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(Act of March 3d, 1795.)

dition for the faithful and diligent performance of the duties of his office.

29. SEC. III. So much of the act, entitled "An act establishing a mint, and regulating the coins of the United States," as comes within the purview of this act, is hereby repealed.

ACT of March 3d, 1795. 2 Bioren, 500.

An act supplementary to the act, entitled "An act establishing a mint, and regulating the coins of the United States."

30. SEC. 1. For the better conducting of the business of the mint of the United States, there shall be an additional officer appointed therein, by the name of the melter and refiner, whose duty shall be to take charge of all copper, and silver or gold bullion, delivered out by the treasurer of the mint, after it has been assayed, agreeably to the rules and customs of the mint already directed and established, or which may hereafter be directed and established, by the accounting officers of the treasury, and to reduce the same into bars or ingots fit for the rolling mills, and then to deliver them to the coiner or treasurer, as the director shall judge expedient; and to do and perform all other duties belonging to the office of a melter and refiner, or which shall be ordered by the director of the mint.

31. SEC. II. The melter and refiner of the said mint shall, before he enters upon the execution of his said office, take an oath or affirmation, before some judge of the United States, faithfully and diligently to perform the duties thereof. And also shall become bound to the United States of America, with one or more sureties, to the satisfaction of the secretary of the treasury, in the sum of six thousand dollars, with condition for the faithful and diligent performance of the several duties of his office.

32. SEC. 111. There shall be allowed and paid to the said melter and refiner of the mint, as a compensation for his services, the yearly salary of fifteen hundred dollars.

33. SEC. v. The treasurer of the mint shall, and he is hereby directed to, retain two cents per ounce from every deposit of silver bullion below the standard of the United States, which hereafter shall be made for the purpose of refining and coining; and four cents per ounce from every deposit of gold bullion, made as aforesaid, below the standard of the United States, unless the same shall be so far below the standard as to require the operation of the test, in which case the treasurer shall retain six cents per ounce; which sum so retained shall be accounted for by the said treasurer with the treasury of the United States, as a compensation for melting and refining the same. [Infra, 38.]

34. SEC. VI. The treasurer of the mint shall not be obliged to receive from any person, for the purpose of refining and coining, any deposit of silver bullion below the standard of the United

(ACT of April 24th, 1800.)

States, in a smaller quantity than two hundred ounces; nor a like deposit of gold bullion, below the said standard, in a smaller quantity than twenty ounces.

35 SEC. VII. From and after the passing of this act, it shall and may be lawful for the officers of the mint to give a preference to silver or gold bullion, deposited for coinage, which shall be of the standard of the United States, so far as respects the coining of the same, although bullion below the standard, and not yet refined, may have been deposited for coinage previous thereto, any law to the contrary notwithstanding: Provided, That nothing herein shall justify the officers of the mint, or any one of them, in unneces sarily delaying the refining any silver or gold bullion, below stand. ard, that may be deposited as aforesaid.

36. SEC. VIII. The president of the United States is authorized, whenever he shall think it for the benefit of the United States, to reduce the weight of the copper coin of the United States: (s) Provided, such reduction shall not, in the whole, exceed two pennyweights in each cent, and in the like proportion in a half cent; of which he shall give notice by proclamation, and communicate the same to the then next session of congress.

37. SEC. IX. It shall be the duty of the treasurer of the United States, from time to time, as often as he shall receive copper cents and half cents from the treasurer of the mint, to send them to the bank, or branch banks, of the United States, in each of the states where such bank is established; and where there is no bank established, then to the collector of the principal town in such state (in the proportion of the number of inhabitants of such state) to be, by such bank or collector, paid out to the citizens of the state for cash, in sums not less than ten dollars value; and the same shall be done at the risk and expense of the United States, under such regulations as shall be prescribed by the department of the treasury.

ACT of April 24th, 1800. 3 Bioren, 362.

38. SEC. II. There shall be retained from every deposit in the mint, of gold or silver bullion below the standard of the United States, such sum as shall be equivalent to the expense incurred in

(3) The president issued, on the 26th January, 1796, a proclamation, of which the following is an extract:

"Whereas, on account of the increased price of copper and expense of coinage, I have thought it would be for the benefit of the United States to reduce the weight of the copper coin of the United States one pennyweight and sixteen grains in each cent, and in like proportion in each half cent; and the same has, since the twenty-seventh day of December last, been reduced accordingly: I hereby give notice thereof; and that all cents and half cents, coined and to be coined at the mint of the United States, from and after the said twenty-seventh day of December, are to weigh, the cents, each, seven pennyweights, and the half cents, each, three pennyweights and twelve grains."

(ACT of April 10th, 1806.)

refining the same, and an accurate account of such expense, on every such deposit, shall be kept, and of the sums retained on account of the same, which shall be accounted for, by the treasurer of the mint, with the treasury of the United States. [Supra, 33.] ..

ACT of March 3d, 1801. 3 Bioren, 428.

An act concerning the mint.

39. SEC. 1. The mint shall remain in the city of Philadelphia, until the fourth day of March, in the year one thousand eight hundred and three.

40. SEC. II. During the continuance of the mint at the city of Philadelphia, the duties now enjoined on the chief justice of the United States, the secretary and comptroller of the treasury, the secretary for the department of state, and the attorney general of the United States, by the eighteenth section of the act, entitled "An act establishing a mint, and regulating the coins of the United States," passed the second day of April, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-two, shall be performed by the district judge of Pennsylvania, the attorney for the United States in the district of Pennsylvania, and the commissioner of loans for the state of Pennsylvania. [Supra, 18. Infra, 45.]

ACT of March 3d, 1803. 3 Bioren, 558.

41. SEC. I. The act, entitled "An act concerning the mint," approved March 3d, 1801, is hereby continued in force and operation, for the term of five years, after the fourth day of March next. [further continued by act of April 1st, 1808. 4 Bioren, 161. And act of December 2d, 1812. 4 Bioren, 482. Also by act of January 14th, 1818. infra, 45.]

ACT of April 10th, 1806. 4 Bioren, 29.

An act regulating the currency of foreign coins in the United States.

42. SEC. I. From and after the passage of this act, foreign gold and silver coins shall pass current, as money within the United States, and be a legal tender for the payment of all debts and demands, at the several and respective rates following, and not otherwise, viz:

The gold coins of Great Britain and Portugal, of their present standard, at the rate of one hundred cents for every twenty-seven grains of the actual weight thereof; the gold coins of France, Spain, and the dominions of Spain, of their present standard, at the rate of one hundred cents for every twenty-seven grains and two-fifths of a grain, of the actual weight thereof. Spanish milled dollars, at the rate of one hundred cents for each, the actual weight whereof shall not be less than seventeen pennyweights and seven grains, and in

(ACT of April 29th, 1816)

proportion for the parts of a dollar. Crowns of France, at the rate of one hundred and ten cents for each crown, the actual weight whereof shall not be less than eighteen penny weights and seventeen grains, and in proportion for the parts of a crown. And it shall be the duty of the secretary of the treasury to cause assays of the foreign gold and silver coins made current by this act, to be had at the mint of the United States, at least once in every year, and to make report of the result thereof to congress, for the purpose of enabling them to make such alterations in this act, as may become requisite, from the real standard value of such foreign coins." And it shall be the duty of the secretary of the treasury to cause assays of the foreign gold and silver coins of the description made current by this act, which shall issue subsequently to the passage of this act, and shall circulate in the United States, at the mint aforesaid, at least once in every year, and to make report of the result thereof to congress, for the purpose of enabling congress to make such coins current, if they shall deem the same to be proper, at their real standard value. [Infra, 43.]

ACT of April 29th, 1816. Pamphlet edit. 117.

43. SEC. 1. From and after the passage of this act, and for three years thereafter, and no longer, the following gold and silver coins shall pass current as money within the United States, and be a legal tender for the payment of all debts and demands, at the several and respective rates following, and not otherwise, videlicit; the gold coins of Great Britain and Portugal, of their present standard, at the rate of one hundred cents for every seventy-seven grains, or eighty-eight cents and eight-ninths per pennyweight: thể gold coins of France, of their present standard, at the rate of one hundred cents for every twenty-seven and a half grains, or eightyseven and one quarter cents per pennyweight: the gold coins of Spain, at the rate of one hundred cents for every twenty-eight and a half grains, or eighty-four cents per pennyweight; the crown of France, at the rate of one hundred and seventeen cents and sixtenths, per ounce, or one hundred and ten cents for each crown weighing eighteen pennyweights and seventeen grains; the five franc pieces, at the rate of one hundred and sixteen cents per ounce, or ninety-three cents and three mills for each five franc piece, weighing sixteen pennyweights and two grains. [Infra, 47. Supra, 42.]

44. SEC. II. It shall be the duty of the secretary of the treasury, to cause assays of the foregoing gold and silver coins, made current by this act, to be had at the mint of the United States at least once in every year; and to make report of the result thereof to congress.

ACT of January 14th, 1818. Pamphlet edit. 15.

An act further to prolong the continuance of the mint at Philadelphia.

45. SEC. 1. The act entitled "An act concerning the mint," approved March 3d, 1801, is hereby revived and continued in force and operation, for the further term of five years, from the fourth day of March next.

46. SEC. II. During the continuance of the mint at the city of Philadelphia, the duties which were enjoined on the commissioner of loans for the state of Pennsylvania, by the second section of the act, entitled "An act concerning the mint," passed on the third day of March, 1801, shall be performed by the collector of the port of Philadelphia, for the time being. [Supra, 40.]

ACT of March 3d, 1819. Pamphlet edit. 92.

47. SEC. 1. The gold coins of Great Britain and Portugal of their present standard, shall be a legal tender in the payment of all debts, at the rate of one hundred cents for every twenty-seven grains, or eighty-eight cents and eight ninths per pennyweight: the gold coins of France of their present standard, at the rate of one hundred cents for every twenty-seven and an half grains, or eighty-seven and a quarter cents per pennyweight: the gold coins of Spain, at the rate of one hundred cents for every twenty-eight and an half grains, or eighty-four cents per pennyweight: until the first day of November next; and from and after that day, foreign gold coins shall cease to be a tender within the United States, for the payment of debts or demands.

48. SEC. II. So much of the act, entitled "An act regulating the currency within the United States, of the gold and silver coins of Great Britain, France, Portugal and Spain," passed on the 29th day of April, 1816, as relates to foreign silver coins, is hereby continued in force, two years from and after the 29th day of April next, and no longer. [Supra, 42. 43.]

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