The History of Currency, 1252 to 1896Shaw, William Arthur
History
The History of Currency, 1252 to 1896
Shaw, William Arthur
Money -- History
[Footnote 9: The only accounts accessible are in Cabrera (see
Philippson's "Estimate of the Revenues of Spain," in his _Henrich IV.
and Philipp III._, vol. ii. p. 44), and relate only to the years
1599-1610. The amounts given are not the total yield of the American
mines, which is out of the question, but the amount of metal brought
yearly to Spain by the Silver Fleet. The amounts (without distinction of
the metals) were as follow:--
1599 8,000,000 Ducats.
1600 9,926,192 "
1600 10,000,000 "
1601 1,000,000 "
1602 10,000,000 "
1603 7,000,000 "
1604 14,500,000 "
1606 9,000,000 Ducats.
1606 4,500,000 "
1607 12,200,000 Pesos.
1608 9,000,000 Ducats.
1609 10,600,000 "
1610 10,000,000 "
]
[Footnote 10: For further details of the troubles of 1632-36, see
Vicomte D'Avenel, _Histoire de la propriété, etc._, i. 120, 121.]
[Footnote 11: Such is the statement of the proclamation itself. The
difference between the ratios as there proclaimed and the ratios given
in the table, pp. 40 and 69, is presumably due to the calculation being
made on the mark of pure metal. For the character of these figures of
ratios see the Preface.]
[Footnote 12: See Hirsch, i. 318.]
[Footnote 13: "The second (cause for the decay of the trade of Spain) is
the residence of many Genoa merchants amongst them, who are found in
good numbers to abide in every good city, especially on the sea coasts,
whose skill and acuteness in trade far surpassing the native Spaniards
and Portuguese, and who, by means of their wealth and continual practice
of exchanges, are found to devour that bread which the inhabitants might
otherwise be sufficiently fed with; and by reason that the King of Spain
is ever engaged to their commonwealth for great and vast sums at
interest, he is their debtor, not only for their moneys, but also for
their favour, which by many immunities throughout his kingdom he is
found continually to requite them, and amongst the rest it is observed
that there is no Genoa merchant resident in Spain, or any part, but has
a particular licence to transport the _rials_ and _plate_ of this
kingdom to a certain round sum yearly, which they seldom use really to
do, but sell the same to other nations that are constrained to make
their returns in plate for want of other more beneficial commodities,
which, for the certain profit it is found ever to yield in other
countries, is often preferred before all the other commodities of the
kingdom."--_Lewis Robert's Map of Commerce_, p. 165.]
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