SEC. 12. And be it further enacted, That the standard for all gold coins of the United States shall be eleven parts fine to one part alloy; and accordingly that eleven. parts in twelve of the entire weight of each of the said coins shall consist of pure gold,3 and the remaining one-twelfth part of alloy; and the said alloy shall be composed of silver and copper, in such proportions not exceeding one-half silver as shall be found convenient; to be regulated by the director of the mint. for the time being with the approbation of the President of the United States, until further provision shall be made by law. And, to the end that the necessary information may be had in order to the making of such further provision, it shall be the duty of the director of the mint at the expiration of a year after commencing the operations of the said mint to report to Congress the practice thereof during the said year, touching the composition of the alloy of the said gold coins, the reasons for such practice, and the experiments and observation which shall have been made concerning the effects of different proportions of silver and copper in the said alloy.

SEC. 13. And be it further enacted, That the standard of all silver coins of the United States shall be one thousand four hundred and eighty-five parts fine to one hundred and seventy-nine parts alloy; and accordingly that one thousand four hundred and eightyfive parts in one thousand six hundred and sixty-four parts of the entire weight of each of the said coins shall consist of pure silver, and the remaining one hundred and seventy-nine parts of alloy; which alloy shall be wholly of copper.4

SEC. 14. And be it further enacted, That it shall be lawful for any person or persons to bring to the said mint gold and silver bullion, in order to their being coined; and that the bullion so brought shall be there assayed and coined as speedily as may be after the receipt thereof, and that free of expense to the person or persons by whom the same shall have been brought. And as soon as the said bullion shall have been coined, the person or persons by whom the same shall have been delivered shall, upon demand, receive in lieu thereof coins of the same species of bullion which shall have been so delivered, weight for weight, of the pure gold or pure silver therein contained; Provided nevertheless, That it shall be at the mutual option of the party or parties bringing such bullion, and of the direction of the said mint, to make an immediate exchange of coins for standard bullion, with a deduction of one-half per cent. from the weight of the pure gold or pure silver contained in the said bullion, as an indemnification to the mint for the time which will necessarily be required for coining the said bullion, and for the advance which shall have een so made in coins. And it shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to furnish the said mint from time to time whenever the state of the Treasury will admit thereof, with such sums as may be necessary for effecting the said exchanges, to be replaced as speedily as may be out of the coins which shall have been made of the bullion for which the monies so furnished shall have been exchanged; and the said deduction of one-half per cent. shall constitute a fund towards defraying the expenses of the said mint.

SEC. 15. And be it further enacted, That the bullion which shall be brought as aforesaid to the mint to be coined, shall be coined, and the equivalent thereof in coins rendered, if demanded, in the order in which the said bullion shall have been brought or delivered, giving priority according to priority of delivery only, and without preference to any person or persons; and if any preference shall be given contrary to the direction aforesaid, the officer by whom such undue preference shall be given, shall in each case forfeit and pay one thousand dollars; to be recovered with costs of suit. And to the end that it may be known if such preference shall at any time be given, the assayer or officer to whom the said bullion shall be delivered to be coined, shall give to the person or persons bringing the same, a memorandum in writing under his hand, denoting the weight, fineness and value thereof, together with the day and order of its delivery into the mint.

SEC. 16. And be it further enacted, That all the gold and silver coins which have been struck at, and issued from the said mint, shall be a lawful tender in all payments whatsoever, those of full weight according to the respective values herein before declared, and those of less than full weight at values proportional to their respective weights.

SEC. 17. And be it further enacted. That it shall be the duty of the respective officers of the said mint, carefully and faithfully to use their best endeavors that all the gold and silver coins which shall be struck at the said mint shall be, as nearly as may be, conformable to the several standards and weights aforesaid, and that the copper whereof the cents and half cents aforesaid may be composed, shall be of good quality.

SEC. 18. And the better to secure a due conformity of the said gold and silver coins to their respective standards, Be it further enacted, That from every separate mass of standard gold or silver, which shall be made into coins at the said Mint, there shall be taken, set apart by the Treasurer and reserved in his custody a certain number of pieces, not less than three, and that once in every year the pieces so set apart and reserved, shall be assayed under the inspection of the Chief Justice of the United States, the Secretary and Comptroller of the Treasury, the Secretary for the Department of State,

See Act of January 18, 1837, sec. 8.

4See Act of Jan. 18, 1837, sec, 8.

The retention of sufficient bullion to cover expenses of refining directed by act of March 3, 1795, sec. 5; act of May 27, 1796; April 24, 1800.

4

and the Attorney General of the United States (who are hereby required to attend for that purpose at the said Mint, on the last Monday in July in each year), or under the inspection of any three of them, in such manner as they or a majority of them shall direct and in the presence of the Director, assayer and chief coiner of the said Mint; and if it shall be found that the gold and silver so assayel, shall not be inferior to their respective standards herein Lefore declared more than one part in one hundred and forty-four parts, the officer or officers of the said Mint whom it may concern shall be held excusable but if any greater inferiority shall appear, it shall be certified to the President of the United States, and the said officer or officers shall be deemed disqualified to hold their respective offices.

SEC. 19. And be it further enacted, That if any of the gold or silver coins which shall be struck or coined at the said Mint shall be debased or made worse as to the proportion of fine gold or fine silver therein contained, or shall be of less weight or value than the same ought to be pursuant to the directions of this act, through the default or with the connivance of any of the officers or persons who shall be employed at the said Mint, for the purpose of profit or gain, or otherwise with a fraudulent intent, and if any of the said officers or persons shall embezzle any of the metals which shall at any time be committed to their charge for the purpose of being coined, or any of the coins which shall be struck or coined at the said Mint, every such officer or person who shall commit any or either of the said offenses, shall be deemed guilty of felony, and shall suffer dea ĥ.

SEC. 20. And be it further enacted, That the money of account of the United States shall be expressed in dollars or units, dismes or tenths, cents or hundredths, and miles or thousandths, a disme being a tenth part of a dollar, a cent the hundredth part of a dollar, a mille the thousandth part of a dollar, and that all accounts in public offices and all proceedings in the courts of the United States shall be kept and had in conformity to this regulation.

Act of May 8, 1792-To provide for a copper coinage.

[Provides for the coinage of copper cents and half cents, pursuant to the Act of April 2, 1892; and imposes a penalty for offering to pass other copper coins.] Act of January 14, 1793—An act regulating the coinage of copper.

Be it enacted, etc., That every cent shall contain two hundred and eight grains of copper, and every half cent shall contain one hundred and four grains of copper; and that An act establishing a mint, and regulating the coins of the so much of the act entitled United States," as respects the weights of cents and half cents, shall be, and the same is hereby repealed.

Act of February 9, 17931-An act regulating foreign coins, making them a legal tender, and establishing their value, etc.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted, etc., That from and after the first day of July next, foreign gold and silver coins shall pass current as money within the United States, and be a legal tender for the payment of all debts and demands, at the several and respective rates following, and not otherwise, viz: The gold coins of Great Britain and Portugal of their present standard, at the rate of one hundred cents for every twenty-seven grains of the actual weight thereof; the gold coins of France, Spain and the dominions of Spain, of their present standard, at the rate of one hundred cents for every twenty-seven grains and two-fifths of a grain, of the actual weight thereof. Spanish milled dollars, at the rate of one hundred cents for each dollar, the actual weight whereof shall not be less than seventeen pennyweights and seven grains; and in proportion for the parts of a dollar. Crowns of France, at the rate of one hundred and ten cents for each crown, the actual weight whereof shall not be less than eighteen pennyweight and seventeen grains, But no foreign coin that may have been, and in proportion for the parts of a crown. or shall be issued subsequently to the first day of January, 1792, shall be a tender, as aforesaid, until samples thereof shall have been found, by assay, at the Mint of the United States, to be conformable to the respective standards required, and proclamation thereof shall have been made by the President of the United States.

The subsequent legislation upon this subject is as follows:

Act of February 1, 1798-Suspends section 2 of above act, and continues for three years from January 1, 1798, and until the end of the next session of Congress thereafter, the legal tender quality of foreign gold and silver coins at the same rates as per section 1 of the act of February 9, 1793.

Act of April 30, 1802-Further suspends section 2 of the act of February 9, 1793. Foreign coins continued as legal tender for three years.

Act of April 10, 1808-Foreign gold and silver coins to be current and a legal tender in the United States for three years at same rates as by act of February 9, 1793.

Act of April 29, 1816 Restores legal tender character of foreign coins for three years, at the following rates: Geld coins of Great Britain and Portugal, 100 cents for every 27 grains, or ES cents per pennyweight; gold coins of France, 100 cents for every 27 grains, or 874 cents per pennyw ight; gold coins of Spain, 100 cents for every 28 grains, or 84 cents per penny weight; silver crowns of France, 117.6 cents per ounce, or 110 cents for each crown weighing 18 pennyweights 17 grains; 5-franc pieces, 115 cents per ounce, or 93 3 cents for each 5-franc piece weighing 16 pennyweights 2 grains.

Act of March 3, 1819-Continues in force the legal tender value in the United States of foreign gold coins at the rates of April 29, 1816, until November 1, 1819; " and from and after that day foreign gold coins shall cease to be a tender in the United States for the payment of debts or demands." Part of act of April 29, 1816, relating to silver coins, continued in force until April 29, 1821.

Act of March 3, 1821–Crowns and 5-franc pieces of France continued as legal tender until April 29, 1823. Act of March 3, 1823-Continues for two years longer the legal tender character of crowns and 5-franc pieces of France.

SEC. 2. Provided always, and be it further enacted, That at the expiration of three years next ensuing the time when the coinage of gold and silver, agreeably to the act entitled An act establishing a Mint, and regulating the coins of the United States," shall commence at the mint of the United States, (which time shall be announced by the proclamation of the President of the United States,) all foreign gold coins and all foreign silver coins, except Spanish milled dollars and parts of such dollars, shall cease to be a legal tender, as aforesaid.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That all foreign gold and silver coins (except Spanish milled dollars, and parts of such dollars), which shall be received in payment for monies due to the United States, after the said time, when the coining of gold and silver coins shall begin at the Mint of the United States shall, previously to their being issued in circulation, be coined anew, in conformity to the act entitled “An act establishing a Mint and regulating the coins of the United States."

[SEC. 4. Provides that from and after July 1, 1793, foreign gold and silver coins shall be received for dues and fees at rates herein established.]

[SEC. 5. Fixes the time for making annual assays.]

Act of March 3, 1795—An act providing for the Mint and regulating the

coins of the United States.

[SECTIONS 1, 2, 3 and 4. Provide for additional officers of the Mint, prescribe their duties, define their compensation, etc.].

SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That the treasurer of the mint shall, and he is hereby directed, to retain two cents per ounce from every deposit of silver bullion below the standard of the United States, which hereafter shall be male for the purpose of refining and coining; and four cents per ounce from every deposit of gold bullion made as aforesaid, below the standard of the United States, unless the same shall be so far below the standard as to require the operation of the test, in which case, the treasurer shall retain six cents per ounce, which sum so retained shall be accounted for by the said treasurer with the treasury of the United States, as a compensation for melting and refining the same.

SEC. 6. And be it further enacted, That the treasurer of the mint shall not be obliged to receive from any person, for the purpose of refining and coining, any deposit of silver bullion, below the standard of the United States, in a smaller quantity than two hundred ounces; nor a like deposit of gold bullion below the said standard, in a smaller quantity than twenty ounc. s.

SEC. 7. And be it further enacted, That fron and after the passing of this act, it shall and may be lawful for the officers of the mint to give a preference to silver or gold bullion, deposited for coinage, which shall be of the standard of the United States, so far as respects the coining of the same, although bullion below the stan ard, and not yet refined, may have been deposited for coinage, previous thereto, any law to the contrary notwithstanding; Provided, That nothing herein shall justify the officers of the mint, or any one of them, in unnecessarily delaying the retining any silver or gold bullion below the standard, that may be deposited, as aforesaid.

SEC. 8. And be it further enacted, That the President of the United States be, and he is hereby authorized, whenever he shall think it for the benefit of the United States, to reduce the weight of the copper coin of the United States; Provided, such reduction shall not, in the whole, exceed two pennyweights in each cent, and in a like proportion in a half cent; of which he shall give notice by proclamation,* and communicate the same to the then next Congress.

SEC. 9. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the treasurer of the United States, from time to time, as often as he shall receive copper cents and half cents from the treasurer of the mint, to send them to the bank or branch banks of the United States, in each of the states where such bank is established; and where there is no bank established, then to the collector of the principal town in such state (in the proportion of the number of inhabitants of such state) to be by such bank or collector, paid out to the citizens of the state for cash, in sums not less than ten dollars value; and that the same

Act of March 3, 1823-Gold coins of Great Britain, Portugal. France and Spain to be received in payment of lands bought by the United States at the rates given in the Act of April 29, 1816, but not made legal tender.

Act of June 25, 1834-Certain silver coins to be of the legal value and pass by tale, the dollars of Mexico Peru, Chili and Central America, of not less weight than 415 grains, and re-stamped dollars of Brazil of like weight, fineness, not less than 10 ounces 15 pennyweights of pure silver in Troy pound of 12 ounces of standard silver, at 100 cents each; the 5-franc piece of France, weighing not less than 384 grains, at 93 cents.

Act of June 28, 1834-Regulates the legal tender value of certain gold coins, as follows: Great Britain, Portugal and Brazil, of not less than 22 carats fine, at 94.8 cents per pennyweight: those of France, fine, 93.1 cents per pennyweight, and those of Spain, Mexico and Colombia, of 20 carats 3 grains fine, ut 89.9 cents per pennyweight.

Act of March 3, 1843-Foreign gold coins to pass current "and he receivable, by weight. for the payments of all debts and demands " at the following rates: Those of Great Britain, not less than .915 fine, 94.6 cents per pennyweight; those of France, of not less than .89) fine, at 92.9 cents per pennyweight. Silver coins at the following rates: Spanish pillar dollars and dollars of Mexico, Spain, Peru. Bolivia, not less than .837 fine and 415 grains in weight, at 100 cents each; 5-franc pieces of France, not less than .900 fine and 884 grains in weight, at 93 cents each.

Act of February 21, 1857-Spanish and Mexican coins, known as the quarter, eighth and sixteenth of the Spanish pillar dollar, and Mexican dollar, to be received by the United States, as follows: of a dollar, or 2 reals, at 20 cents; of a dollar, or 1 real, at 10 cents; of a dollar, or real, at 5 cents. Said coins to be recoine 1 when received. Former acts making foreign coins a legal tender repealed. * Weight changed by proclamation of President, January 25, 1796.

be done at the risk and expense of the United States, under such regulations as shall be prescribed by the department of the treasury.

Act of April 21, 1806—An act for the punishment of counterfeiting, etc.

[Provides penalties for counterfeiting coins of the United States, or those of foreign countries made current in the United States; for importing false or counterfeit coins and for impairing, falsifying, etc., the coins of the United States. Continues jurisdic tion of individual States over offenses made punishable by this act.]

Act of June 28, 1834—Concerning gold coins of the United States, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted etc., That the gold coins of the United States shall contain the following quantities of metal, that is to say; each eagle shall contain two hundred and thirtytwo grains of pure gold, and two hundred and fifty-eight grains of standard gold; each half eagle one hundred and sixteen grains of pure gold, and one hundred and twentynine grains of standard gold; each quarter eagle shall contain fifty-eight grains of pure gold, and sixty-four and a half grains of standard gold; every such eagle shall be of the value of ten dollars; every such half eagle shall be of the value of five dollars; and every such quarter eagle shall be of the value of two dollars and fifty cents; and the said gold coins shall be receivable in all payments when of full weight according to their respective values; and when of less than full weight, at less values, proportioned to their respective actual weights.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That all standard gold or silver deposited for coinage after the thirty-first of July next, shall be paid for in coin under the direction of the Secretary of the Treasury, within five days from the making of such deposit, deducting from the amount of said deposit of gold and silver one-half of one per centum; Provided, That no deduction shall be made unless said advance be required by such depositor within forty days.

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That all gold coins of the United States. minted anterior to the thirty-first day of July next, shall be receivable in all payments at the rate of ninety-four and eight-tenths of a cent per pennyweight.

[SEC. 4. Directs the setting apart of gold coins for assay as provided in the Act of April 2, 1792, by the Treasurer of the Mint, and makes a maximum limit of inferiority of standards to exceed which would result in disqualification of Mint officers to hold office; and further provides that if, in making any delivery of coin at the Mint in payment of a deposit, the weight thereof shall be found defective, the officer concerned shall be responsible to the owner for the full weight, if claimed at the time of delivery.] Act of January 18, 1837-Further in regard to the establishment of a mint and regulation of coins of the United States.

Be it enacted, etc., That the officers of the Mint of the United States shall be a Director, a treasurer, an assayer, a melter and refiner, a chief coiner and an engraver, to be appointed by the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.

[SECS. 2-7, inclusive, relate to the organization of the Mint, duties of officers, bonds, salaries, etc.]

SEC. 8. And be it further enacted, That the standard for both gold and silver coins of the United States shall hereafter be such, that of one thousand parts by weight, nine hundred shall be of pure metal, and one hundred of alloy; and the alloy of the silver coins shall be of copper; and the alloy of the gold coins shall be of copper and silver, provided that the silver do not exceed one-half of the whole alloy.

SEC. 9. And be it further enacted, That of the silver coins, the dollar shall be of the weight of four hundred and twelve and one-half grains; the half dollar of the weight of two hundred and six and one-fourth grains; the quarter dollar of the weight of one hundred and three and one-eighth grains; the dime, or tenth part of a dollar, of the weight of forty-one and a quarter grains; and the half dime, or twentieth part of a dollar, of the weight of twenty grains and five-eighths of a grain. And that dollars, half dollars and quarter dollars, dimes and half dimes, shall be legal tenders of payment, according to their nominal value, for any sums whatever.

SEC. 10. And be it further enacted, That of the gold coins, the weight of the eagle shall be two hundred and fifty-eight grains; that of the half eagle one hundred and twenty-nine grains; and that of the quarter eagle sixty-four and one-half grains. And that for all sums whatever, the eagle shall be a legal tender of payment for ten dollars; the half eagle for five dollars, and the quarter eagle for two and a half dollars.

SEC. 11. And be it further enacted, That the silver coins heretofore issued at the Mint of the United States, and the gold coins issued since the 31st day of July, 1834, shall continue to be legal tenders of payment for their nominal values, on the same terms as if they were of the coinage provided for by this act.

SEC. 12. And be it further enacted, That of the copper coins, the weight of the cent shall be one hundred and sixty eight grains, and the weight of the half cent eighty-four grains. And the cent shall be considered of the value of one-hundredth part of a dollar, and the half cent of the value of one two-hundredth part of a dollar.

SEC. 13. And be it further enacted, That upon the coins struck at the Mint there shall be the following devices and legends: Upon one side of each of said coins there shall be an impression emblematic of liberty, with an inscription of the word Liberty,

and the year of the coinage; and upon the reverse of each of the gold and silver coins, there shall be the figure or representation of an eagle, with the inscription United States of America, and a designation of the value of the coin; but on the reverse of the dime and half dime, cent and half cent, the figure of the eagle shall be omitted.

SEC. 14. And be it further enacted, That gold and silver bullion brought to the Mint for coinage, shall be received and coined, by the proper officers, for the benefit of the depositor: Provided, that it shall be lawful to refuse, at the Mint, any deposits of less value than one hundred dollars, and any bullion so base as to be unsuitable for the operation of the Mint; And provided also, That when gold and silver are combined, if either of these metals be in such small proportion that it cannot be separated advantageously, no allowance shall be made to the depositor for the value of such metal.

SEC. 15. And be it further enacted, That when bullion is brought to the Mint for coinage, it shall be weighed by the Treasurer, in the presence of the depositor, when practicable, and a receipt given which shall state the description and weight of the bullion Provided, that when the bullion is in such a state as to require melting before its value can be ascertained, the weight after melting shall be considered as the true weight of the bullion deposited.

SEC. 16. And be it further enacted, That from every parcel of bullion deposited for coinage, the Treasurer shall deliver to the Assayer a sufficient portion for the purpose of being assayed; but all such bullion remaining from the operations of the assay shall be returned to the Treasurer by the Assayer.

SEC. 17. And be it further enacted, That the Assayer shall report to the Treasurer the quality or standard of the bullion assayed by him; and he shall also communicate to the Treasurer such information as will enable him to estimate the amount of the charges hereinafter provided for, to be made to the depositor, for the expenses of converting the bullion into standard metal fit for coinage.

SEC. 18. And be it further enacted, That the only subjects of charge by the Mint to the depositor shall be the following: For refining when the bullion is below standard; for toughening when metals are contained in it which render it unfit for coinage; for copper used for alloy when the bullion is above standard; for silver introduced into the alloy of gold; and for separating the gold and silver when these metals exist together in the bullion; and that the rate of these charges shall be fixed, from time to time, by the Director, with the concurrence of the Secretary of the Treasury, so as not to exceed, in their judgment, the actual expense to the Mint of the materials and labor employed in each of the cases aforementioned; and that the amount received from these charges shall be accounted for, and appropriated for defraying the contingent expenses of the Mint.

SEC. 19. And be it further enacted, That from the report of the assayer, and the weight of the bullion, the treasurer shall estimate the whole value of each deposit, and also the amount of the charges or deductions, if any; of all which he shall give a detailed memorandum to the depositor; and he shall also give, at the same time, under his hand, a certificate of the net amount of the deposit, to be paid in coins of the same species of bullion as that deposited.

[SECS. 20-24. Provide for methods of transfers of bullion, accounts, etc., within the Mint, and limitation of deviation from legal standard of ingots used.]

SEC. 25. And be it further enacted, That in adjusting the weights of the coins, the following deviation from the standard weight shall not be exceeded in any of the single pieces: In the dollar and half dollar, one grain and a half; in the quarter dollar, one grain; in the dime and half dime, half a grain; in the gold coins, one quarter of a grain; in the copper coins, one grain in the penny weight; and that in weighing a large number of pieces together, when delivered from the Chief coiner to the treasurer, and from the treasurer to the depositors, the deviations from the standard weights shall not exceed the following limits: Four pennyweights in one thousand dollars; three pennyweights in one thousand half dollars; two pennyweights in one thousand quarter dollars; one pennyweight in one thousand dimes; one pennyweight in one thousand half dimes; two pennyweights in one thousand eagles; one and a half pennyweights in one thousand half eagles; one pennyweight in one thousand quarter eagles.

[SECS. 26-29. Provide for the weighing and reservation for annual test of coins, disposition of clippings, treasurer's account with Chief coiner, allowance for waste, etc.]

SEC. 30. And be it further enacted, That when the coins which are equivalent to any deposit of bullion are ready for delivery, they shall be paid over to the depositor, or his order, by the Treasurer, on a warrant from the Director; and that the payment shall be made, if demanded, in the order in which the bullion shall have been brought to the Mint, giving priority according to priority of deposit only; and that in the denominations of coin delivered, the Treasurer shall comply with the wishes of the depositor, unless when impracticable or inconvenient to do so; in which case, the denominations of coin shall be designated by the Director.

SEC. 31. And be it further enacted, That for the purpose of enabling the Mint to make returns to depositors with as little delay as possible, it shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to keep in the said Mint, when the state of the Treasury will admit thereof, a deposit of such amount of public money, or of bullion procured for the purpose, as he shall judge convenient and necessary, not exceeding one million of dollars, out of which those who bring bullion to the Mint may be paid the value thereof, as soon