France minted 625,466,380 francs. Belgium " 350,497,720 " Italy " 359,059,820 " Switzerland " 7,978,250 " ------------- 1,343,000,000 " ------------- ] [Footnote 17: As far, that is, as relates to gold. So far as silver is concerned, it was practically abrogated by the clauses for the prohibition of silver coinage in 38 Geo. III. c. 59 (1798), and finally repealed by the Act of 56 Geo. III. c. 68 (1816). See _postea_.] [Footnote 18: Professor Laughlin brings out very strongly that even in such action Hamilton shows no trace of the modern conception of bimetallism, that his report expresses an emphatic preference for gold over silver, and that his object in adopting bimetallism was, while retaining silver, to leave a door open, if possible, for the introduction of gold.--_History of Bimetallism in the United States_, pp. 13, 14.] [Footnote 19: By the law of 1837 the alloy for both gold and silver coins was fixed at 1/10. The pure gold in the eagle, which by the Act of 1834 was fixed at 232 grs. (258 grs. gross for the piece), was thereby changed to 232.2 grs. At the same time the pure metal content of the silver dollar was maintained at 371-1/4 grs., the (gross) weight per piece being changed to 412-1/2 grs.] [Footnote 20: See the case more fully established in Laughlin's _Bimetallism in the United States_, pp. 29, 57.] [Footnote 21: Viz. of Philadelphia, New Orleans, Dahlonega, Charlotte, San Francisco, and Carson City.] [Footnote 22: On the subject of the history of the Indian Currency System under the East India Co., in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, see a very interesting communication made in the pages of the _Nineteenth Century_ by Mr. H.D. Macleod (_Nineteenth Century_, November 1894, p. 777). The question of the system established by the Order in Council of January 1841 (authorising officers in charge of public treasuries to freely receive gold coins struck in conformity with the provisions of Act xvii. of 1835, establishing the 15-rupee pieces), which continued till its rescinding in December 1852, is discussed in the evidence of Mr. T. Comber before the Royal Commission on Gold and Silver (_Second Report of the Commission on Changes in the Relative Values of the Precious Metals_, 1888, p. 27). For an excellent and succinct history of the Indian currency system from the end of the 18th century, see Robert Chalmers' _History of Currency and the British Colonies_, p. 336.] APPENDIX I THE MONETARY SYSTEM OF FLORENCE DURING THE DAYS OF HER COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY AND INDEPENDENCE