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carrying them on; adding the pence, taking out the twelves and carrying them on; adding the shillmgs, taking out the twenties and carrying them on; but when he came to the pounds, where he had only tens to carry forward, it was easy and free from error. The bulk of mankind are school-boys through life. ‘These little per- plexities are always great to them. And even mathematical heads feel the relief of an easier, substituted for a more difficult process. Foreigners, too, who trade or travel among us, will find a great facility in understanding our coins and accounts from this ratio of subdivision. ‘Those who have had occasion to convert the Livres, sols and deniers of the French; the Gilders, stivers and frenings of the Dutch; the Pounds, shillings, pence and farthings of these several States, into each other, can judge how much they would have been aided, had their several subdivisions been in a decimal ratio. Certainly, in all cases, where we are free to choose between easy and difficult modes of operation, it is most rational to choose the easy. ‘The Financier, therefore, in his report, well proposes that our Coins should be in decimal proportions to one another. If we adopt the Dollar for our Unit, we should strike four coins, one of gold, two of silver, and one of copper, viz. ,
1. A golden piece, equal in value to ten dollars :
2. The Unit or Dollar itself, of silver :
3. The tenth of a Dollar, of silver also : » 4. The hundredth of a Dollar, of copper.
Compare the arithmetical operations, on the same sum of mo- ney expressed in this form, and expressed in the pound sterling and its divisions.
£s. d. qrs. Dollars. £s. d.qrs. Dollars.
Addition. 8 13 11 1-2 == 38.65 Subtraction. 8 13 11 1-2 == 38.65
412 8 3-4 = 20.61 412 8 3-4 = 20.61
13 6 81-4 = 59.26 41 234 = 1804
Multiplication by 8. Division by 8.
£s. d. qrs. Dollars. £s. d. qrs. Dollars.
8 13 11 1-2 = 38,65 8 13 11 1-2 = 8) 38.65
20 8 20 : 4.83
173 $309.20 173
12 12
2087 2087
4 4
6350 8 ) 8350
8 4) 1043
12.) 260 3-4
4) 66.800 20) 21 8 3-4
12 J 16700 £118 3-4
20) 1391 8
£69 11 8
