an 'establishment' by the name of the 'Smithsonian Institution' for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men." The law also provides for a "Board of Regents" to be composed of the Vice President of the United States, the Mayor of the City of Washington, three Senators, three Representatives, together with six other persons, other than Members of Congress, two of whom shall be members of the National Institute, in the City of Washington, and residents in the said city, and the other four shall be inhabitants of other States, and no two of them from the same State. The Establishment exercises general supervision over the affairs of the Institution. The Board of Regents conducts the business of the Institution, and makes annual reports to Congress. The Secretary of the Institution is elected by the Board. His duty is to take charge of the building and property, discharge the duty of librarian, keeper of the museum, etc., and has power, by consent of the Regents, to employ assistants. The Institution has received and taken charge of such government collections in mineralogy, geology, and natural history, as have been made since its organization. The Institution has also received, from other sources, collections of greater or less extent, from various portions of North America, tending to complete the government series. The collections thus made, taken as a whole, constitute the largest and best series of the minerals, fossils, rocks, animals, and plants of the entire continent of North America, in the world. Valuable collections from other countries have also been received. Three classes of publications are issued by the Institution: 1. A quarto series, entitled "Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge." 2. An octavo series, entitled "Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections." 3. Another octavo series, consisting of the Annual Reports of the Institution to Congress, called "Smithsonian Reports." The Institution has devoted special attention to meteorology, and organized a voluntary system of observations, extending as widely as possible over the whole of the North American continent. It has also contributed to other departments of Natural Science, and by its system of international exchanges, has been of great service to institutions and governments. Compilations from the reports of observers are published in volumes, and also by the Department of Agriculture, in its monthly reports. Total number of contributions-in 1865, 102; in 1866, 168; in 1867, 163. Total number of packages received-in 1865, 257; in 1866, 318; in 1867, 320. Number of Smithsonian observers in 1867, 385 in forty-two states and territories, and four foreign countries. Meteorological registers were received from forty-three colleges and other institutions. Number of societies sending their publications in exchange to the Smithsonian Institution-‘ from Germany, 334; Great Britain and Ireland, 194; France, 113; United States, 100; Italy, 70; Holland, 48; Russia, 46; Switzerland, 35; Canada, 20; Belgium, 19; Australia, 15; Denmark, 13; Sweden, 12; Hindostan, 11; Norway, 9; Spain, 7; Cuba, 6; East Indies, 4; Chili, 4; Portugal, 3; Turkey, 3; Mauritius, 2; Africa, 2; China, 2; Brazil, 2; Greece, 1; Egypt, 1; Bogota, 1; Buenos Ayres, 1; Jamaica, 1; Mexico, 1; Trinidad, 1; making in all, 1,081. Number of books, maps and charts received by exchange, in 1867-Octavo, 1,088; Quarto, 383; Folio, 86; total, 1,557. Number of parts of volumes and pamphlets-Octavo, 2,689; Quarto, 1,057; Folio, 200; total, 3,946; maps and charts, 328; making in all, 5,831. UNITED STATES MINT. The Constitution (Article 1, section 8), gives Congress the sole power to coin money, and regulate the value thereof. The act of April 2, 1792, provided that a mint for the purpose of National Coinage should be established and carried on at the seat of government of the United States, which was then at Philadelphia. Subsequent acts continued the mint at the same place temporarily, until by act of May 19, 1828, its location was permanently fixed in that city. The officers of the mint are-a Director, a Treasurer, an Assayer, a Melter and Refiner, a Chief Coiner, and an Engraver. These officers are appointed by the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Director has the control and management of the mint, the superintendence of the officers and persons employed, and the general regulation and supervision of the several branches. The Treasurer receives all moneys for the use or support of the mint, and all bullion brought to the mint for coinage; he has the custody of the same except while legally in the hands of other officers; and on the warrant of the Director, he pays all moneys due by the mint, and delivers all coins struck at the mint to the persons to whom they are legally payable. The Assayer assays all metals used in coinage, and all coins, whenever required by the operations of the mint, or instructed by the Director. The Melter and Refiner conducts the operations necessary to form ingots of standard silver and gold suitable for the Chief Coiner. The Chief Coiner conducts the operations necessary to form coins from the ingots, &c., delivered to him for the purpose. The Engraver prepares and engraves with the legal device and inscription all the dies used in the coinage of the mint and its branches. Besides the mint at Philadelphia, Congress has from time to time established branches and an Assay Office at the following places: At New Orleans, for the coinage of gold and silver. At Charlotte, North Carolina, for the coinage of gold only. At Dahlonega, Georgia, for gold only... At San Francisco, California, for gold and silver. At Denver, Colorado Territory, for gold and silver. At Carson City, Nevada, for gold and silver.. March 3, 1835. .March 3, 1835. March 3, 1835. July 3, 1852. ..April 21, 1862. March 3, 1863. At New York City, an Assay Office for the receipt, melting, refining, parting, and assaying of gold and silver bullion and foreign coin, and for casting the same into bars, ingots, or disks.. At Dallas City, Oregon, for gold and silver Director OFFICERS OF THE MINT AT PHILADELPHIA. HENRY R. LINDERMAN Treasurer, and Ex-Officio Asst. Treas. of U. S... CHAMBERS_McKIBBIN*. JACOB R. ECKFELDT. A. LOUDON SNOWDEN.. March 3, 1853. .July 4, 1864. $4.500 .8,500 Assayer.. 3,000 Melter and Refiner.. .3,000 Chief Coiner. 3,000 Engraver.. 3,000 Assistant Assayer. 2,00% OFFICER OF BRANCH MINT, NEW ORLEANS, LA. JAMES B. LONGACRE. *The Treasurer also receives $1,500 for additional compensation as Assistant Treasurer of the United States. sepa Deposits of bullion are received at the mint and its branches to be rated and refined, or cast into bars or ingots, the charges for refining, casting, or forming bars or ingots being the actual cost of the operation, including labor, wastage, use of machinery, materials, &c., to be regulated from time to time by the Secretary of the Treasury. In 1867, the rate of charges on deposits of gold and silver bullion at the mint in Philadelphia and at the Assay Office in New York, were as follows For toughening or refining, in proportion to fineness of metal. On gold, from 1 cent to cents per ounce, gross weight. On silver, from cent to 3 cents per ounce. For refining coppery gold, already ductile, in order to return stamped bars, 5 cents per ounce. For separating gold from silver when the mixture is free from copper, according to proportion of gold, from 14 cents to 5 cents per ounce. When the alloy is partly copper, if over fifty thousandths copper, from 1 cent to 34 cents additional. For melting gold, nearly fine, and returning the same in stamped bars, 6 cents per hundred dollars. For making standard bars, of gold or silver, 50 cents per hundred dollars. For melting silver after parting, in order to return fine stamped bars, cent per ounce, fine. On partable gold or silver intended for fine bars, there are two charges; for parting, and for making bars. Deposits. The deposits of bullion at the Mint and branches during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1868, were as follows: Gold, $25,472,894.82; silver, $1,693,423.88; total deposits, $27,166,318.70; deducting re-deposits, the amount will be $24,591,325.84. Coinage. The coinage for the same period was as follows: Gold coin, pieces, 976,539; value, $18,114,425; unparted and fine gold bars, $6,026,810.06; silver coin, pieces, 3,321,067; value, $1.136,750; silver bars, $456,236.48; nickel, copper and bronze coinage, pieces, 45,438,000; value, $1,713,385. Total number of pieces struck, 49,735,840. Total value of coinage, $27,447,606.54. Bullion. The distribution of the bullion received at the mint and branches, was as follows: At Philadelphia, gold deposited, $4,043,048.63; gold coined, $3.864,425; fine gold bars, $98,848.03; silver deposits and purchases, $342,635.72; silver coined, $314,750; silver bars, $6,729.94; nickel, copper and bronze coinage, value, $1,713,385. Total deposits of gold and silver, $4,385,684.35. Total coinage, $5,892,560. At the Branch Mint, San Francisco, the gold deposits were, $14.979,558.52; gold coined, $14,250,000; silver deposits and purchases. $713,867.66; silver coined, $822,000. Total deposits and purchases, $15,693,426.18. Total coinage, $15,072,000. The Assay Office in New York received during the year in gold bullion, $6,092,352.56; silver bullion, including purchases, $631,837.83; number of fine gold bars stamped, 4,084; value, $5.567,082.77; silver bars, 3,992; value, $449,506.54. Total, $6,016,589.31. At the Branch Mint, Denver, Colorado, the deposits for unparted bars were: Gold, $357,935.11; silver, $5,082.67. Total, $363,017.78. The deposits at this institution during the preceding fiscal year amounted to $139,559.70. Statement of coinage at the Mint of the United States, and the Branch Mint, California, for fiscal year ending June 30, 1868: There was also stamped at the Assay Office, New York: Gold in fine bars, $5,567,082.77; Silver in bars, $449,506.54; and at Branch Mint, Denver, $360,879.26. Total Coinage, Pieces. 49,735,840.. Value. .$27,447,606.54 Statement of Gold and Silver of domestic production deposited at the Mint and its branches during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1867: The entire deposits of domestic gold at the United States Mint and branches, to June 20, 1868, were from Alabama, $202,325.26; Arizona, $183,699.31; California, $604,680,605.09; Colorado, $14,463,272.19; Dakota, $7,958.88; Georgia, $7,053,004.63; Idaho, $14,162,970.07; Montana, $17,208,753.18; Nebraska, $5,876.08; Nevada, $210,539.93; New Mexico, $122,759.98; North Carolina, $9,434,839.31; Oregon, $9,552,102.69; South Carolina, $1,356,471.44; Tennessee, $81,680.39; Utah, $87,669.55; Vermont, $1,512.66; Virginia, $1,591,594.11; Washington, $61,260.49; Parted from Silver, $3,808,844.51; other sources, $20,369,175.40. Total, $704,646,915.15. FOREIGN GOLD AND SILVER COINS. Prepared by the Director of the Mint at Philadelphia. In the third column the weight is given in fractions of a Troy ounce, carried to thousandths, and in a few cases to ten thousandths of an ounce. The fifth column expresses the value of the coins as compared with our gold coin. At the mint there is a uniform deduction of one half of one per cent. on the gold coin. The value of silver depends on the condition of demand and supply; the values given are calculated at 1224 cents per ounce for standard silver, the price in 1868. GOLD COINS. |
