A Buve Boox recently issued by the Japanese Government contains the report of Major Kinder, Director of the Imperial Mint at Osaka, for the year ended 81st July 1872. The report is satisfactory as to the progress made in introducing: the new currency, as well as regards the care taken to preserve a proper standard of weight and purity. During the year, gold coin to the value of $14,488,981 was struck in the Mint, and silver to a value of $5,689,685, an amount which severely taxed the resources of an establishment originally intended to turn out an average of $25,000 per day. The coinage of gold," adds the report, " has far exceeded the anticipated demand, and our appliances have proved too limited; the small number of furnaces necessitated the use of the silver melting furnaces, which entailed the consumption of Inrger quantities of coke, The supply of gold for coinage being on the increase, it will be necessary to enlarge the gold melting room, and in the contemplated change, to introduce gas furnaces." Many difficulties had to be overcome in the establishment of a mint in a country like Japan, where skilled labour was not readily obtainable. The dies, at first of too large a diameter, had to be altered, the copper supplied for alloy was found to be so badly purified that the coins produced were brittle, the steel in stock for the dies proved unsatisfactory, and the workmen could not quickly be taught the necessity of adhering exactly to the standard sizes. The Director had besides to prepare designs and attend to the erection of additional buildings, and the necessary alterations of those erected in order to fit them for the extended issues called for. A tribute of praise tendered to the management of the Oriental Bank for the care taken in the selection of the foreign staff, and for their general conduct towards the Japanese Government in all matters relating to their connection with the Mint. Besides the Director, twelve Europeans are on the staff of the Mint; notwithstanding which, so great was the pressure on the resources of the establishment that the working hours had to be extended from sunrise to sunset. 2,845 dies for gold, and 4,274 for silver coin were produced in the year, besides large quantities of seals for Government offices, and even a series of medals for the police of the colony of Hongkong, an amount of work most creditable to those in charge. A sudden resolve on the part of the authorities to make gold their standard, led to tive discontinue ance of the coinage of the silver dollar, but subsidiary coins are still produced. The adoption of the gold standard has led to some changes in the relative values of the gold and silver coins, and the Director adds hat, it may be necessmy to adjust
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.