TPIEL IM W
296
in a short time be brought to it unless required for exportation.
The opening of the Calcutta Mint, to the Coinage of dollars must therefore be perpetual (unless a Mint were established in China) to be of any service, and real if the bullion brought to it on account of the Hongtong Government were not kept for any length of time waiting an opportunity to be coined the result could only be financial embarrassment and heavy loss.
There would be no difficulty if the Mint had time for the work in performing it satisfactorily; but it would require the provision of some new apparatus, which could be supplied only from Europe. One serious and I think fatal objection however, to the Coinage of dollars in the present mint under any circumstances is the difference amounting to 1¼ Dwt in the pound between their standard and that of the Indian silver Coins.
This would render it necessary to clear out all the Indian Standard silver from some of the departments, if not all,