L5 8_s._, a difference of 30 per cent. The annexed table shows the changes from 1809 to 1821. YEARS |Price of |Difference| Nominal |Amount in |Gold. |from Mint | Taxes. |Gold | |prices. | |Currency. ------------------------|------------|----------|----------|---------- | L s. d. |per cent. | L | L | | | | 1809, | 4 9 10 | 16-1/3 |71,887,000|60,145,000 1810, | 4 5 0 | 9-1/10 |74,815,000|68,106,000 1811, | 4 17 1 | 24-1/2 |73,621,000|55,583,000 1812, | 5 1 4 | 30 |73,707,000|51,595,000 Sept. to Dec. 1812, | 5 8 0 | 38-1/2 | ... | ... 1813, | 5 6 2 | 36-1/10 |81,745,000|52,236,000 Nov. 1812, to Mch. 1813 | 5 10 0 | 41 | ... | ... 1814, | 5 1 8 | 30-1/3 |83,726,000|58,333,000 1815, | 4 12 9 | 18-8/9 |88,394,000|66,698,000 1816, | 4 0 0 | 2-1/2 |78,909,000|72,062,000 Oct. to Dec. 1816 | 3 18 6 | under 1 | ... | ... 1817, | 4 0 0 | 2-1/2 |58,757,000|57,259,000 1818, | 4 1 5 | 5 |59,391,000|56,025,000 1819, 4th Feb. | 4 3 0 | 6-1/3 |58,288,000|54,597,000 1820, | 3 17 10-1/2| par. |59,812,000|59,812,000 1821, | 3 17 10-1/2| par. |61,000,000|61,000,000 The increased volume of Government and bank paper afloat in the United States since the 1st January, 1862, is conceded to be only temporary. The Government is engaged in crushing the greatest rebellion known to history; in doing this, the national expenditures are six or seven fold what they ever were before, in a time of peace. During the four years 1813 to 1816, when war raged with England, the whole expenses of the Government were $108,537,000. During the Mexican war, when the disbursements of the treasury were much heavier, the average annual expenses of the Government were about 35 to 48 millions. It will be well to recur to these tabular details for future history. They are presented as follows, for the whole period of the General Government. EXPENDITURES _of the United States, exclusive of Payments on account of the Public Debt._