Fractional Currency

Beyond the great FoDian (jueation and tho still greater queetion of independanee, vlie Domiaioo of Canada bas a kbird disiurbiug issue, much less inoinentous than ehber of t!ie two just nained, but still of both interest aod import anee. Tliis is the filvcr question "uuiivino" these over bleesed Caoadi;u.s term it- and regarda the papular incouvcnieiiee growing out ot such an aLseuc.c of tuiuk ijiüs and gold coio as Decesditatea the handling ia ordioary business of ncoDveiiiently bulky atudunis ■ f s lver. Thus, where t l:e citizau hcre folds np a little piece of paper markt d gay, 81U, and puts it int o au alan tí . - Quitesimal space ia his pnoket, ihe Caadiao, it' do-i.-cua uf haviDg that ma b inoney on bis person, vvould ñuá it ucteseary to load bimself down wih tl e weiglit of $10 in hilvur coiu. To a ceilain extunt iho natural ciiurse of trade operatcs aguinst thië "nuisaDoe," tho immooBO quanlity ot' eilver ia ciroalation workiug a certain depreciation of it lo cover tho enhanccd valus of gold coia andbill; and partij álaotothe same end provaüs a pereoasioo ihat this silver, which s mostly of Uuited States ooinage, is uot up to the standard of the British mint; bat, as Deither of theso causes seein poteat eaough to drive tho superabunduut coin out of circulation, the Cunadian goveroment bas ut lus!, in deferenoe to a loudly expressed public wish, exerted its authority to that end Om tho löth in8t. a proolamation i which puts a discount ot 'J.V per ceut. on United States eiher coin, bat declines the governmout willing to receive largo (uantities ut only 5 per ceut. discount. Tbis decr!iuiua.tiou betweon the 20 per ceut. for irado and iha 5 per cent, for ifovernmental operations is meant to invite tiie outstauding Cüin iuto tlie Dominion treasury, and, when id, ic is to be immediately exported. As subsidiar; to this plan, the Canadiao govtrumeut has issuod fractional curreucy notos, ihoso of' thedouomiuation of tweuty live oents - tliu only ones now oat - being represented as quiie haudsome, witli the head of Minerva :q tho centro and Banked en eiiher sido hy tho figures '25 in light green. These notes, beiüg payablo ou demand in gold, will, it is thouglit, tffeotually supplaDt tlie coiu now in oirculatioo by their exeniption from the drawbacks of bulk and depreciation which make the coin a nuisanec. It is proper to add that tho Dominion autuoriiies are only putting forti) this fractional currency pro hacvice - tho idea being, (is soon as Americau silver is driveu out, to supply tho place of the fraetioual currency iu turn with a new coinage of Dominion silver. Uh this on tne subject or the LanaJian silvcr "nuisance," it is worüiy of remark that, jast at this (rao when tbat nuisanco s bccoming unbearab'.e, there bliould be somo statements that the Federal Treasury eootemplatos ího is.uul oí a species of debased coiaaj;o to represent in metal pieces tbs preseut value of the ten, twenty-five, and fifty cent fraotional ourrency notes. Wliat the idea is it would bo diffieult to discover, and if any eucIi inteniion bo really eutertaincd it is to be höped it may at once bo relinquished. There is somethiag bcgaboat an amalgam coiuage, and wheo to small coins of baso metal are added raggcd ar.d flimsy "ehinplaster" notes, the currency to afilie' ed presonts a deplorable aspect. We svrito of course on the bypethetis that this statement of a forthoomlog ooinage of debased dime, quarter and half dollar pieces is correct, tbr, if net correct, our striclures lose ilicir foundation. Eut, if correct, look wint a hoüge-podge of small moneys w will have : first, tho old copper ceut, of which a few are. in circulation ; second the small copper or nickel penny ; third, tho two-cent piece ; fourlh the old three cent coin ; and tifth, the three-cent greenback note, occasional specimens of bolk whcreof occur in change ; sixtb, tho five cent fractiooal note; soventh, tlia five-cciit nickel; eighth, the tencent note; ointb, the proposud ten-cent debased coin ; tenth, tbs fifteen-cent note ; cleveutb, the twenty-five cent note ; twclftb, tho proposed twenty-five cent debasod coin ; thirteenth, the fiftycent note ; and fourtsentfi, tho proposed debased half-dollar coin - in all over a dozen different forms of a fractional part of a dollar-; the coins made frem copper, silver, nickel, and various amalgamations of these and otlier metáis ; and the notes red-backed, yellow-backed, greenbackcd, gold-stampcd, crimson stamped, and of, in somo cases, three several iesucs for a tingle denomination. Su-ch an olla podrida of fractional currency offeuds those canons of siuiplicity, ueatness, and uniformity which fhould regúlate the appearaoce of a cireulating medium, and would be as niuch of a "nuisauce," and as fully inenting expulsión, as silver coin now is iu the