LORD J. RUSSELL replied, that the First Lord of the Admiralty had been in communication with Mr. Wyon on the sub to the decision of the Bankruptcy Commis- | know from the noble Lord at the head of sioners that the assent of the shareholders the Government whether the hopes entermust be procured before a company can be tained by the petitioners stood any chance declared bankrupt, and to the expense con- of being realized? tingent upon proceedings at law and in equity, as shown in the case of Small and Attwood, they were in a most unhappy position. They hoped therefore that Govern-ject, and he believed that the medal was ment would declare itself one way or the to be supplied by the usual artist. He had other, and bring forward some Bill to amend reason to know that the grant of the medal Lord Dalhousie's Act during the present had given great satisfaction. Session. MR. STRUTT could not answer for any department but his own: he had no intention during the present Session of bringing in any such Bill. True it was that one or two applications had been made to the board; but the Commissioners saw no immediate necessity for the introduction of any such Bill. NEWFOUNDLAND. SEAMEN'S ENLISTMENT. SIR C. NAPIER rose to move for leave to bring in a Bill to amend the Seamen's Enlistment Act. The naval force of this country consisted of nearly 100 sail of the line, besides frigates and smaller vessels, together with upwards of 150 steam-boats. Since the peace no attempt had been made to establish a regular system for manning the Royal Navy, although he believed that every foreign State had adopted some system of the kind. In France very stringent regulations were in force under the name of conscription; the men were col SIR J. PAKINGTON adverted to the present state of Newfoundland, and to the Act which, having expired in September last, had been renewed in the last Session. He wished to know what were the inten-lected from various provinces, and were tions of Government as to that colony in the present Session. Was it meant again to legislate temporarily or permanently? and if permanently, would any material change be made in the Act of 1842? MR. HAWES said, that the hon. Baronet was quite correct in what he had said respecting the existing state of the law. It was absolutely necessary to pass a new Act, and it was intended to be of a permanent character. Under it the old constitution would be allowed to revive; but at the same time the powers vested by the Act of 1842 in the Queen, as regarded electoral districts and simultaneous voting, would be continued. With that single change the old constitution would be revived. THE WRECK OF THE TWEED. SIR W. JAMES stated, that he had not long since presented a petition to the House, taking notice of an intention on the part of Her Majesty's Government to bestow a medal upon the persons who had assisted in saving the lives which were in danger of being lost at the wreck of the Tweed. The petition to which he referred had been signed by several eminent artists -all that they desired was a fair competition and a fair opportunity of proving themselves worthy to share some portion of the patronage of the Crown. He wished to compelled to serve for five years. The consequence was that the French Government could man its Navy much more rapidly, though by no means so efficiently, as our Government. In Russia, Denmark, and Sweden, a system had also been established; and this country was almost a solitary exception to the rule. True it was that the right hon. Member for Dorchester (Sir J. Graham) had introduced a Registration Bill, under which all seamen were registered, and an Enlistment Bill, by which the Crown was enabled to call upon men to serve. Those Bills were strongly opposed by the mercantile marine, and it was not without considerable difficulty that they were carried. He now came to Sir James Graham's Enlistment Bill. By that Bill the Government had authority to issue proclamations calling on all seamen in Great and Ireland to come within five days and volunteer to serve in Her Majesty's Navy. If they did so volunteer, they received a double bounty, which amounted to something like 51. in the case of an able seaman: if they did not, they rendered themselves liable to impressment at any moment. It also gave power to Her Majesty's naval officers to board merchant ships at sea, or in harbour, and to offer the men half an hour to decide whether they would volunteer. That was certainly rather sharp practice; but he did not think that the power which the State possessed at present | the country was actually engaged in a war. was one whit too great. For instance, He thought it reasonable, however, that suppose it was found necessary suddenly the seamen should not receive double bounto increase the Navy four or five sail of ties until war had actually commenced; the line, without some such power it would and he would limit the word "war" to acbe impossible to find men for them. It tual hostilities with one of the great nations was clearly proved in 1840 and 1841, when of Europe, or with North America, leaving it became necessary to increase the Navy it optional with the Government either to in the Mediterranean, that to depend on give the bounty or refuse it in such cases voluntary enlistment was totally out of the as the war in Syria or China. To the horquestion. The great objection to Sir rible system of impressment, he trusted James Graham's Bill, however, was, that they should never again revert; indeed, he in the event of the Government requiring was quite certain this country would never an addition to its naval force of two or tolerate the system of impressment again. three thousand men, they had no other At all events, he was certain the seamen means of getting seamen than by calling would not stand it; if they did, all he out the whole of the seamen in the mer- could say of them was, that they would be chant service, and subjecting themselves great fools. Then, with regard to pressing to an expenditure of 300,000l. or 400,000l. men on shore. In the time of war, a man In the case of a popular war, though per- could not walk about the streets of London haps only a few thousand men might be without being picked up. No man was wanted, the probability was that some safe, nobody was respected; and had the 20,000 or 30,000 men would come forward Speaker himself happened to be walking in the hope of receiving the double bounty, near the dock, he would certainly have the consequence of which would be that been carried away. The House might the whole commercial navy would be de- have been waiting for their Speaker, while ranged, whilst immense expense and in- the Speaker himself might have been caged convenience would be occasioned. The up in the press-room of the guard-ship anmeasure which he proposed, instead of chored off the Tower. The men who were adding to the expense, would cause a pressed were denied the use of ink or paper, considerable saving to the country; and he and before they could find out where they really did not see how any one in that had got to, they were shipped off to the House could possibly object to it. It would Nore. To such a system it would be imhave given him great satisfaction if the possible again to have recourse. He trusted Government had brought forward the mea- the Government would open their eyes and sure; but as the Admiralty had not, he felt do all in their power to favour voluntary enit to be his duty to introduce the measure listment. Even with all the inducements himself. His proposition was, that Her Ma- they could use, they could not wholly sucjesty should call out at any time, in peace ceed. A north-country sailor, who traded or war, by proclamation, whatever seamen to Hull or to Newcastle, regarded the sermight at any time be required. The regis- vice on board a man-of-war with horror, tered men wou'd be called on in rotation, as and would not, on any persuasion, enter they came out of their apprenticeship, for the Navy. He thought they ought to beone, two, three, or four years. They gin at once, and do something to alter the should first try to gain the number by present condition of things. He believed voluntary means; but, when that failed, that if this Amendment were agreed to, then they should issue a proclamation, the seamen would soon get accustomed to calling on those who had been one year re- it, and it would not be considered a hardleased from their apprenticeship to come ship. It would place this country in a poforward; then, if these were not sufficient, sition to meet any great emergency that call on those two years out of their time, might arise, and he begged to press it and so on. He would not have any im- upon the attention of the House. pressment; but he would have it so ordered that no merchant ships should be allowed to ship any seamen who were thus called out. His object was in the first place to get the number of men they required in the time of peace-to enable, in fact, the Crown to call them out whenever they might be required, without waiting until MR. WARD said, it was not his intention to give any opposition to the introduction of the proposed Bill. He had not yet seen it; and he could take no share in the merit if it succeeded, or any part of the responsibility if it failed. It was a very large and difficult subject, so large and so difficult that the hon. and gallant Member had himself complained of the indisposition of every Government to interfere with it. He should be most happy to see any practical and practicable mode suggested in the Bill for accomplishing what was so desirable, viz., the laying the foundation for a naval reserve in this country, and the turning to some advantage the extensive machinery of the Registration Act, which up to this time had produced very little benefit. Leave given. DECIMAL COINAGE. 66 of a decimal currency, their numerals would not easily accommodate themselves to it, nor indeed to any arithmetical calculations. The decimal system had made great progress through the civilized world. At this moment, it was used by more than half the great human family. With three or four exceptions, it had been adopted by all the nations of Europe-in the vast Russian empire, from Kamschatka to the Baltic -from the Euxine and the Caspian to the White Sea-and through the wide regions of China, with its more than 300,000,000 DR. BOWRING rose to move a Resolu- of souls. In proposing this change, it was tion, the effect of which would be the in- his object to interfere as little as possible troduction of a decimal system into our either with the names or values of existing coinage, and its adoption into our mode of coins. He suggested no new copper coinkeeping accounts. He was glad to have age, but a very slight diminution of the value received much encouragement in a great of the farthing, halfpenny, and penny, so variety of communications with which he that, instead of representing the 1-960th, had been favoured, all showing that the 1-480th, and 1-240th of a pound sterling, public mind was prepared for the changes they should pass for the 1-1000th, 1-500th, he proposed; and that there was a general and 1-250th parts. The gold coinage conviction of the great advantages of a would remain without any alteration; and decimal system of coinage, over the com- in the silver he should propose to introduce plex system now existing. Among many two new coins, namely, the two-shilling schemes, that which he was about to sug-piece, which he suggested might be called a gest met with the most general accept- Queen," and which would be the tenth ance. He knew how strong was the feel- part of a pound sterling; and another piece ing the prejudice he might say-in favour to represent the tenth of the queen, or the of existing habits and usages; and that in 1-100th part of the pound sterling, to which this country, more than anywhere else, he proposed giving the name of Victoria" the question was less about the quo eun--in both cases designating the era in dum est, than the quo itur. But still the which the decimal system had been adopted. recommendations of a decimal system were Thus in the gold currency, the sovereign so many, and so obvious, that its intro- would represent 1,000 farthings-the half duction could not be long delayed. Every sovereign 500 farthings, or half the pound. man who looked at his ten fingers, saw an In the silver coins, the crown would repreargument for its use, and an evidence of sent 250 farthings, or the fourth of a its practicability. His suggestion was pound; the half crown 125 farthings, or the simply to divide the pound sterling into eighth of a pound; the queen 100 farone thousand farthings, and this would things, or the tenth of a pound; the shilgive all the needful elements for a perfect ling fifty farthings, or the twentieth of a system of decimal coinage. He would pound; the sixpence twenty-five farthings, preserve the pound sterling as the integer or the fortieth of a pound; and the vicor point of unity. It had been associated toria ten farthings, or the 100th of a with our accounts, and with our currency, pound; and the copper coinage would still from almost immemorial time; and was in represent farthings, half pence, and penfact a very convenient starting post for nies, being 1,000th, 500th, and 250th decimal division. Professor De Morgan, parts of a pound. They should on the first and many other eminent men, concurred new issues be reduced to the extent of four in the suggestion of dividing that pound per cent. that is to say, 1,000 instead of sterling into a thousand parts, and accom- 960 farthings would go to the pound stermodating our coinage to the centesimal ling. If a new system had to be introand decimal divisions. The Arabic nu- duced, there might be some advantage in merals so admirably adapted to a decimal calling the farthings mils or millimes, the system, seemed to point to that system as victorias cents or centimes, the queens a necessary consequence of their introduc- decs, dimes or decimes; but on the whole he tion; for though the Romans seemed to was disposed to retain the ancient names, have had some gleams of the advantages as they would at once present associations 66 of value, and, as he believed, facilitate the had supplanted a currency of pounds, shilearly application and universal adoption of lings, pence, and farthings-the livre, sol, the system. The two new silver coins denier, and liard. These had been rewould be exceedingly convenient. The placed with francs and centimes; and two-shilling piece, from its form and though sometimes the old names were weight, would soon become popular, and heard, they introduced no confusion; and in fact the most useful of all the silver the National Assembly, by the establishcoins. Having made some inquiries, he ment of the decimal currency, was everywas able to say that its size would allow where recognised as having conferred an it to be a beautiful specimen of monetary immense benefit upon the country. From art. Its value, the double shilling, would France the good example had spread to be understood by everybody; it would be Italy, where many of the States had adoptabout half a dollar, the coin which, per- ed a decimal system. In Lombardy and haps of all others, is best known through the Venetian provinces, it was introduced the commercial world, and it nearly repre- in 1823, and accounts were kept in lire sents the Austrian florin, which has a wide (value about 8d.), or soldi, being 1-10th, circulation. The victoria would be the and centesimi, being 1-100th of the lira. smallest of the silver coins, representing Ducats and zecchins were heard of in conthe 100th part of the pound sterling, or versation, but not employed in accounts. 2 d. of existing currency, which to the In Sardinia, the decimal system of francs popular mind would be nearly allied to and centimes was adopted. In the Ro24d. This coin is about the value of the man States, the scudo, being worth about vellon rial of Spain, which is the point of 4s. 4d., was divided into 10 paoli and 100 unity of the Spanish currency. It has bajocchi, so that they enjoyed a complete been objected that it would be too small decimal system of currency and account. for common use; but he begged to remind In Tuscany, though the phraseology of the House, that it would not be much pound, shilling, and pence, lire, soldi, and smaller than the silver penny in the time danari, is retained, the lira is practically of Edward the Third, which was then the divided into 100 cents. In Naples, all is only currency in the realm-the only re- decimal accountancy, the ducat being ten cognised coin of the land. Our pounds, carlini-the carlino ten grains. Holland, shillings, and pence, in the Saxon period, a country like our own strongly wedded no doubt represented an unvarying quanto antique doctrines and usages, abantity of silver, the penny being twenty-four grains, the ounce twenty pennies, and the pound twelve ounces, the weight and the tale being identical; but gradual depreciations brought down the pound sterling from 5,760 to 1,614 grains, the present ning to disappear, and the gold of the standard, so that the value of the currency had been reduced, nearly three fourths. At and after the Conquest, down to the time of Edward the First, the penny weighed twenty-two and a half grains. Edward the First reduced it to twentytwo grains, and Edward the Third to twenty grains; and he first coined twopences and fourpences, that is, half groats and groats, weighing forty and eighty grains. The present weight of a silver penny is about 6 grains; so that the new coin would weigh about eighteen grains, which, he repeated, would be about the size of the whole currency of England in the fourteenth century. The introduction of a decimal system in France, with whatever resistance it had been originally met, was now a matter of universal congratulation. No man could be found in that country who did not acknowledge its benefits. It doned her ancient currency in 1811, and adopted the decimal system, dividing the florin, equal to 20d., into 100 cents, and coining the Willem, equal to ten florins. The old silver coinage is already begin former coinage passes by weight instead of tale. The Dutch colonies had not been slow to follow the example of the mother country. Belgium, immediately after her separation from Holland, introduced the French decimal system of coins, weights, and measures, though at first the public accounts were kept both in florins and francs: the use of the florins continued only a short time; both coins and calculations had disappeared, and francs and centimes were now universally adopted and with universal approval. The Zollverein, which had to accommodate itself to a very great variety of coins, weights, and measures, made an important step towards a decimal system by recognising no weight but the centner of 100lbs. Prussian, and no coins but the dollar of thirty groschen, and the florin of sixty kreutzers. Several of the Swiss States had introduced tem, their sent propose a change in our system of no the decimal divisions, by making the Swiss | ated the existing state of our coinage, curfranc represent 100 cents. Decimal coin- rency, and accounts. He did not at preage and decimal accounts were universal in the extensive Russian empire, with its 70,000,000 of inhabitants, the rouble, consisting of 100 copecks, being established over all the territory. In Greece, one of the earliest results of the revolution was the adoption of a decimal currency, the "That an humble Address be presented to only coins of account being the phoenix or Her Majesty, requesting that She will be gradrachma (of about 8d. sterling), and its ciously pleased to authorize the issue of Coins rehundredth part, the lipta. Portugal and presenting the value of two shillings, being the the Brazils both enjoyed a decimal sys-fifths, being the hundredth part of a pound stertenth of a pound sterling, and two pence and twomilrei being divided into ling, such Coins to be called Queens and Victo1,000 reis, precisely as he proposed to rias, or any other name which to Her Majesty divide the pound sterling into a thousand may seem best.” farthings. Through the United States of MR. HUME seconded the Motion. The America the decimal coinage prevailed- subject had been for twenty-two years bethe dollar with its 100 cents--and the fore the House. Mr. Davies Giddy and same system had already made its way in- other gentlemen made a report to the House to Mexico, Central America, and many many years ago, recommending the adopother transatlantic communities. He had tion of the decimal system; and, after all already stated that the whole Chinese po- that had taken place in Europe since that pulation reckoned by tens, and that a de- period, the larger portion of the Continent cimal mode of calculation and account having adopted a decimal currency, had existed in that empire from the re- further delay ought to take place in inmotest times. Even into the Ottoman troducing it into this country. He did not dominions_the_decimal system was pene- complain of the Mint Master for not bringtrating. In Egypt, all the coinage of ing the subject before the House" preMahomet Ali represented decimal divisions, sent company were always excepted." But there being in copper the one and the five former Mint Masters had been lax in their paras; in silver, the ten and twenty paras, duty, and were not sufficiently aware of the the one, five, ten, and twenty piastres; fact, that to save time in trade and comand in gold, five, ten, twenty and 100 merce was to save money. He should be piastres. In Persia, too, the decimal coin- happy to see an inquiry take place into the age prevailed; ten floose make the danim, subject as to the effect of adopting a deciten danims the mahmoudy, and 100 mah- mal system of keeping accounts. For himmoudies the tomand. Without going far- self, he had no doubt whatever that every ther, and wearying the House with other merchant who now kept five clerks would details, he thought he had established his be able to do with one less under a decimal case, and showed the ease with which his system of coinage and weights and measuggestions might be adopted. Would sures. The consequence of the present Great Britain stand alone with her com- system was, that, in the higher classes in plicated and entangled system, so unintel- this country, he scarcely ever met a man ligible to foreigners, and often so embar- of property who understood accounts. rassing to her own subjects? Every Eu- did not think this subject was best dealt ropean country except Spain, Denmark, with by a debate, for it had not yet suffiand Sweden, had given us satisfactory evi- ciently received the attention of the comdence of the benefits of the change he munity. An American merchant told him, suggested; and it was little honour to us that no one who had been in an accountant's to lag behind the civilized world. All the office in this country had any idea of the puzzles and perplexities of compound ad- saving of time and trouble in the American dition, subtraction, multiplication, and di- system of decimal accounts, compared with vision, would be got rid of by the simpli- the cumbrous and intricate system of this city of decimal calculation; all interest country. The people of England were acwould be reckoned by the simplest pro- customed to look upon the Chinese as a nacesses of multiplication; and a short ex- tion of barbarians; but the decimal system perience of the advantages of a decimal had been in operation in that country for system would produce only a feeling of many centuries, and there was not an acwonder that we should have so long toler-countant in England who could calculate He |