the Banks to send silver to the Mint
without loss the Government should supply it. The success of the Mint and the
"hover of the British Government depended
"yes on keeping) the furnaces lit
in his
and the presses at work, whether at a loss
or not
27.
I confess that I
was induced to
go to extreme limits for the purpose of
feeding
the Mint, and when I
borrowed money for its operations. Nevertheless, though
I knew I
was not acting wisely.
I was still inclined to
enable the Mint to tide over what I
regarded
as a mere
temporary depression
and ill luck. I have however recorded during these transactions
my opinion
that I was not doing right and that
the operations of the Mint
were not meant to be guided by sentimental
feelings, but by dry calculations
of profit and loss; whilst as to the honour of Great
Britain it was not involved in the
matter, and
if it
were, the Imperial
Government could better afford to lose on it than a small community already reduced to insolvency by its
previous expenditure on the Mint.
I must not have forgotten
however
29.
point out that not merely
was
there an outburst of loyalty in sending several millions of Mexican dollars to the Mint - with a view to obliterating the
"anarchical stamp", but the several millions we