The following statement will exhibit the amount of the precious metals estimated to be in existence at different periods:
| Periods. | Gold. | Silver. | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|
| A.D. 14, | $427,000,000 | $909,000,000 | $1,327,000,000 |
| A.D. 500, | 100,000,000 | 400,000,000 | 500,000,000 |
| A.D. 1000, | 65,000,000 | 200,000,000 | 265,000,000 |
| A.D. 1492, | 57,000,000 | 135,000,000 | 192,000,000 |
| A.D. 1550. | 76,000,000 | 284,000,000 | 360,000,000 |
| A.D. 1600, | 105,000,000 | 391,000,000 | 496,000,000 |
| A.D. 1700, | 351,000,000 | 1,410,000,000 | 1,761,000,000 |
| A.D. 1800, | 1,125,000,000 | 3,622,000,000 | 4,747,000,000 |
| A.D. 1843, | 1,975,000,000 | 5,040,000,000 | 7,015,000,000 |
| A.D. 1850, | 2,368,000,000 | 4,963,000,000 | 7,331,000,000 |
| A.D. 1853, | 2,942,000,000 | 4,945,000,000 | 7,887,000,000 |
| A.D. 1863, | 5,107,000,000 | 4,945,000,000 | 10,052,000,000 |
| A.D. 1884, | 8,166,000,000 | 5,504,000,000 | 13,670,000,000 |
The following statement will exhibit the amount of the precious metals estimated to have been obtained from the surface and mines of the earth, from the earliest times to the close of 1884:—
| Periods. | Gold. | Silver. | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|
| A.C. | $2,171,000,000 | $2,913,000,000 | $5,084,000,000 |
| A.D. to 1492, | 3,842,374,000 | 521,000,000 | 4,363,374,000 |
| 1493 to 1842, | 2,700,000,000 | 5,800,000,000 | 8,500,000,000 |
| 1843 to 1852, | 900,000,000 | 500,000,000 | 1,400,000,000 |
| 1853 to 1862, | 1,869,000,000 | 560,000,000 | 2,429,000,000 |
| 1863 to 1884, | 3,145,626,000 | 1,519,000,000 | 4,664,626,000 |
| Grand Total, | $14,628,000,000 | $11,813,000,000 | $26,441,000,000 |
During the first period (prior to the commencement of the Christian Era,) the annual product of the precious metals was $2,000,000; during the second period (prior to the discovery of America,) it was $3,000,000; during the third period (prior to the extensive working of the Russian gold mines, in 1843,) it was $26,000,000; during the fourth period (prior to the double discovery of the California gold mines in 1858, and the Australia gold mines in 1851,) it was $140,000,000; during the fifth period (which immediately succeeded afore-mentioned discoveries,) it was $243,000,000; during the sixth period (immediately succeeding the double discovery of the New Zealand gold mines in 1861, and the silver mines of Nevada and other countries bordering on the Pacific slope of the United States,) it was $212,000,000. The annual products of the precious metals attained its acme in 1853, when it was $285,000,000. The increase in the amount of the precious metals in existence has been greater during the last forty-years than during the previous two hundred and ninety-four. Of the amount ($6,441,000,000) of the precious metals estimated to have been obtained from the surface and mines of the earth, from the earliest times to the close of 1884, $12,100,000,000 are estimated to have been obtained from America $6,724,000,000 from Asia (including Australia, New Zealand and Oceanica), $3,751,000,000 from Europe, and $2,866,000,000 from Africa.