manufactured, it is supposed, in Birmingham. The first mint was established at Mexico; subsequently mints were set up at Potosi, Chili, Lima, Santa Fé de Bogota, and Guatemala. The coins then adopted were the following:-1. La onza de oro, or doubloon, weighing about 17 dwts. 8 grs. averaging in value from 31. 38. 6d. to 31. 4s. Od. ;-2. La media onza, half the foregoing ;-3. La quarta de onza, escudo, or quarter of an ounce ; -and 4. La media quarta de onza, or half quarter of an ounce. On one side was the portrait of the Spanish monarch; on the other, the arms of Castille and Leon. The silver coins were:-1. El peso duro, piastre, hard dollar, piece of eight or Spanish dollar, value four shillings;-2. El medio pesa, half a dollar or four rials;-3. Dos reales, or two rials;-4. Un real, one rial;-5. Media real, or half rial;-6. Un quartillio, or quarter of a rial: the latter had, in the place of the bust, a lion on one side, and on the reverse, the value of the coin. The gold coins were alloyed with silver, the silver with copper; but of late copper has been used in alloying the former, being found less expensive, and rendering the coins less liable to wear. Another paper was read by the Rev. I. B. Reade, on the Roman Coin Moulds discovered at Lingwell Gate. Its object was to show that the Roman emperors themselves resorted to casting, to supply their exhausted military coffers. April 26. The following papers were read:-1. Remarks on the Coins of Northumbria; by Edw. Hawkins, esq. F.R.S. F.S.A. The writer commenced by proposing that certain coins which have been ascribed to Egbergth, King of Kent, bearing the name EOTBEREHTUS, probably belong to Eadbert, King of Northumbria, who reigned from 737 to 758. Another to Alchred, monarch of the same kingdom from 765 to 774. He concludes with a list of the Northumbrian kings, with the several coins which have been found belonging to them. 2. Remarks upon the Skeattæ and Styca attributed to Huth, King of Northumbria; also by Mr. Hawkins. Huth is a name which occurs only in Brompton, the same person being called Eric by the other chroniclers. Mr. Hawkins does not think that the existence of the name is supported by the coins in question; the styca he assigns to a moneyer of Eanred named HVETRED (instead of HUAD REX). The inscriptions of the skeattæ are still more indecisive. 3. A memoir on the coins of Melita; by Mr. J. Belfour. 4. Notes on the Coinage of Modern Greece, by Mr. L. J. H.Tonna. The coins issued by Capodistrias were in copper, 1. the lepton (about one twelfth of a penny); 2. Five lepta piece; 3. Ten lepta piece. In Silver, the Phoenix only, worth one hundred lepta. The coins of King Otho are in copper, as before; in silver, the drachm, of the same size and value as the Phoenix, viz. 8 d. also pieces of 6 drachms, 2 drachms, a drachm, and a drachm. They bear the head of Otho, and on the reverse the arms of Greece, viz. Azure, a cross couped argent, pierced with the chequers of Bavaria, barry bendy azure and argent. This coinage has been all struck in Bavaria. 5. An account of gold coins of James I. and Charles I. found at Southend, near Lewisham, by James Dodsley Cuff, esq. F.S.A. Of this discovery an account was given in our March number, p. 303. Of the 420 coins found (all pieces of twenty shillings) 136 were of the last coinage of James I. with his bust laureated; and the remainder of Charles I. of three different coinages. Mr. Cuff particularised the several mint marks. time did not allow him to examine the reverses; and after the whole had been delivered to Mr. Maule, the solicitor to the Treasury, it is to be regretted that they were consigned to the crucible without having been submitted to the examination of the officers of the British Museum. From the mint marks it is conjectured that the coins were buried in 1646. His May 24. Mr. Hawkins read a Dissertation upon British Coins. It included a critical examination of the passage of Cæsar relative to this subject, the result of which is, that Mr. Hawkins prefers the reading of the Museum MS. 10084, "Utuntur aut ære, aut nummo aureo, aut anulis ferreis ad certum pondus examinatis, pro nummo;" and translates it thus, "They (the Britons) use either brass money, or gold money, or, instead of money, iron rings adjusted to a certain weight." The number of coins found in Britain, and only there, are sufficient proof that the Britons had a variety of coins. Mr. Hawkins thinks that they were executed at home by native artists, with greater or less skill, according to circumstances, after Macedonian originals, the knowledge of which was obtained from barbarous imitations derived from Gaul; that a metallic currency of struck money existed in Britain before the days of Julius Cæsar; and that Cæsa. in the passage above cited (which has been so much corrupted and so much misunderstood) correctly asserts that the Britons used money of copper and of gold. There was also read a proposal for the introduc. tion of the Decimal Division in Money, by J. P. Cory, esq. The writer proposed to do this without disturbing the present circulation, or a single contract or account, by striking two new coins in silver, one equal to two shillings, and the other to one tenth of the same, or ten farthings; the great penny of George the Third to pass for five farthings (its actual intrinsic value), and the smaller penny still to circulate for four farthings. We have not room to quote Mr. Cory's arguments in favour of this change, which are not unknown to those who are aware of the reasons which have led other governments to adopt a decimal division. The three excellent papers of Mr. Hawkins, and those by Mr. Tonna and Mr. Cuff, have been published in Akerman's Numismatic Chronicle, No. I. REMAINS ON THE KENTISH DOWNS. As the farm-servants of W. Nethersole, esq. were employed in digging chalk from a pit in one of his fields, at West-street, about four miles from Deal, Kent, they opened into a structure which bears evident marks of design and manual labour. Before the men noticed any thing peculiar, they had opened the structure at one side from top to bottom, and what first struck their attention was the large blocks of chalk which were much more dense and compact than that in which they previously had been digging. They now saw that they had opened a cavity in the chalk which descends perpendicularly from the surface to the depth of between four and five feet: this was filled with the common mould, and was removed with the greatest care, when the blocks of chalk were observed to be continued all round the interior, so that the cavity must have been built in the manner of a draw-well. Between each stratum of the chalk-blocks was interposed a layer of tile. The dimensions of each block are about seven inches thick, somewhat wedge-shaped, and varying from eight inches to a foot in breadth and depth. They are united to each other by mortar, of a clay colour, which now is less frangible than the chalk. Before the structure was injured, there must have been about twenty square holes in the wall, all of which were filled with mould; they were formed by the blocks of chalk being here and there placed to a distance of six or seven inches from each other, and the hand can be thrust into each for the depth of about 10 inches. These holes give it something of the appearance of the interior of a pigeon-cot. The cavity is six feet in diameter, between four and five feet deep, and the middle part of the bottom is hollowed out to about ten inches more. The mould, which the cavity contained, was carefully examined, and a number of bones were found, belonging to the pig, sheep, and rabbit, but not sufficient to form the skeleton of the animals. Besides these, were found some old iron nails, which are oxidized through and through, about four inches long, as thick as a little finger, and with very broad heads. Some bits of marble were found, which are slightly concave on one side, and convex on the other, like fragments of a broken vessel. There were two lumps of Kentish rag, which, although they did not tally, seemed to belong to the same vessel, and must have been much like a utensil once used for grinding corn, if not for the very purpose, called in Scotland, a quhairn, and in England a quern. FINITIMUS. HISTORICAL CHRONICLE. PROCEEDINGS IN PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS, July 23. The BENEFICES AND PLURALITIES' Bill was read a third time. On the question that the bill do pass, Lord Portman said, it was in his judgment a bill which, at no very distant period, would force upon the Right Rev. Bench a complete and entire consideration of the whole subject of church temporalities; it was not so full of reciprocity or fairness as to be able to stand; it imposed, he would not say great penalties, but great changes in the whole property of patrons; it gave enormous powers to the Bishops, while it afforded but small remedies for the grievances under which the incumbents of this coun try laboured. July 26. The Lord Chancellor moved the order of the day for the third reading of the CHURCH DISCIPLINE BILL. The Bishop of Exeter, in a speech of great ability, research, and spirit, denounced what he denominated the monstrous injustice of a measure which would transfer all that power which properly belonged to the Bishops of the Church and to the Archbishop of York to one court, the Court of Arches: he proposed that it should be read a third time that day six months.-The Archbishop of Canterbury defended the bill.-Lord Brougham opposed it.-The Bishop of Lincoln spoke in its support.-Lord Wynford recommended its withdrawal for the present session, pointing out several objectionable points in the project which required alteration.-The Duke of Wellington decidedly recommended the postponement of the measure. The Archbishop of Canterbury said, that nothing that he had heard had shaken his opinions respecting the desirableness of its passing into law; but as the sense of the House seemed to be against the bill, he would consent to its being withdrawn. In the HOUSE of COMMONS, on the order that the IRISH TITHE BILL should be read the third time, Mr. Dillon Browne, with a view to its total defeat, moved, by way of amendment, that the third reading should be postponed to that day six months, Sir R. Peel said, that, concurring as he did in the main principle of the bill, the conversion of tithes into rentcharge, and the relief from arrears, he would not, because he differed as to the conditions annexed to the grant of the money, refuse to pass the bill, and by that refusal incur the mischief of leaving the question, not only unsettled for the present, but without prospect of settlement for the future. He retained his former opinions on the mode of dealing with the arrears; and if Government were resolved to make the extinction of those arrears compulsory on the tithe owners, instead of leaving it to each man's option either to enforce his tithe or to accept the composition offered by the Legislature instead of it, he thought that steps ought to have been taken for ascertaining the total amount. The bill was carried by a majority of 118: there being for the third reading, 148; against it, 30. HOUSE OF LORDS, July 27. Lord Melbourne moved the third reading of the MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS' (IRELAND) BILL, which led to some animated discussion.-Lord Brougham complained that any qualification was introduced into the bill, as the English act had worked so well, producing tranquillity everywhere. The Duke of Wellington said that he had from the first been for putting an end to the Irish Corporations, instead of retaining them as the means of agitation; and that he could not join in the panegyric on the working of the English Corporations' Act, for he be lieved it to have produced squabbling all the year round, and to have as little promoted the security of property as the peace of social life. The bill was read the third time and passed. July 30. The CUSTODY OF INFANTS' BILL was, after an interesting discussion between Lords Lyndhurst and Brougham, rejected by a majority of 2: for, 9; against, 11. HOUSE OF COMMONS, Aug. 2. Lord J. Russell moved the consideration of the Lords' amendments to the CORPORATIONS (IRELAND) BILL. He was very glad the House of Lords had not adopted the course it pursued in 1836, by sending back a bill stating that the people of Ireland were not fit to enjoy the liber, ties that had been given to the people of England and Scotland. In the present instance they had admitted that corpora, tions might exist to a certain extent in some of the towns of Ireland, at the same time they had made such extensive alterations in that bill that in its present shape it could not be accepted by the House of Commons. By the clauses introduced with respect to charitable trustees, it was proposed that the powers hitherto enjoyed should be preserved to the members of the old corporations till parliament should otherwise determine. By another, the present town-councils were allowed to mortgage the property of the corporations to pay debts, and the probable result of that would be, that the whole of the corporation property would be mortgaged. All those amendments which went to maintain to the members of the present bodies corporate certain authorities which they now possessed, and which were not in the English act, he should propose to disagree to. It never could be admitted while they were proposing to reform corporations, that they should grant extensive power to those very parties they proposed to supersede. With regard to the clauses conferring corporations only on a small number of towns, he did not propose to disagree with the principle of that alteration; giving the twelve towns in schedule A corporations, and placing others in schedule B, upon the understanding that at a future period they might apply for municipal rights. With respect to the boundary clauses, he did not propose to oppose them; but he would propose that the Lord Lieutenant in council, upon application, should have power to add suburbs in some cases, and to alter the wards. With regard to the franchise, a very important alteration had been made in the bill by the Lords. The 51. rating franchise had been changed to a 101. rating franchise, and twelve months' occupancy was required. He proposed that a sum should be estimated in lieu of repairs, insurance, rates, and taxes. By that plan an 81. rating would give a qualification of 107.-Sir R. Peel defended the Lords' amendments. The old corporators were continued only in the charitable trusts. The noble lord's own bill provided that the charitable trusts should continue in the present hands till the Lord Chancellor should appoint others. He did object to the Lord Chancellor of Ireland-who must of course be a political character-appointing all charity trustees. Sir R. Peel proceeded to show that many others of the amendments were not essentially different to the original bill, or to correspondent measures of the present government. With respect to the franchise, there was an irreconcileable difference between them. His belief was that the Lords acted in a spirit of fairness, and that the noble lord's charges against them were without foundation. Whether the noble lord meant to reject the bill, and keep alive agitation, he could not tell. He had endeavoured at every possible sacrifice to bring this question to a settlement; but if his endeavours should be rendered abortive, after the efforts he had made, he should not hold himself nor those with whom he acted responsible for the event. The house then proceeded to consider the Lords' amendments.-Lord J. Russell proposed to give to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland the power of altering at his discretion the boundaries of boroughs. This was strongly resisted by Sir R. Peel, Mr. Shaw, Lord Stanley, Sir James Graham, and Mr. Goulburn; but carried on a division by 111 to 103. On the 107. qualification clause, as restored by the Lords, Lord J. Russell moved that an allowance of one-fourth per cent. should be made to the occupier in lieu of charges for repairs, insurance, and other expenses. He submitted that the effect of this amendment would be to reduce the qualification from 101. to about 87., but he felt that it was necessary in order to secure the more effectual operation of the bill. By the division which ensued he had a majority of 15; the number voting in his favour being 169, that voting against him 154. HOUSE OF LORDS, Aug. 3. Lord Melbourne moved that the house go into committee on the TITHES (IRELAND) BILL. The principle of this bill was to convert tithes in Ireland into a rent-charge, and, in order to give it a fair chance of success, it was proposed to give up all claim for arrears of tithe, and to apply the 260,0007, still unpaid out of the vote of 1,000,000l. in discharge of arrears due to the clergy, which sum, added to the arrears due by lay impropriators, would amount to about 500,000l. or 70 per cent. on the arrears due.-Lord Brougham said, nothing could be more monstrous than that a church should be amply endowed at the expense of the whole community, for the support of the religion of one in ten. He had nothing to object to the arrangements made for the better security and payment of the tithes he objected to the measure on the broad and general ground that it was totally at variance with religious liberty.-The Bishop of Derry said that he was long of opinion that a speedy settlement of the tithe question was essential to the peace of Ireland. It was with this view that he urged upon their lordships the propriety of adopting the second reading of the Tithes Bill introduced by Lord Althorp. Had their lordships done so, they would not have heard of those melancholy and distressing scenes which had of late affected Ireland. -The Earl of Mansfield did not think this bill would settle the question of tithes in Ireland. It would only produce a hollow quiet. He contended that the clergy, even under existing circumstances, ought not to have their incomes reduced 25 per cent. In his opinion a reduction of 10 per cent. would be sufficient to meet the justice of the case. He admitted that tithes were injurious to the cultivation of the land, and thinking this, he was always favourable to commutation; but such commutation should be founded upon justice to all parties. But although he was decidedly opposed to this bill, he yet gave his assent to it because he understood the clergy of Ireland had given theirs.-Viscount Melbourne said, the alterations that had been introduced, particularly the measure for reducing the number of bishops, had contributed to the increased security of the Established Church of Ireland; and he believed that the bill now before their lordships was not only called for and warranted by the circumstances of the country, but that it would increase the security and promote the tranquillity of the church. The house then went into committee on the bill.-Lord Fitzgerald and Vesci proposed as an amendment, that the 13th clause be omitted. He did this preparatory to moving that six weeks after the passing of the bill should be allowed for hearing appeals, before having recourse to the compulsory provision of the measure.-Lord Brougham opposed the amendment.-The Marquis of Clanricarde thought that if any time was to be allowed at all, that time should not be less than three months.-After a few obser vations from Lord Lyndhurst, Lord Plunket, and one or two other noble lords, the house divided, when there appearedfor the clause, 38; for the amendment, 77: majority for the amendment, 39.-It was then agreed, on the motion of the Marquis of Clanricarde, that the time for hearing appeals should be extended to the 1st of October. The remaining clauses were then agreed to. HOUSE OF COMMONS, Aug. 4. The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved that the report on the duchy of Cornwall TIN DUTIES be brought up, and the following resolutions be read a second time : "1. That the duties of customs payable on the importation of tin and tin ore shall cease, and, in lieu thereof, the following duties shall be paid-tin, the cwt. 15s.; tin ore, for every 1001. of the value, 107. 2. That the duties payable on the coinage of tin in the counties of Cornwall and Devon shall be abolished. 3. That, in lieu of the coinage duties, the Commissioners of the Treasury be authorized to issue to her Majesty, or the personage entitled to the revenues of the duchy, an annual sum out of the Consolidated Fund equal to the net average annual amount of the duties. 4. That the Commissioners of the Treasury be authorized to make compensations to all officers and others employed in relation to the duties, for any loss they may sustain by their abolition." Mr. Hume objected to the resolutions, as authorizing the tin proprietors of Cornwall to rob the Exchequer for their own private benefit. He did not object to the reduction of the duty on foreign tin from 20s. to 15s; but he did object to paying the Crown out of the Consolidated Fund the amount of the duty so reduced. He concluded by moving that the Resolutions be read a second time that day three months; but they were finally agreed to without a division. HOUSE OF LORDS, Aug. 6. The Lord Chancellor moved the committee upon the PRISONS BILL. The object was to form prisons in borough towns having sessions of their own, and to put them upon the same footing with the prisons of the county; and also to give the borough justices within their respective jurisdictions the same powers with respect to the prisons as the county magistrates had. The Marquis of Salisbury complained, that a bill of such great extent and importance, involving so many interests, and which had been three years under the consideration of the Under Secretary of State, should have been brought before their lordships at so late a period of the session. The bill was objectionable in many respects, and he should move that it be committed that day three months. Lords Lyndhurst, Wharncliffe, and Brougham were of the same opinion, and after the measure had been supported by the Duke of Richmond and Marquis of Lansdowne, the house divided Content, 32; Not Content, 33; majority 1. The bill was conse quently lost, Aug. 7. The House proceeded to take into consideration the alterations made in their amendments to the MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS IRELAND Bill, when the qualification, fixing the amount at 107. clear of all deductions, which had been modified to an 81. rate in the Commons, was insisted upon by their lordships, and the amendment of the Commons rejected by a division of 144 to 67. The clauses relating to the administration of charitable trusts, and some other provisions, were reintroduced without divisions, and a committee appointed to convey the intelligence to the Commons in conference. Aug. 9. Two conferences were held on the subject of the IRISH MUNICIPAL Bill, at the conclusion of which, their lordships having avowed themselves resolved to insist on the most obnoxious of their alterations, Lord John Russell said, in the HOUSE OF COMMONS, that he considered the question of the franchise of such im. portance, that he was not inclined to make any further concession. He thought it better, therefore, to let the subject drop till next session. The amendments were then ordered to be taken into consideration that day three months.-Mr. O'Connell was rejoiced at the unceremonious way in which the Bill had been thrown out. As it came from the Lords, it was, and was intended to be, an insult to the people of Ireland. In the HOUSE OF LORDS,-Lord Brougham moved the second reading of a bill introduced by him, "for declaring the true intent and meaning of an act passed in the present session of Parliament, intitled An Act to make tem. porary Provision for the Government of LOWER CANADA;' and for indemnifying those who have issued or acted under a certain Ordinance, made under colour of the said Act." His lordship strong contended for the illegality of the ordinance, adducing some curious instances of the blundering manner in which it had been carried into effect, as far as regarded the naming of the culprits.-Lord Glenelg opposed the bill, as inconsistent and uncalled for, although he admitted that the ordinance could not be carried into effect. |