Gold, as imported from America, Asia, and Africa, contains on an average nearly the right proportion of silver for making the best coin; and were it alloyed to our national standard, of 22 parts of gold, 1 of silver, and 1 of copper, as defined by Messrs. Cavendish and Hatchett, then by simply adding the deficient quantities of one or two of these metals, by the rule of alligation, the very considerable expense would be saved to the nation, and sulphureous nuisance to the Tower Hamlets, now foolishly incurred in de-silvering and cuprifying sovereigns at the Royal Mint.
It was long imagined in Europe, that the average metallic contents of the silver ores of Mexico and Peru, were considerably greater than those of Saxony and Hungary. Much poorer ores, however, are worked among the Cordilleras than in any part of Europe. The mean product of the whole silver ores that are annually reduced in Mexico, amounts only to from 0·18 to 0·25 of a per cent.; that is, from 3 to 4 ounces in 100 lbs.; the true average being, perhaps, not more than 21⁄2. It is by their greater profusion of ores, not their superior richness, that the mines of South America surpass those of Europe.
Gold and Silver produced in Forty Years, from 1790 to 1830.
| Gold. | Silver. | |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico | £6,436,453 | £139,818,032 |
| Chile | 2,768,488 | 1,822,924 |
| Buenos Ayres | 4,024,895 | 27,182,673 |
| Russia | 3,703,743 | 1,502,981 |
Returns of the Dollars coined at the different Mints in Mexico.
| 1829. | 1830. | 1831. | 1834. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 1,280,000 | 1,090,000 | 1,386,000 | 952,000 |
| Guanajuato | 2,406,000 | 2,560,000 | 2,603,000 | 2,703,000 |
| Zacatecas | 4,505,000 | 5,190,000 | 4,965,000 | 5,527,000 |
| Guadalaxara | 596,000 | 592,000 | 590,000 | 715,000 |
| Durango | 659,000 | 453,000 | 358,000 | 1,215,000 |
| San Luis | 1,613,000 | 1,320,000 | 1,497,000 | 928,000 |
| Ilalpan | 728,000 | 90,000 | 323,000 | — |
| Total | 11,787,000 | 11,295,000 | 11,722,000 | 12,040,000 |
| The returns for 1832 and 1833 are wanting. | ||||
Peru.—Returns of Gold and Silver coined at the Mints of Lima and Casco.
| Gold. | Silver. | Total, in Dollars. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 180,000 | 2,015,000 | 2,195,000 |
| 1831 | 92,000 | 2,384,000 | 2,476,000 |
| 1832 | 94,000 | 3,210,000 | 3,284,000 |
| 1833 | 150,000 | 2,990,000 | 3,140,000 |
| 1834 | 110,000 | 3,150,000 | 3,260,000 |
Returns of Silver in Bars produced at the different Smelting-works in Peru.