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the Earl of Carnarvon. No 19 of 10th details the 2nd " great difficulties that We have come August, must always be experienced in starting a Mint, and shews that the time hitherto elapsed is not sufficient to test the powers of that at HongKong,
our personal observation leads us to believe, that those difficulties would have already been successfully overcome by Mr Kinder and his subordinates had they been supplied with such quantity of work as would have occupied their Machinery in gear enabled them to retain permanently sufficient number of trained labourers.
The very opposite however has been the fact. and we come reluctantly to the conclusion, always provided that the Mexican Dollar will be procurable as heretofore, that there are no reasonable grounds for the belief that the Public will under present conditions supply the HongKong Royal Mint with sufficient Silver to keep it in paying or in other words that the operation, the Public will pay two per cent seignorage, to have their silver converted into British Dollars
Trade experience has left no doubt that so long Coins be of the same weight and purity the Chinese will not account the HongKong Dollar of more value to