+----------+--------------------------+-----------------------------+ | |Price of the Mark of Gold.|Price of the Mark of Silver. | | Date. +---------+-------+--------+---------+---------+---------+ | | Livres. | Sols. | Dens. | Livres. | Sols. | Dens. | +----------+---------+-------+--------+---------+---------+---------+ | 1488 | 130 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 0 | | 1519 | 147 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 10 | 0 | | 1540 | 165 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 0 | | 1549 | 172 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | | 1561 | 185 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 15 | 0 | | 1573 | 200 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | | 1575 | 222 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | | 1602 | 240 | 10 | 0 | 20 | 5 | 4 | | 1615 | 278 | 6 | 6 | ... | ... | ... | | 1636 | 320 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 10 | 0 | | 8th May | | | | | | | | 1636 | 384 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 0 | |22nd Sept.| | | | | | | | 1641 | ... | ... | ... | 26 | 10 | 0 | | 1662 | 423 | 10 | 11 | ... | ... | ... | +----------+---------+-------+--------+---------+---------+---------+ [Sidenote: FRANCE: THE MINT INQUIRY OF 1575] In the case of the latter monarch it is expressly stated that the change, which was effected in 1573, when the ratio was established at 11.77, had been preceded by a period during which "the people" had of themselves augmented the value of the _écu d'or_ to 54 sols. At this limit the Government was obliged to fix it, but by the year 1577 it had risen successively to 58, 60, and 65 sols. The evil, as it was thought to be, of the advance of the monies was attributed to the caprice and unscrupulousness of "the people," and the King called several councils of experts to discuss the matter. Still the process continued unabated, and on the 19th December 1575, Henry III. assembled the States-General. The _cour des monnaies_--the officials of the Mint--at once approached him with a petition. Their representation is of peculiar significance:--