MINT

( Monnaie , Fr.; Münze , Germ.) The chief use of gold and silver is to serve for the medium of exchange in the sale and purchase of commodities, a function for which they are pre-eminently fitted by their scarcity, by being unalterable by common agents, and condensing a great value in a small volume. It would be very inconvenient in general to barter objects of consumption against each other, because their carriage would be expensive, and their qualities, in many cases, easily injured by external agents, . Gold is exempt from spontaneous change, and little costly in conveyance. Mankind at a very early period recognised how much easier it was to exchange a certain weight of gold or silver for objects of commerce, than to barter these objects themselves; and thenceforth all agreed to pay for their purchases in bars or ingots of these precious metals. But as their intrinsic value depends upon their purity, it became nece ary to stamp on these bars their standard quality and their weight. The inconvenience of using ingots in general trade, on account of the difficulty of defining fractional values, has determined governments to coin pieces of money, that is, quantities of metal whose weight and standard were made known and guaranteed by the effigies of the prince. It is true, indeed, that kings have become frequently coiners of base money, by altering the weight and purity of the pieces apparently guaranteed by their impre . By such reductions modern coins represent le of the precious metal than they did long ago. The ordonnance of 755, for the coining of sous in France, proves that there was then as much fine silver in a single sous , as there is now in a piece of 5 francs. During the last two centuries, indeed, silver coins have been diminished two thirds in weight. But since knowledge has become more generally diffused, it has been shown that these frauds are equally injurious to the prince and to public faith. A sovereign may, it is true, declare by a decree that a shilling-piece is to be held worth five; but let us consider the consequences of this decree. All the individuals who have rents or capital sums to receive, will be ruined, by getting in metallic value only one-fifth of what is due to them; for although the nominal value should be the same as what they are entitled to, the intrinsic value would be but a fifth of the former; so that when they go to purchase the nece aries or comforts of life, the dealer who sells them will at once raise their price five-fold. Each article of merchandise would thus acquire a nominal price 5 times greater; and he who had received payment of a debt in that money, could not with it procure more than one-fifth of the goods he could have previously commanded. That fraudulent law would, therefore, favour the debtors at the expense of the creditors; and as the state is commonly a great debtor, especially when it has recourse to the depreciation of the currency, it is obvious, that however illicit the gain which it makes, it still does gain; and this is the reason why princes have so often tampered with the mint. But let us examine the other consequences of this decree. If the sovereign is a debtor, he is also a creditor and consumer, and even the most considerable of any. The taxes which he imposes are paid him in this deteriorated money, returned to him at its nominal value; and the purveyors of his armies, his buildings, and his household, sell him their commodities only at the actual market price. We may infer from this simple development that the coin with which he pays for any object has the same intrinsic value as the object; and that the name given to the coin is of no consequence. The prince may call it a crown, a ducat, or a rix-dollar at his pleasure; and he may a ign any value to it that his caprice may suggest, yet this will not affect its value; for this is fixed beyond his control by the general nature of things. The prince may, indeed, at the outset, have profited by defrauding his creditors, and by authorizing each debtor to imitate him, but he will soon lose whatever he may have gained; and he will thus learn to his cost that it was bad policy to sacrifice his character by giving an example of a fraud so truly unprofitable in the i ue. Moreover, he will lose still as much in the following years, because his treasury will receive only one-fifth part of the taxes, unle he has quintupled the imposts. It may be said, indeed, that he might do the one thing along with the other. But every one knows that this power is neither generally permitted to princes, nor if it were, could it be safely exercised. Serious political crises would combine to endanger the stability of the government; which besides, as the main consumer in the nation, must lose always as much as it seems to gain. It is therefore manifest that the alteration of the standard and weight of the coinage is at once a crime and a ruinous action for the sovereign power to commit; and hence such disastrous measures have been long abandoned in all well-regulated states. A gold sovereign is intrinsically worth 20 shillings minus the cost of coinage; for were it worth more, all our sovereign pieces would be exported or melted down, to obtain the difference of value, however trifling it might be; and were it worth le , it would be the source of lo similar to what the state occasions when it depreciates the coin. To comprehend the true value of a coin, we must regard this piece as an article of merchandise, whose value depends, as that of every thing else, on its usefulne , the esteem in which it is held, and the demand for it in the market. Grain increases in value when there are few sellers and many buyers; gold and silver are in the same predicament. The value of these metals is much augmented, indeed, by the universal currency they obtain when struck into money; a value additional to what they po e as objects of the arts. This value of the precious metals changes with time and place, like that of every merchandise; their abundance, since the discovery of America, has greatly lowered their value; that is, with the same weight of metal, we cannot at the present day purchase the same quantity of corn, land, wool, . as formerly. In the countries where silver abounds, this metal has le value, or, in other terms, commodities are dearer. Hence the metal tends to resume its equilibrium in flowing into those places where it is rarer; which means, that the consumer prefers purchasing his commodities there rather than in another place, if he can easily transport them to where they are dearer. It was formerly believed that a country is rich when it has a great deal of gold and silver; but this popular illusion has pa ed away. Spain has never been poorer than since the discovery of America, because its national industry has been ruined, and the capitals merely pa ed through its hands to spread over the rest of Europe, from which it was obliged to import every thing that its want of home manufactures made it nece ary to procure from abroad. We may add to these, the prodigalities of the court, which, supposing its wealth inexhaustible, tried to corrupt all the ministers of the other powers, in furtherance of the chimera of universal dominion. The richest state is that in which there is most industry, whereby the inhabitants may procure every thing indispensable to the conveniences and comforts of life. Gold as a useful metal, and a medium of exchange, is undoubtedly very precious, and an adequate quantity for these exchanges must be had; but as it is good for very little besides, nay, as an exce is even hurtful, it soon begins to fly of itself towards the places where it is more needed or le common. With regard to the relative value of gold and silver, several details have already been given in our view of the mineral wealth of the globe. Three centuries ago, an ounce of gold was worth at London or Paris 10 ounces of silver; now it may be exchanged for 15 ounces and a half. The par of two coins results from the comparison of their weight and standard finene . Let us take for an example the conversion of English gold sovereigns worth 20 shillings or a pound sterling, in relation to the French louis of 20 francs. The standard of the sovereign gold is 0·917, fine gold being 1000; its weight is 125·256 gr. English, or 7·980855 grammes; by multiplying this weight into its standard, we have a product of 7·318444035; this is, in grammes, the quantity of pure gold contained in the sovereign piece. The piece of 20 francs has a legal standard of 0·9; and multiplying this number by the weight of the louis, 6·45161 grammes, we find that it contains 5·806449 of pure metal. We then make this proportion :— As 5·806449: 20 francs ∷ 7·31844: 25·2079 francs; or the value of the English sovereign is nearly 25·21 francs, in French gold coin. A similar calculation may be made for silver coins. The French rule for finding the par of a foreign gold coin, or its intrinsic value in francs, is to multiply its weight by its standard or titre, and that product by 3 4 ⁄ 9 . The par of foreign silver money, or its intrinsic value in francs, is obtained by multiplying its weight in grammes by its standard in you sand parts, and by 2 ⁄ 9 . The French 5-franc piece has its standard or titre at 0·9, and weighs 25 grammes. The a aying of gold for coin and trinkets requires very delicate management. The French take half a gramme at most (about 7 1 ⁄ 2 grains) of gold, and fuse it with thrice its weight of silver, as already described under A ay . The parting is the next operation. For this purpose the button of gold and silver alloy is first hammered flat on a piece of steel, and then made feebly red hot in burning charcoal or over a lamp flame. After being thus annealed, the metal is pa ed through the rolling pre , till it be converted into a plate about 1 ⁄ 70 of an inch thick. After annealing this riband, it is coiled into a spiral form, introduced immediately into a small matra of a pear shape, an a ay matra , and about 500 grains of nitric acid, sp. grav. 1·185, are poured over it. Heat being now applied to the ve el, the solution of the silver and copper alloys ensues, and after 22 minutes of constant ebullition, the liquid is poured off and replaced by an equal quantity of nitric acid, likewise very pure, but of the density 1·28. This is made to boil for about 10 minutes, and is then poured off, when the matra is filled up with distilled water to the brim. In conclusion, a small annealing crucible is inverted as a cup over the mouth of the matra , which is now turned upside down with a steady hand; the slip of metal falls into the crucible through the water; which by sustaining a part of its weight, softens its descent and prevents its tearing. The matra is then dexterously removed, without letting its water overflow the crucible. The water is gently decanted from the crucible, which is next covered, placed in the middle of burning charcoal, and withdrawn whenever it becomes red hot. After cooling, the metal slip is weighed very exactly, whence the weight of fine gold in the alloy is known. Stronger acid than that prescribed above would be apt to tear the metallic riband to pieces, and it would be difficult to gather the fine particles of gold together again. The metallic plate becomes at last merely a golden sieve, with very little cohesion. When copper is to be separated from gold by cupellation, a higher temperature is requisite than in cupelling silver coin. The coining apparatus of the Royal Mint of London is justly esteemed a masterpiece of mechanical skill and workmanship. It was erected in 1811, under the direction of the inventor, Mr. Boulton; and has since been kept in almost constant employment. IMG:4147767755307473660_illo0859a.png:Melting pot; carriage The melting pots ( fig. 738. ) are made of cast iron, and hold conveniently 400 pounds of metal. They are furnished with a spout or lip for pouring out the metal, and with two ears, on which the tongs of the crane lay hold in lifting them out of the furnace. The pot rests on pedestals on the grate of the furnace, and has a ring cast on its edge to prevent the fuel falling into it. Whenever it becomes red hot, the metal properly prepared and mixed, so as to produce an alloy containing 0·915 parts of gold, is put in, and during the melting, which occupies some hours, it is occasionally stirred. The moulds are meanwhile prepared by warming them in a stove, and thereafter by rubbing their inside surfaces with a cloth dipped in oil, by which means the ingots cast in them get a better surface. Fig. 739. represents a side view of the carriage, charged with its moulds. When the proper number of moulds is introduced, the screws at the end, represented at t T , are screwed fast, to fix them all tight. IMG:4147767755307473660_illo0859b.png:Crane The pot of fused metal is lifted out of the furnace by the crane ( fig. 740. ), then swung round, and lowered down into the cradle l , m , n , o of the pouring machine, until the ring on the edge of it rests on the iron hoop n , which, being screwed tight up, holds it secure, and the crane-tongs are removed. One of the a istants now takes the winch handle s in one hand, and y in the other. By turning y he moves the carriage forward, so as to bring the first mould beneath the lip of the melting pot; and by turning s , he inclines the pot, and pours the metal into the mould. He then fills the other moulds in succe ion. The first portion of liquid metal is received in a small iron spoon, and is reserved for the a ay-master; a second sample is taken from the centre of the pot, and a third from the bottom part. Each of these is examined as to its quality. The ingots, which are about 10 inches long, 7 broad, and 6 tenths of an inch thick, are now carried to the rolling mill. IMG:4147767755307473660_illo0859c.png:Rolling mill Fig. 741. , where A represents a large spur wheel, fixed on the extremity of a long horizontal shaft B B , extending beneath the whole mill. This wheel and shaft are driven by a smaller wheel, fixed on the main or fly-wheel shaft of a steam engine of 36-horse power. The main shaft B of the rolling mill has wheels C , D , E fixed upon it, to give motion to the respective rollers, which are mounted at F and G , in strong iron frames, bolted to the iron sills a a , which extend through the whole length of the mill, and rest upon the masonry, in which the wheels are concealed. The two large wheels C and E give motion to the wheels H , I , which are supported on bearings between two standards b , b , bolted down to the ground sills. On the ends of the axes of these wheels are heads for the reception of coupling boxes d , d , which unite them to short connecting shafts K L ; and these again, by means of coupling boxes, convey motion to the upper rollers e , e , of each pair, at F and G . The middle wheel D upon the-main shaft B gives motion to the lower rollers in a similar manner. Thus both the rollers e , f of each frame receive their motion from the main shaft with equal velocity, by means of wheels of large radius, which act with much more certainty than the small pinions usually employed in rolling mills to connect the upper and lower rollers, and cause them to move together. The rolling mill contains four pairs of rollers, each driven by its train of wheel work; the mill, therefore, consists of two such sets of wheels and rollers as are represented in our figure. The two shafts are situated parallel to each other, and receive their motion from the same steam engine. This admirable rolling mill was erected by John Rennie, Esq. The ingots are heated to redne in a furnace before they are rolled. The two furnaces for this purpose are situated before two pairs of rollers, which, from being used to consolidate the metal by rolling whilst hot, are termed breaking-down rollers. Two men are employed in this operation; one taking the metal from the furnace with a pair of tongs, introduces it between the rollers; and the other, catching it as it comes through, lifts it over the top roller, and returns it to his fellow, who puts it through again, having previously approximated the rollers a little by their adjusting screws. After having been rolled in this manner four or five times, they are reduced to nearly two-tenths of an inch thick, and increased lengthwise to about four times the breadth of the ingot. These plates, while still warm, are rubbed over with a dilute acid or pickle , and are then cut up into narrow slips acro the breadth of the plate, by means of the circular shears fig. 742. IMG:4147767755307473660_illo0860.png:Circular shears This machine is worked by a spur-wheel at the extremity of the main shaft B of the rolling mill ( fig. 741. ) It consists of a framing of iron A A , supporting two shafts B B , which are parallel to each other, and move together by means of two equal spur-wheels C C , the lower one of which works with the teeth of the great wheel above mentioned, upon the main shaft of the rolling mill. At the extremities of the two shafts, wheels or circular cutters are fixed with their edges overlapping each other a little way. F represents a shelf on which the plate is laid, and advanced forward to present it to the cutter; and G is a ledge or guide, screwed down on it, to conduct the metal and to regulate the breadth of the piece to be cut off. Hence the screws which fasten down the ledge are fitted in oblong holes, which admit of adjustment. The workman holds the plate flat upon the surface F , and pushing it towards the shears, they will lay hold of it, and draw it through until they have cut the whole length. The divided parts are also prevented from curling up into scrolls, as they do when cut by a common pair of shears; because small shoulders on E and D , behind the cutting edge, keep them straight. Behind the standard, supporting the back pivots of the shafts B B of the cutter, is a frame l , with a screw m tapped through it. This is used to draw the axis of the upper cutter D endwise, and keep its edge in close contact with the edge of the other cutter E . The slips or ribands of plate are now carried to the other two pairs of rollers in the rolling mill, which are made of case-hardened iron, and better polished than the breaking-down rollers. The plates are pa ed cold between these, to bring them to exactly the same thickne ; whence they are called adjusting or planishing rollers. The workman here tries every piece by a common gauge, as it comes through. This is a piece of steel having a notch in it; the inside lines of which are very straight, and inclined to one another at a very acute angle. They are divided by fine lines, so that the edge of the plate being pre ed into the notch, will have its thickne truly determined by the depth to which it enters, the divisions showing the thickne in fractions of an inch. In rolling the plate the second time, all the plates are succe ively pa ed through the rollers; then the rollers being adjusted, they are pa ed through another time. This is repeated thrice or even four times; after which they are all tried by the gauge, and thus sorted into as many parcels as there are different thickne es. It is a curious circumstance, that though the rollers are no le than 14 inches in diameter, and their frame proportionally strong, they will yield in some degree, so as to reduce a thick plate in a le degree than a thin one; thus the plates which have all pa ed through the same rollers, may be of 3 or 4 different degrees of thickne , which being sorted by the gauge into as many parcels, are next reduced to the exact dimension, by adapting the rollers to each parcel. The first of the parcel which now comes through is tried, by cutting out a circular piece with a small hand machine, and weighing it. If it proves either too light or too heavy, the rollers are adjusted accordingly, till by a few such trials they are found to be correct, when all the parcel is rolled through. The trial plates which turn out to be too thin, are returned as waste to the melting-house. By these numerous precautions, the blanks or circular discs, when cut out by the next machine, will be very nearly of the same weight; which they would scarcely be, even if the gauge determined all the plates to the same thickne , because some being more condensed than others, they would weigh differently under the same volume. IMG:4147767755307473660_illo0861.png:Thickne equalizer Fig. 743 and 744 enlarged (232 kB) A great improvement has been made on that mode of lamination, by the late Mr. Barton’s machine for equalizing the thickne of slips of metal for making coin, which has been for several years introduced into the British mint. A side elevation is shown in fig. 743. , and a plan in fig. 744. It operates in the same way as wire-drawing mechanisms; namely, pulls the slips of metal forcibly through an oblong opening, left between two surfaces of hardened steel. The box or case which contains the steel dies, composed of two hardened cylinders, is represented at C in fig. 743. The pincers employed to hold the metal, and draw it through, are shown at s r . The slips of metal to be operated on by the drawing machine, are first rendered thinner at one end, that they may be introduced between the dies, and also between the jaws of the pincers. This thinning of the ends is effected by another machine, consisting of a small pair of rollers, mounted in an iron frame, similar to a rolling-mill. The upper roller is cylindrical, but the lower is formed with 3 flat sides, leaving merely portions of the cylinder entire, between these flat sides. The distance between the centres of the rollers is regulated by screws, furnished with wheels on their upper ends, similar to what is seen in the drawing dies at C . The two rollers have pinions on their axes, which make them revolve together; they are set in motion by an endle strap pa ing round a drum, upon whose axis is a pinion working into the teeth of a wheel fixed upon the axis of the lower roller. The end of a slip of metal is presented between the rollers while they are in motion, not on that side of the roller which would operate to draw in the slip between them, as in the rolling-pre above described, but on the contrary side, so that when one of the flat sides of the under roller fronts horizontally the circumference of the upper roller, an opening is formed, through which the slip of metal is to be inserted until it bears against a fixed stop at the back of the rollers. As the rollers continue to turn round, the cylindrical portions come opposite to each other, and pre the metal between them, forcing it outwards, and rendering the part which has been introduced between the rollers as thin as the space between their cylindrical surfaces. Thus the end of the slip of metal becomes attenuated enough to pa between the dies of the drawing machine, and to be seized by the pincers. In using the drawing machine, a boy takes hold of the handle s of the pincers, their hook of connexion with the endle chain l , l , not shown in the present figure, being disengaged, and he moves them upon their wheels towards the die-box C . In this movement the jaws of the pincers get opened, and they are pushed up so close to the die-box that their jaws enter a hollow, which brings them near the dies, enabling them to seize the end of the slip of metal introduced between them by the action of the preparatory rollers. The boy now holds the handle s on the top of the pincers fast, and with his other hand draws the handle x backwards. Thus the jaws are closed, and the metal firmly griped. He now pre es down the handle x till a hook on the under side of the pincers seizes the endle chain as it moves along, when it carries the pincers, and their slip of metal, onwards with it. Whenever the whole length of the metallic riband has pa ed through between the dies, the strain on the pincers is suddenly relieved, which causes the weight r to raise their hook out of the chain, and stop their motion. The machine in the mint has two sets of dies, and two endle chains, as represented in the plan, fig. 744. N N , are toothed wheels in the upper end of the die-box, furnished with pinions and levers, for turning them round, and adjusting the distance between the dies. A large spur-wheel G , is fixed upon the axis F , to give motion to the endle chains; see both figures. This spur-wheel is turned by a pinion H , fixed upon an axis m , extending acro the top of the frame, and working in bearings at each end. A spur-wheel I , is fixed upon the axis m , and works into the teeth of a pinion K , upon a second axis acro the frame, which carries likewise a drum wheel L , through which motion is communicated to the whole mechanism by an endle strap. IMG:4147767755307473660_illo0862a.png:Cutting-out machine The cutting-out machine is exhibited in fig. 745. A A is a basement of stone to support an iron plate B B , on which stand the columns C C , that bear the upper part D of the frame. The iron frame of the machine E , F , E , is fixed down upon the iron plate B , B . The punch d is fixed in the lower part of the inner frame, and is moved up and down by the screw a , which is worked by wipers turned by a steam engine, impelling the lever H , and turning backwards and forwards the axis G , through a sufficient space for cutting the thickne of the metallic lamina. A boy manages this machine. There are twelve of them mounted on the same basement frame in a circular range contained in an elegant room, lighted from the roof. The whole are moved by a steam engine of 16-horse power. The blanks or planchets thus cut out, were formerly adjusted by filing the edges, to bring them to the exact weight; a step which Mr. Barton’s ingenious mechanism has rendered in a great measure unnece ary. The edge is then milled, by a proce which Mr. Boulton desires to keep secret, and which is therefore not shown in our mint. But the French mint employs a very elegant machine for the purpose of lettering or milling the edges, called the cordon des monnaies , invented by M. Gengembre, which has entirely superseded the older milling machine of M. Castaing, described in the Encyclopedias. The Napoleon coins of France bear on the edge, in sunk letters, the legend, Dieu protège la France ; and those of the king, Domine salvum fac regem . This is marked before striking the blank or flan . One machine imprints this legend, and its service is so prompt and easy, that a single man marks in a day 20,000 pieces of 5 francs, or 100,000 francs. IMG:4147767755307473660_illo0862b.png:Edge letterer Each of the two arc dies E , D , ( fig. 746. ) carries one half of the legend, engraved in relief on the curved face; these arcs are pieces of steel tempered very hard, and fixed with two screws, one immoveably at E , on the sill which bears the apparatus; the other at D , at the extremity of the lever P , D , which turns round the axis C . The letters of these dem i-legends are exactly parallel, and inscribed in an inverse order on the dies. An alternating circular motion is communicated to the handle P . The curvatures of the two dies are arcs of circles described from the centre C ; and the interval which separates them, or the difference of the radii, is precisely the diameter of the piece to be milled. As the centre C sustains the whole strain of the milling, and produces, of consequence, a hard friction, this axis must po e a considerable size. It is composed of a squat truncated cone of tempered steel, which enters into an eye of the moveable piece P , D . This cone is kept on the plate of the metal N N , which bears the whole machine, by a nut, whose screw, by being tightened or slackened, gives as much freedom as is requisite for the movement of rotation, or removes the shake which hard service gives to the cone in its eye. The middle thickne of the hole of the moveable piece P , D , and the axis of the lever P , which terminates it, are exactly on a level with the engraved letters of the die, so that no strain can derange the movable piece, or disturb the centre by its oscillations. At a is a vertical tube, containing a pile of blanks for milling. It is kept constantly full; the tube being open at both ends, a little elevated above the circular space a , K , b , which separates the dies, and fixed by a tail m with a screw to the motionle piece A , B . The branch I , c , movable with the piece P , D , pa es under the tube, and pushes before it the blank at the bottom of the column, which is received into a small excavation in the form of a circular step, and carried forwards. Matters are thus so arranged as to regulate the i ue of the blanks, one by one, on the small step, called the posoir (bed.) As soon as the blank is pushed forwards into contact with the lower edge of the engraved grooves, it is seized by them, and carried on by the strain of milling, without exposing the upper or under surfaces of the blank to any action which may obstruct the printing on its edge. The blank is observed to revolve between the two dies according as the lever P completes its course, and this blank pa ing from a to K , then to b , meets a circular aperture b , through which it falls into a drawer placed under the sill. The range of the movable lever P is regulated by four pieces, F , F , F , F , solidly sunk in the plate N , N , which bears the whole apparatus. A stud placed on this lever towards D , makes the arm of the posoir I c retire no farther than is nece ary for the little blank to i ue from the column; and a spring fixed to the centre c , and supported on a peg, brings back the posoir ; so that when a screw I comes to strike against the column, the posoir stops, and the movable die D , which continues its progre , finds the blank in a fit position for pre ing, seizing, and carrying it on, by reaction of the fixed die E . Thus the edge of the blank is lettered in half a second. A hundred may easily be marked in about three minutes. The coining pre is the most beautiful part of the whole mechanism in the British mint; but the limits of this volume will not allow of its being figured upon an adequate scale. An engraving of it may be seen in the Encyclopedia Britannica. The only attention which this noble machine requires is that of a little boy, who stands in a sunk place before the pre , and always keeps the tube full of blanks. He has two strings, one of which, when pulled, will put the pre in motion by the concealed mechanism in the apartment above; and the other string, when snatched, stops the pre . This coining operation goes on at the rate of 60 or 70 strokes per minute; and with very few interruptions during the whole day. The pre -room at the Royal Mint contains eight machines, all supported on the same stone base; and the iron beams between the columns serve equally for the pre es on each side. The whole has therefore a magnificent appearance. The eight pre es will strike more than 19,000 coins in an hour, with only a child to supply each. The grand improvement in these pre es, consists; 1. in the precision with which they operate to strike every coin with equal force, which could not be ensured by the old pre impelled by manual labour; 2. The rising collar or steel ring in which they are struck, keeps them all of one size, and makes a fair edge, which was not the case with the old coins, as they were often rounded and defaced by the expansion of the metal under the blow; 3. The twisting motion of the upper die is thought to produce a better surface on the flat parts of the coin; but this is somewhat doubtful; 4. The feeding mechanism is very complete, and enables the machine to work much quicker than the old pre did, where the workman, being in constant danger of having his fingers caught, was obliged to proceed cautiously, as well as to place the coin true on the die, which was seldom perfectly done. The feeding mechanism of the above pre is a French invention; but Mr. Boulton is supposed to have improved upon it.