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of Her Majesty's Treasury. The point which it is most desirable that the Hong Kong dollar should hold or contain is 417.074 grains or 0.721 Troy of fine silver, (seven thousand, eight hundred and fifty-seven ten thousand parts of an ounce Troy of pure silver). This is the weight of fine silver which the Mexican dollar always legally contained, and which has lately been confirmed by Edict of the Emperor.
Maximilien's conclusions, referred to in this letter, have been previously adopted by Mr Arbuthnot in his Reports upon the Japanese Currency, and Statements of the Vice Consul have been verified by comparing them with the best (in Spanish) of the Imperial Edict of the 10th April 1865.
As the Hong Kong dollar is likely to have concurrent circulation with the Mexican dollar, it will probably be deemed expedient by Their Lordships that the Hong Kong dollar should possess nearly as possible the same metallic value or quantity of pure silver, as suggested above, in accordance with (1) a Report of Messrs Mocatta and Goldsmid, and (2) a Communication from the Vice Consul of Mexico, both appended.