§ COLONEL TOMLINEasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether it was by Statute Law or by the Prerogative of the Crown, that he, as Master of the Mint, caused the scarcity of silver coinage, the existence of which scarcity he admitted on the 1st of August, in his reply to the honourable Member for Sheffield; and, whether it is by Statute Law, or by the Prerogative of the Crown, that he now limits the coinage of silver for the people of Great Britain and Ireland to £50,000 a-week?
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERSir, the hon. and gallant Gentleman asks me whether it was by statute law, or by the Prerogative of the Crown, that I, as Master of the Mint, caused the scarcity of silver coinage? The scarcity of silver, in my opinion, was caused by the great increase of trade in this country, and certain changes, which are very much to be rejoiced at, in the direction of making the payment of wages much more frequent. As I do not admit, therefore, that I caused 457 the scarcity of silver, the hon. and gallant Gentleman will, I am sure, be kind enough to relieve me from finding an explanation of the circumstance. Then, the hon. and gallant Gentleman asks me, whether it is by statute law or by the Prerogative of the Crown that I now limit the coinage of silver for the people of Great Britain to £50,000 a-week? I have announced that it would not be possible to increase the silver coinage of the country to more than £50,000 a-week, owing to the imperfection of our machinery; but as I did not say that that was for any other reason the maximum amount of the coinage, I apprehend that I am also discharged from the necessity of stating whether it is by statute law or the Prerogative of the Crown that such a limit has been fixed.