IN the _Hôtel de la Monnoye_ (the Mint) I procured some new coins. The
silver crown piece of six livres has on one side the king's head in
profile, round which is _Louis XVI. Roi des François_, 1792; over this
date is a small lion passant, being a Mint mark. The reverse, is a human
figure with an enormous pair of wings,[6] holding a book in its left
hand, which book rests on an altar, and with its other is represented as
if writing in it; the word _Constitution_ is already seen there. The
figure is naked, except a slight drapery on the left arm; behind the
figure is a bundle of staves, like the Roman Fasces, surmounted by the
cap of liberty, and behind the altar is a cock standing on one leg; the
inscription is _Regne de la Loi_. _L'An 4 de la Liberté._ Besides this,
there are two other Mint marks, one a small lyre, and the other the
letter A; at the foot of the altar is _Dupre_, the name of the person
who engraved the die; and on the edge is _La Nation_, _La Loi_, _et le
Roi_, in _Relievo_.
[Note 6: There is to be a new coinage without the king's profile,
and it is to be hoped these wings, or rather the whole figure, will be
left out.]
There are no new half crowns. The dies of the new thirty and fifteen sol
pieces are just like that of the crown, except that their value is
stamped on them 30 _Sols_, 15 _Sols_, and that there is no inscription
on the edge.
There are two other coins, made of a sort of bell-metal; one of two
_Sols_, with the king's profile; inscription and date like those on the
silver coin, and on the reverse the _Fasces_ and cap, between two oak
branches, and the inscription, _La Nation, Le Loi, Le Roi. L'an_ 4 _de
la Liberté. 2 S_. The other of half this size, and with the same
impressions, except that its value is specified thus, 12 D. or
_Deniers_, equal to one _Sol_.
I have not seen any new Louis. No paper money or assignats is known in
the Mint; I bought some coins here, and paid for them in guineas, which
are currant for twenty-five livres. There are twelve or fourteen mills,
which were all at work in coining crown pieces, and likewise several
hammering machines, one of which was coining 2 _Sols_ pieces.
Besides the national coins, several tradesmen have been permitted to
fabricate silver and copper medals or _tokens_, for public convenience,
the most beautiful of which are those of _M. Monneron_. The largest is
of almost pure copper, exactly of the size and thickness of the crown
piece; in an oval is represented a female figure with a helmet on,
sitting on an elevated place, on which is _Dupre f._ (or fecit) holding
a book, inscribed _Constitution des François_; at her side is a shield
with the arms of France, and at her feet an altar, on one side of which
is the profile of the king; several soldiers are represented extending
their right arms, as if taking the oath; at top is _Pacte Federatif_; at
bottom 14 _Juillet_, 1790; round the oval _vivre libres ou mourir_,
which is repeated in one of the banners carried by a soldier. On the
reverse, in a circle, is _Medaille de confiance de cinq-sols
remboursable en assignats de_ 50L _et au dessus_. _L'An IV. de la
Liberté_; round this is _Monneron Freres Negocians à Paris_, 1792; and
on the edge is cut _Departemens de Paris_, _Rhone et Loire_. _Du Gard_.
I have another of these pieces, not quite so large nor so well executed;
one of the sides is similar to that already described; on the other is
_Medaille qui se vend_ 5 _Sols à Paris chez Monneron patenté_. _L'An IV.
de la Liberté_. Round this is, _Revolution Française_, 1792; and on the
edge, _Bon pour les_ 83 _Departemens_. I am told this was made at
Birmingham.
The other token of the same merchant is rather larger and thicker than
our halfpenny. On one side is a woman sitting, with a staff in her right
hand with the cap of liberty; her left arm leans on a square tablet, on
which are the words, _Droits de l'Homme. Artic. V._[7] the sun shines
just over her head, and behind her is a cock perched on half a fluted
column; round the figure, _Liberté sous la Loi_, and underneath, _L'An
III. de la Liberté_. On the reverse, _Medaille de confiance de deux sols
à echanger contre des assignats de 50L et au dessus. 1791_. Round
this the merchant's name, as in the first; and on the edge, _Bon pour
Bord. Marseil. Lyon. Rouen. Nant. et Strasb_.
[Note 7: This article is, "The law has the right of prohibiting only
those actions which are hurtful to society."]
I have seen a silver token almost as big as a shilling. On one side is
represented a woman sitting, leaning with her left arm on a large open
book, at her right is a cock perched on half a fluted column; and the
inscription round these figures is, _Le Fevre, Le Sage et Compie.
ngt. à Paris_. On the reverse is _B.P._ (bon pour) 20 _Sols à
echanger en assignats_ de 50L and round this, _et au dessus l'an 4 me
de la Liberté_, 1792.[8]
[Note 8: This and the former _echanger_, &c. and _remboursable_, &c.
appear to be superfluous.]
In this Hôtel is the cabinet of the royal school of mineralogy, which
Mr. Le Sage has been four and twenty years in forming and analyzing; it
is contained in a magnificent building, with a dome and gallery almost
entirely of marble.