428 FORTY—SECOND CONGRESS. Sess. HI. Ch. 131. 1873. Bullion to be Sec. 22. That when bullion is deposited in any of the mints, it shall be ¥‘€§;§gd‘*’g;g weighed by the superintendent, and, when practicable, in the presence of ,J,,,,,,g,Q,,,n; the depositor, to whom a receipt shall be given, which shall state the description and weight of the bullion ; but when the bullion is in such a state as to require melting, or the removal of base metals, before its value can be ascertained, the weight, after such operation, shall be con_sidered as fitness and the true weight of the bullion deposited. The fitness of the bullion to he l’;g;$*:ig€`e;¤l;$::]i;il;§» received shall be determined by the assayer, and the mode of melting by ' the melter and retiner. _Assaycfbu1- Sec. 23. That from every parcel of bullion deposited for coinage or h°¤i bars, the superintendent shall deliver to the assayer a sufficient portion for the purpose of being assayed, but all such bullion remaining from the operations of the assay shall be returned to the superintendent by the assa er. report of as- She. 24. That the assayer shall report to the superintendent the quality
- 5**- or fineness of the bullion assayed by him, and such information as will
enable him to compute the amount of the charges hereinafter provided for, to be made to the depositor. Ch,,,g9S po, Sr;0. 25. That the charge for converting standard gold bullion into converting hal- coin shall be one-fifth of one per centum; and the charges for converting 1:33 mm °?‘“.• standard silver into trade-dollars, for melting and refining when bullion preparation . . . . . . of rms; is below standard, for toughemng when metals are contained in it which render it unfit for coinage, for copper used for alloy when the bullion is above standard, for separating the gold and silver when these metals exist together in the bullion, and for the preparation of bars, shall be fixed, from time to time, by the director, with the concurrence of the ,,0, ,0 mma Secretary of the Treasury, so as to equal but not exceed, in their judgthe actual aver- ment, the actual average cost to each mint and assay-oliice of the material, ‘€° °°“· labor, wastage, and use of machinery employed in each of the cases aforementioned. A,s,,;_.€,,0 Sec. 26. That the assayer shall verify all calculations made by the
gsrtairé c¤l~ superintendent of the value of deposits, and,·if satisfied .0f the correctness
c0umgm?g"‘n c G 1__ thereof, shall countersign the certificate required to be given by the superfifiggte_ intendent to the depositor. I)u_rcha's0 0; Sec. 2'Z. That in order to procure bullion for the silver coinage b¤_i|i¤¤ for silver authorized by this act, the superintendents, with the approval of the °°"‘°‘g°' director of the mint, as to price, terms, and quantity, shall purchase such G,,;,, m be bullion with the bullion-fund. The gain arising from the coinage of such creqiwdtv silver- silver bullion into coin of a nominal value exceeding the cost thereof P"?3°-f""d*""d shall be credited to a special 'fund denominated the silver-profit fund. pai into the , , _ _ _ treasury. This fund shall be charged with the wastage incurred in the silver coinage, and with the expense of distributing said coins as hereinafter provided. The balance to the credit of this fund shall be from time to time, and at least twice a year, paid into the treasury of the United States. Save, com ,0 Sec. 28. That silver coins other than the trade-dollar shall be paid out be paid outwhcre at the several mints, and at the assay·office in New York city, in exchange ““° f°’ wh“‘ for gold coins at par, in sums not less than one hundred dollars; and it shall be lawful, also, to transmit parcels of the same, from time to time, to the assistant treasurers, depositaries, and other officers of the United States, under general regulations proposed by the director of the mint, and approved by the Secretary of the Treasury; but nothing herein contained shall prevent the payment of silver coins, at their nominal value, for silver parted from gold, as provided in this act, or for change Provisn. less than one dollar in settlement for gold deposits: Provided, That fntwo years after the passage of this act, silver coins shall be paid at the mint in Philadelphia and the assay—offiee in New York city for silver bullion purchased for coinage, under such regulations as may be pre-
