Chili.

China.

doubloon $15.747, and the dollar (in gold) 98-42 cents. But it should be noted that the four-dollar piece (two escudos) of Central America is not really worth more than $3.68, or 92 cents to the dollar.

CHILI.

Drafts are paid in gold, either the old doubloon, rated at 171 pesos, (dollars,) or in the new condor of ten pesos and its parts. This piece, created by the law of 1851, is coined at the weight of 305 Spanish grains, (235-49 grains troy,) and the fineness ninetenths; which makes the dollar, in gold, 91.275 cents of our money. (The legal weight is not found in the correspondence, but is taken from a publication.)

CHINA.

The unit of value is a "silver weight" called liang or tael, corresponding to 578-84 troy grains. It is decimally divided into 10 tsien, or mace; 100 fun, or candareens; 1,000 li, or cash accounts, are usually kept in sycee, or pure silver, or what is commercially taken as such; (we have found sycee bars 982 thousandths fine by assay;) and payments are chiefly made in Spanish and Mexican dollars. These are called "chop-dollars," from the practice of putting a small stamp on them, by way of certificate, as they pass from one merchant to another, whereby they become mutilated and reduced in weight. There is no coinage of gold or silver in China, and gold coins of any kind are regarded as a curiosity among the Chinese. At Fuh-Chau the dollar is taken at the weight of 72 candarens (416-76 grains) which is about the actual ayerage of unworn pieces; but at Hong Kong and Canton a rate has been adopted, by which a debt of

1,000 dollars is held to be discharged by 717 taels weight of dollars "chopped or unchopped." This makes 415-03 grains per piece, and allows for some loss by abrasion. Assuming a mixture of Spanish and Mexican, our valuation of such a dollar would be 104.622 cents. At Shanghai, a tael of sycee is held to be equal to $1.48 United States money. But the unreliable fineness of sycee bars makes the dollar basis of comparison more satisfactory.

DENMARK.

Drafts are paid in silver, and the unit of value is Denmark. the rigsdaler, divided into 6 marks, or 96 skillings.

It is coined at the rate of 18 pieces to the fine mark, or 16% to the mark alloyed to seven-eighths (875 thousandths) fine, which is the legal fineness. This makes the weight of the single piece 225.9 troy grains, and the value 54.63 cents.

ECUADOR.

The silver coins of Quito are receivable in payment Ecuador. of debts, the unit of value is the dollar, of eight rials. No whole dollars are coined; the principal coinage is in pieces of two rials, with a few of four rials; and "no government standard as to weight has been followed." The basis, taken, therefore, is from copious trials of weight furnished by the United States minister at Quito, by which it appears that the average of the four-rial piece is 197 grains troy, and the two rial, 92 grains, showing a great want of due relation. In payments, there are ordinarily about 97 per cent. in the smaller coin, and 3 per cent. in the larger. The professed fineness is two-thirds. Taking all these terms into consideration, the valuation of the

Egypt

England.

dollar would be at 68.864 cents, but an even 69 cents would be an advisable rate, as the assays seem to exceed the professed fineness, though without any regularity.

EGYPT.

The money transactions with the United States are through the medium of drafts on London. The piastre is the unit of value, and the principal coin is the gold piece of 100 piastres, whose standard of fineness is seven-eighths, (875 thousandths,) but the requirement of weight does not appear. The unworn piece, however, agrees in value with our half-eagle; making the piastre, in gold, five cents.

The Viceroy has established a tariff of rates for foreign coins, in which the American is not noticed, but the pound sterling is fixed at 97% piastres. This valuation, which makes the piastre 5.0067 cents, sufficiently confirms the above rate. (There is a current value," which differs from the tariff value, but this latter is used in all government and mercantile contracts.)

66

ENGLAND.

The pound sterling is the unit of value, and is represented by the gold sovereign, which is coined at eleven-twelfths fine, and at the weight of 468 pieces to a pound troy. This makes each piece 1231 grains, or approximately 123-274. The full value thereof is $4.86656.

France.

FRANCE.

A few years ago silver was the prevailing currency; more recently, the preference has been to pay drafts in gold; but the present indications are that a greater plenty of silver will restore that metal to its former

position. We therefore give a valuation in each kind, relying mainly upon the gold.

The unit of value is the franc. The piece of 20 francs (gold) is coined at the rate of 155 pieces to a kilogramme, nine-tenths fine; making the weight of each piece 99-58 troy grains, and the value of the franc in gold, 19.2985 cents.

In silver the franc is coined at the weight of five grammes, or 77.17 grains, nine-tenths fine. Value 19-455 cents.

GERMANY.

An important monetary convention in January, Germany. 1857, settled the standards upon a new basis for all the German States, Austria and Prussia included. Silver was declared the standard of valuation, and the ancient weight for moneys-the Cologne mark-was displaced by the new zollpfund or customs-pound, which is half a kilogramme, or 7.717 grains troy. From one zollpfund of fine silver there shall be coined 30 thalers of Northern Germany and Prussia; or 52 florins or gulden of Southern Germany. The thaler is equal to 1 florin of South Germany, or 1 florin of Austria. The thaler is divided into 30 groschen; the southern florin into 60 kreutzers; the Austrian florin into 100 kreutzers. The standard fineness of the three normal coins is nine-tenths. Consequently the weight of the thaler is 285.83 grains, value 72.054 cents; weight of the southern florin 163-33 grains, value 41.174 cents. For the Austrian florin see "Austria."

GREECE.

The unit of value is the drachmé or drachm, di- Greece. vided into 100 lepta. Drafts from the United States

Hamburg.

India.

Italy.

Japan.

are paid through the medium of London or Paris, and either in gold or silver, as the holder wishes. The value of the drachmé, in gold, is 17-275 cents.

HAMBURG.

The currency of this free city is not identified with that of Germany. There is now no mint. The unit of value is the mark-banco, of 16 schillings; this regulates all commercial transactions, but there is also a mark-current. Payments are made in bars of silver, of which one Cologne mark fine makes 27 marksbanco. Hence this money of account equals 36-432 cents.

INDIA.

Silver is the legal tender, and the unit of value is the rupee, divided into 16 annas; the anna into 12 pice. The weight of the rupee, 180 grains; fineness, eleven-twelfths; value 46.215.

ITALY.

The lira of Sardinia is of the same standards as the French franc; making 19-2985 cents in gold, 19.455 cents in silver.

The silver lira of Florence is 16-356 cents. The silver scudo of Rome is 104.61 cents. The silver ducat of Naples is 82-74 cents.

JAPAN.

The unit of value is the new silver itzebu, which is one-third of our dollar, as near as may be. But all commercial transactions are founded on the Mexican dollar, for which see Mexico.