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persons too numerous in the Colony and in some of the Ports who harbour seamen and traffic in their hiring. The enormous rate of wages paid by the mercantile Marine, and the deteriorated quality of many of the Crews - attributable mainly to the state
of matters in California and Australia - necessarily weaken the hold of the Mariner upon much trouble to all the functionaries officially connected with shipping Interest.
14. My attention is called to through the British Bank Corporation for the Balances which now remain in the Treasurer's hands. There, however, may be difficulty growing out of the fact that the Government has a currency of its own, in which, in my judgement most unduly and unwisely the Pound Sterling Sovereign is made the Standard legal tender, and in this Pound Sterling the Public Accounts are kept. Now as gold has no currency in China - and the Sovereign is sometimes depreciated as much as 30 per cent. and almost invariably subject to a large depreciation, it is clear that the Public Service and the Imperial
the possibility of obtaining interest
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