HC Deb 14 March 1864 vol 173 cc1906-7
MR. VANSITTART

said, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for India, Whether, in seeking to introduce the English sovereign into India, he contemplates ordering the Collectors and other Revenue officers to receive the sovereign as a ten rupee piece, taking the chance of being able to issue it at the same rate; and whether he intends to pay the interest and principal of the Public Debt in sovereigns at ten rupees each, and to make this coin a legal tender for all debts contracted in rupees?

SIR CHARLES WOOD

said, he must beg to explain that what he stated on a former occasion was, that it was desirable to introduce the sovereign into India, and that he should be very unwilling to adopt the suggestion of an hon. Member that a coin of exactly the value of ten rupees should be introduced, because that would approach so nearly to the sovereign in value, and would create an objection to the introduction of the sovereign. There was a difficulty, however, in the matter, on account of the sovereign being worth about sixpence more than the ten rupees.