Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 5.djvu/174



And that dollars, half dollars, and quarter dollars, dimes, and half dimes, shall be legal tenders of payment, according to their nominal value, for any sums whatever.

. And be it further enacted, That of the gold coins, the weight of the eagle shall be two hundred and fifty-eight grains; that of the half eagle one hundred and twenty-nine grains; and that of the quarter eagle sixty-four and one-half grains. And that for all sums whatever, the eagle shall be a legal tender of payment for ten dollars; the half eagle for five dollars; and the quarter eagle for two and a half dollars.

. And be it further enacted, That the silver coins heretofore issued at the mint of the United States, and the gold coins issued since the thirty-first day of July, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-four, shall continue to be legal tenders of payment for their nominal values, on the same terms as if they were of the coinage provided for by this act.

. And be it further enacted, That of the copper coins, the weight of the cent shall be one hundred and sixty-eight grains, and the weight of the half-cent eighty-four grains. And the cent shall be considered of the value of one hundredth part of a dollar, and the half-cent of the value of one two-hundredth part of a dollar.

. And be it further enacted, That upon the coins struck at the mint there shall be the following devices and legends: upon one side of each of said coins there shall be an impression emblematic of liberty, with an inscription of the word, and the year of the coinage; and upon the reverse of each of the gold and silver coins, there shall be the figure or representation of an eagle, with the inscription United States of America, and a designation of the value of the coin; but on the reverse of the dime and half dime, cent and half cent, the figure of the eagle shall be omitted.

. And be it further enacted, That gold and silver bullion brought to the mint for coinage, shall be received and coined, by the proper officers, for the benefit of the depositor: Provided, That it shall be lawful to refuse, at the mint, any deposite of less value than one hundred dollars, and any bullion so base as to be unsuitable for the operations of the mint; And provided also, That when gold and silver are combined, if either of these metals be in such small proportion that it cannot be separated advantageously, no allowance shall be made to the depositor for the value of such metal.'

. And be it further enacted, That when bullion is brought to the mint for coinage, it shall be weighed by the treasurer, in the presence of the depositor, when practicable, and a receipt given which shall state the description and weight of the bullion: Provided, That when the bullion is in such a state as to require melting before its value can be ascertained, the weight after melting shall be considered as the true weight of the bullion deposited.

. And be it further enacted, That from and every parcel of bullion deposited for coinage, the treasurer 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 treasurer by the assayer.

. And be it further enacted, That the assayer shall report to the treasurer the quantity or standard of the bullion assayed by him; and he shall also communicate to the treasurer such information as will enable him to estimate the amount of the charges hereinafter provided for, to be made to the depositor, for the expenses of converting the bullion into standard metal fit for coinage.

. And be it further enacted, That the only subjects of charge by the mint to the depositor shall be the following: For refining when