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DECIMAL COINAGE.
13th June 1855.
Sra.-The result of last night's debate on Decimal Coinage is reported as follows in the papers of this morning.
"The House then divided on the Srst resolution-' That, in the opinion of this House, the initiation of the decimal system of coinage by the issue of the dorin has been eminently successful and satisfactory.' The numbers were-
For the resolution 135 Against it 56 Majority 79
"The second resolution-' That a further -extension of such system will bent great practical advantage - was carried without a-division. " The third resolution, for an address to her*Majesty, praying for the completion of the decimal scale by the issue of cents and mils, was withdrawn." The views of the Government, as expressed by the Chancellor of the Ex- ahequer and the Premier, and practically adopted by the House, may be considered as comprised in the following sentences of the speech of Lord Pal- merston-" Even among those who thought a decimal coinage necessary, there were such differences-of opinion as to-the particular way in which that object should be athsined,that the House could-hardly be expected to concur in a -resolution a hich appeared to affirm that one particular mode of carry- ing this objeet into effect ought to be adopted. For his [Lord -Palmerston a) own part, if he were called upon to carry the decimal system into effect, ha could not say he should differ from the opinion of the honourable Member, [Mr. William Brown,] that the pound should be taken as the starting-point, and the coinage decimalized in the lower denominations. His own opinion, as far as it was formed, would go that way ; but there were many gentle- men, who, thinking decimal coinage desirable, would begin-at the other end,' and would take for their unit the lowest denomination of coin."
Coupled with these remarks, and the more detailed observations of the same purport of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the adoption of the two resolutions, and the withdrawal of the third, may fairly be regarded as em- bodying the following conclusions-
That, in the:opinion of the House, an extension of the decimal system is de- sirable : That such extension ought to be made upon the basis of one of two plans,- namely, either the plan having a unit of the value of the present sove- reign or pound sterling, or the plan having a unit of the value of 1000' present farthings or 11. Os. 10d. sterling : And That the House is not yet prepared to express a decided opinionin favour of the first, or of either plan. As a lover of simplicity and practical usefulness, I beg to express my. thankfulness that the Government and Parliament are not pledged to the adoption of the former plan. And I trust the time is not far distant when they and the public will all see clearly the great superiority of the hitter, or rather of that modification of it which--has heretofore been advo- cated (too feebly) in your columns by
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