MINT OF THE UNITED STATES. Samuel Moore, Director, $2,000 00J Cloud, Melter & Refiner, $1,500 00 Wm Findlay, Treasurer, 1,20 00 William Kneass, Engraver, 1,200 00 Ad. Eckfeldt, Chief Coiner, 1,500 00 John S. Benezet, Clerk, 850 00 John Richardson, Assayer, 1,500 001J. Eckfeldt, Assist. Assayer, 600 00 The Mint of the United States, for the purpose of a National coinage, was established by the act of 2d April, 1792, in the city of Philadelphia, where it has since been continued. For conducting the business of the Mint, the same act directed that the following officers should be appointed; a Direc tor, an Assayer, a Chief Coiner, an Engraver, and a Treasurer. By the act of 3d March, 1795, an additional officer, by the name of the Melter and Refiner, was authorised. The Director of the Mint has the chief management of the business thereof, and superimiends all other officers and persons employed therein. It is the duty of the Treasurer to receive and give receipts for all metals which may be lawfully brought to the Mint to be coined; and for the purpose of ascertaining their respective qualities, he shall deliver. from every parcel so received, a sufficient number of grains to the Assayer, who shall assay al Such of them as require it. It is also the duty of the Treasurer to deliver such metals to the Chief Coiner, to be coined, in such quantities as the Director may prescribe The Engraver is required to sink and prepare the necessary dies for the coinage, with proper devices and inscriptions. The Melter and Refiner is required to take charge of all copper and silver or gold bullion, delivered out by the Treasurer, after it has been assayed, a d to reduce the same into bars or ingots fi for the rolling mills, and then deliver them to the Coiner or Treasurer, as the Director shall judge expedient The Assayer, the Chief Coiner, and the Melter and Refiner are required to give bonds to the Secretary of the Treasury for the faithful and diligent performance of their several duties It is lawful for any person or persons to bring to the Mint gold and silver bullion to be coined; and the bullion so brought is there assayed and coined, as speedily as may be after the receipt thereof; and if of the standard of the United States, free of expense to the person or persons by whom it shall have been brought. But the Treasurer of the Mint is not obliged to receive, for the purpose of refining and coining, any silver bullion below the standard of the United States, in a smaller quantity than two hundred ounces, nor gold bullion below the said standard, in a smaller quantity than twenty ounces And there must be retained from every deposite of bullion below the standard, such sum as shall be equivalent to the expense incurred in refining the same; an accurate account of which expense, on every deposite, is kept, and of the sums retained on accout of the same, which is accounted for by the Treasurer of the Mint, with the Treasurer of the United States. Operations of the Mint. The coinage effected within the year 1830 amounts to $3155,620, compris ing $643,105 in gold coins, $2,495,400 in silver, $17,115 in copper, and consisting of 8,357,191 pieces of coin, viz: Half eagles, Quarter eagles, Half dollars, Dismes, Half dismes, Cents, VOL. X. 126.351 pieces, making 4 540 $631,755 11,350 2,382,400 he comage effected within the year1831, amounts to $3,923,473 60, comising $714,270 in gold coins, $3,175,600 in silver, and $33,603 60 in opper, and consisting of 11,792,284 pieces of coin, viz: Half eagles, 140,594 pieces, making Quarter eagles, 4,520 Ha f dollars, Quarter dollars, 398,000 Dismes, 771,350 Half dimes, 1,242,700 Cents, 3,359,260 Half cents, 2,200 11.792,284 Of the amount of gold coined within 1831, about 130,000 dollars were de ived from Mexico, South America, and the West Indies, 27,000 dollars from Africa, 518,000 doliars from the gold region of the United States, and about 39,000 dollars from sources no ascertained Of the amount of gold of the United States, above mentioned, about 26,000 dollars may be stated to have been received from Virginia, 294.000 dollars from North Carolina, 22,000 dollars from South Carolina, and 176,000 from Georgia. Gold has also been received within the past year from Tennessee and Alabama, not exceeding, however, 1000 dollars from each of those states; an amount meriting little regard, except as indicating the progressive developmen of the gold region. The first notice of gold of the United States on the records of the Mint, occurs in the transactions of the year 1804. From that year to 1823 inclusive, the average annual amount received at the Mini, did not exceed 2,500 dollars. Since the latter period, the progressive increase has been remarkable. The amount received within the succeeding years, to the present time may be stated as follows, viz : Previously to the year 1829, the State of North Carolina alone, had furnished gold to the Mint. Within that year it was received also from Virginia and South Carolina; from the former, 2,500 dollars, and from the latter 3,500 dollars. Early in 1830, gold began to be received from Georgia. The amount received during that year from the various sections of the gold region, was as follows, viz: From Virginia, 24,000 dollars, North Carolina. 204,000 dollars, South Carolina, 26,000 dollars, and from Georgia, 212,000 dollars. Silver bullion has been supplied, throughout the year, in quantities amply sufficient for the present power of the Mint. The coinage of silver alone has exceeded the whole amount of coinage in any former year, and the coinage of gold, silver and copper, has exceeded that of any previous year by nearly one million of dollars. The employment of copper coins in circulation is becoming obviously more general than here ofore. They are transmitted, at the public expense and risk to all parts of the United States, wi hin the range of ordinary means of transportation, and their use and value are becoming familiar and acknowledged, where, until recently, they have been in little estimation. The profit on the copper coinage of the past year will somewhat exceed 10,000 dollars. This profit is regularly accounted for to the Treasury of the United States, thereby refunding so much of the sum appropriated for the expenses of the Mint establishment. The whole effective expense of the Mint for the past year, will thus be reduced to less than 28,000 dollars. |