foreign coins

FOREIGN COINS, com. law. The money of foreign nations. 
     2. Congress have, from time to time, regulated the rates at which 
certain foreign coins should pass. The acts now in force are the following. 
     3. The act of June 25, 1834, 4 Shaisw. Cont. of Story's L. U. S. 2373, 
enacts, sec. 1. That from and after the passage of this act, the following 
silver coins shall be of the legal value and shall pass current as money 
within the United States, by tale, for the payment of all debts and demands, 
at the rate of one hundred cents the dollar, that is to say, the dollars of 
Mexico, Peru, Chili,.and Central America, of not less weight than four 
hundred and fifteen grains each, and those re-stamped in Brazil of the like 
weight, of not less fineness than ten ounces, fifteen pennyweights of pure 
silver, in the troy pound of twelve ounces of standard silver; and five 
franc pieces of France, when of not less fineness than ten ounces and 
sixteen pennyweights in twelve ounces troy weight of standard silver, and 
weighing not less than three hundred and eighty-four grains each, at the 
rate of ninety-three cents each. 
     4. The act of June 28, 1834, 4 Sharsw. Cont. of Story's L. U. S, 2377, 
enacts) sect. 1. That from and after the thirty-first day of July next, the 
following gold coins shall pass current as money within the United States, 
and be receivable in all payments, by weight, for the payment of all debts 
and demands, at the rates following, that is to say: the gold coins of Great 
Britain and Portugal and Brazil, of not less than twenty-two, carats fine, 
at the rate of ninety-four cents and eight-tenths of a cent per pennyweight; 
the gold coins of France nine-tenths fine, at the rate of ninety-three cents 
and one-tenth of a cent per pennyweight; and the gold coins of Spain, 
Mexico, and Colombia, of the fineness of twenty carats three. grains and 
seven-sixteenths, of a grain, at the rates of eighty-nine events and nine-
tenths of a cent per pennyweight. 
     5. By the act of. March 3, 1823, 3 Story's L. U. S. 1923, it is 
enacted, sect. 1. That from and after the passage of this act, the following 
gold coins shall be received in all payments on account of public lands, at 
the several and respective rates following, and not otherwise, viz.: the 
gold coins of Great Britain and Portugal, and of their present standard, at 
the rate of one hundred cents for every twenty-seven grains, or eighty-eight 
cents and eight-ninths per pennyweight; the gold coins of France of their 
present standard,  at the rate of one hundred cents for every twenty-seven 
and a half grains, or eighty-seven and a quarter cents per pennyweight; and 
the gold coins of Spain of their present standard, at the rate of one 
hundred cents for every twenty-eight and a half grains or, eighty-four cents 
per pennyweight. 
     6. The act of March 2, 1 799, 1 Story's L. U. S. 573, to regulate the 
collection of duties on imports and tonnage, sect. 61, p. 626, enacts, That 
the ad valorem rates of duty upon goods, wares, and merchandise, at the 
place of importation, shall be estimated by adding twenty per cent to the 
actual costs thereof, if imported from the Cape of Good Hope, or from any 
place beyond the same; and ten per cent. on the actual cost thereof, if 
imported from any other place or country, including all charges; 
commissions, outside packages, and insurance, only excepted. That all 
foreign coins and currencies shall be estimated at the following rates; each 
pound sterling of Great Britain, at four dollars and forty-four cents; each 
livre tournois of France, at eighteen and a half cents; each florin, or 
guilder of the United Netherlands, at forty cents; each marc-banco of 
Hamburg, at thirty-three and one-third cents; each rix dollar of Denmark, at 
one hundred cents: each rial of plate, and each rial o vellon, of Spain, the 
former at ten cents, the latter at five cents, each; each milree of 
Portugal, at one dollar and twenty-four cents; each pound sterling of 
Ireland, at four dollars and ten cents; each tale o China, at one dollar and 
forty-eight cents; each pagoda of India, at one dollar and ninety four 
cents; each rupee, of Bengal, at fifty-five cents and one half; and all 
other denominations of money, in value as nearly as may be to the said 
rates, or the intrinsic value thereof, compared with money of the United 
States: Provided, that it shall be lawful for the president of the United 
States to cause to be established fit and proper regulations for estimating 
the duties on goods, wares, and merchandise, imported into the United 
States, in respect to which the original cost shall be exhibited in a 
depreciated currency, issued and circulated under authority of any foreign 
government. 
     7. By the act of July 14 1832, s 16, 4 Sharsw. Cont. of Story's L. U. 
S. 2326, the law is changed as to the value of the pound sterling, in 
calculating the rates of duties. It is thereby enacted, that from and after 
the said third day of March, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-three, in 
calculating the rate of duties, the pound sterling shall be considered and 
taken as of the value of four dollars and eighty cents. 
     8. The act of March 3, 1843, provides, That in all computations of the 
value of foreign moneys of account at the custom houses of the United 
States, the thaler of Prussia shall be deemed and taken to be of the value 
of sixty-eight and one-half cents; the mii-reis of Portugal shall be deemed 
and taken to be of the value of one hundred and twelve cents; the rix dollar 
of Bremen shall be deemed and taken to be of the value of seventy-eight and 
three quarter cents; the thaler of Bremen, of seventy-two grotes, shall be 
deemed and taken to be of the value of seventy-one cents; that the mil-reis 
of Madeira shall be deemed and taken to be of the value of one hundred 
cents; the mil-reis of the Azores shall be deemed and taken to be of the 
value of eighty-three and one-third cents; the marc-banco of Hamburg shall 
be deemed and taken to be of the value, of thirty-five cents; the rouble of 
Russia shall be deemed and taken to be of the value of seventy-five cents; 
the rupee of British India shall be deemed and taken to be of the value of 
forty-four and one half cents; and all former laws inconsistent herewith are 
hereby repealed. 
     9. And the act of May 22, 1846, further directs, That in all 
computations at the custom-house, the foreign coins and money of account 
herein specified shall be estimated as follows, to wit: The specie dollar of 
Sweden and Norway, at one hundred and six cents. The specie dollar of 
Denmark, at one hundred and five cents. The thaler of Prussia and of the 
Northern States of Germany, at sixty-nine cents. The florin of the Southern 
States of Germany, at forty cents. The florin of the Austrian empire, and of 
the city of Augsburg, at forty-eight and one half cents. The lira of the 
Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom, and the lira of Tuscany, at sixteen cents. The 
franc of France, and of Belgium, and the lira of Sardinia, at eighteen cents 
six mills. The ducat of Naples, at eighteen cents. The ounce of Sicily, at 
two dollars and forty cents. The pound of the British provinces of Nova 
Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Canada, at four dollars. And all 
laws inconsistent with this act are hereby repealed.