A striking illustration of the magnitude of the transactions of the British Empire may be drawn from the records of the Mint. Between the years 1816 and 1836 the money coined in it amounted in round numbers to quarter of a million of copper, twelve millions of silver, and considerably above fifty-five millions of gold, making a total of between sixty-seven and sixty-eight millions of money sent into circulation within twenty years.

Whilst we are dealing with figures, we may add that the charge for coining this enormous amount of precious metal was nearly four hundred and twenty-one thousand pounds, leaving a profit to the Company or Moneyers not much less in amount. Any one may send bullion to be coined, but for many years the Bank of England alone has been the medium between the foreign importer and the Mint. During the lapse of time the sources of our supplies of bullion have been frequently changed. Time was when England itself added silver to the other inexhaustible stores which it had pouring forth from its bosom; Edward 1 for instance received no less than seven hundred and four pounds weight of silver in 1296 from Devonshire, and down to the reign of George 1 silver money has been coined from the proceeeds of the Welsh and other native mines.