31st Congress,
1st Session.
[House of Representatives]
Ex. Doc.
No. 31.

MINT AND ITS BRANCHES.

. . . . . . . .

MESSAGE

from

The President of the United States,

Transmitting

The annual report of the Director of the Mint.

. . . . . . . .

January 29, 1850.
Laid upon the table, and ordered to be printed.

. . . . . . . .


To the House of Representatives of the United States:

I transmit herewith the annual report of the director of the mint at Philadelphia, showing the operations of the mint and its branches, for the year 1849.

Z. TAYLOR.

Washington, January 28, 1850.

. . . . . . . .

Mint of the United States,   
Philadelphia, January 18, 1850.

SIR: I have the honor of submitting the following report, in compliance with the act which requires that "in the month of January of every year the director shall make report to the President of the United States, of the operations of the mint and its branches for the year preceding."

The coinage of the principal mint in 1849 amounted to $8,913,266 32, comprising $7,948,332 in gold, $922,950 in silver, and $41,984 32 in copper coins, and composed of 9,519,513 pieces. The deposites for coinage amounted to $10,473,724 in gold, and $1,045,259 in silver.

At the New Orleans branch mint the coinage amounted to $1,646,000, comprising $454,000 in gold, and $1,192,000 in silver coins, and composed of 2,988,900 pieces. The deposites for coinage amounted to $1,125,745 in gold, and $1,321,029 in silver.

The branch mint at Charlotte received during the year deposites of gold to the value of $390,732; and its coinage amounted to $361,299, composed of 86,677 pieces.

The branch mint at Dahlonega received during the year deposites of gold to the value of $252,974; and its coinage amounted to $244,130 50, composed of 71,569 pieces.

The deposites at the four mints amounted in all, during the year, to $14,609,463 of which $12,243,175 was in gold, and $2,366,288 in silver. The whole coinage amounted to $11,164,695 82, composed of $9,007,761 50 in gold, $2,114,950 in silver, and $41,984 32 in copper coins.

Other statements relating to the operations of the year and former years, are presented in the subjoined tables.

By an act passed at the last session of Congress, two new coins - the gold dollar and the double-eagle - were added to those previously authorized. Of the former, 936,789 have been coined, namely: 688,567 at the mint in Philadelphia, 215,000 at New Orleans, 21,588 at Dahlonega, and 11,634 at Charlotte. I regret to say, that in consequence of difficulties in the execution of the dies, double-eagles have not yet been coined.

During the past year the deposites of California gold amounted at the Philadelphia mint to $5,481,439, and at the New Orleans branch mint to $666,080. Near the close of the year 1848, the first California gold was brought to the mint; and it amounted to $44,177. Since the end of the past year we have had deposites estimated at $750,000; so that there has been received at the mints, of this gold, the amount of $6,941,693.

Large as is the quantity of gold brought to the mints during the last year, it has been exceeded by that of 1847, when the deposites at the principal mint amounted to $13,670,896, and those at the New Orleans branch to $6,253,288. It must be observed, however, that the gold of the former year was in a great degree composed of foreign coins deposited for recoinage, while the greater part of that deposited during the past year was of native gold, and presented an actual increase of the quantity of this precious metal to be introduced into circulation.

The statements of the deposites and coinage of gold at the mint show that the latter is considerably in arrear. This is not owing to the quantity of gold - for a much greater amount was coined in 1847 - but it is due to the circumstance that the California gold contains combined with it so large a portion of silver as to require that the two metals be separated, in order that the gold may be brought to the legal standard. This was to be done by a chemical process which demanded operations on a much larger scale than had been provided for; and during the necessary changes in the laboratory, time was spent and deposites were accumulated. Our means are believed to be now sufficient for refining, without much further delay, the gold still unparted; and we hope to be able thenceforward to make prompt payment to depositors.

I have the honor to be, sir, with great respect, your faithful servant,

R. M. PATTERSON,   
Director of the Mint.

To the President of the United States.


A.

Statement of the deposites and coinage at the mint of the United States and its branches, in the year 1849.

DEPOSITES.
 Mints. Total.
Charlotte, N.C. Dahlonega, Ga. New Orleans. Philadelphia.
Gold. 
United States coins, old standard     $3,902  00 $37,318  00 $41,220  00
Foreign coins     437,130  00 4,483,091  00 4,920,221  00
United States bullion $390,732  00 $252,974  00 677,985  00 5,767,092  00 7,088,783  00
Foreign bullion     6,728  00 186,223  00 192,951  00
      Total gold 390,732  00 252,974  00 1,125,745  00 10,473,724  00 12,243,175  00
Silver. 
Foreign coins     1,242,552  00 873,448  00 2,116,000  00
Foreign bullion     78,477  00 132,699  00 211,176  00
United States bullion, including partings from gold       39,112  00 39,112  00
      Total silver     1,321,029  00 1,045,259  00 2,366,288  00
      Total in gold and silver 390,732  00 252,974  00 2,446,774  00 11,518,983  00 14,609,463  00
COINAGE.
Gold. 
Eaglespieces     23,900       653,618       677,518      
Half eaglesdo 64,823       39,036         133,070       236,929      
Quarter eaglesdo 10,220       10,945         23,294       44,459      
Dollarsdo 11,634       21,588       215,000       688,567       936,789      
      Value of gold 361,299  00 244,130  50 454,000  00 7,948,332  00 9,007,761  50
Silver. 
Dollarspieces       62,600       62,600      
Half dollarsdo     2,310,000       1,252,000       3,562,000      
Quarter dollarsdo       340,000       340,000      
Dimesdo     300,000       839,000       1,139,000      
Half dimesdo     140,000       1,309,000       1,449,000      
      Value of silver     1,192,000  00 922,950  00 2,114,950  00
Copper. 
Centspieces       4,178,500       4,178,500      
Half centsdo       39,864       39,864      
      Value of copper       41,984  32 41,984  32
      Total coinage in pieces 86,677       71,569       2,988,900       9,519,513       12,666,659      
      Total coinage in value 361,299  00 244,130  50 1,646,000  00 8,913,266  32 11,164,695  82

B.

Statement of the annual amount of deposites of gold for coinage at the Mint of the United States and its branches from mines in the United States.

Periods. Deposited at the mint of the United States. Deposited at the branch mints. Mint and
branches.
Virginia. North
Carolina.
Georgia. California. New
Mexico.
Other
sources.
Total. Charlotte. Dahlonega. New
Orleans.
Total. Total
deposites.
1824 to 1837 $427,000 $2,852,500 $1,763,900     $353,100 $5,126,500         $5,126,500
1838 55,000 66,000 36,000     14,700 171,700 $127,000 $135,700 $700 $263,400 $435,100
1839 57,600 53,500 20,300     7,100 138,500 126,836 113,035 6,869 246,740 385,240
1840 38,995 36,804 91,113     9,854 176,766 124,726 121,858 2,835 249,419 426,185
1841 25,736 76,431 139,796     6,515 248,478 129,847 161,974 1,818 293,639 542,117
1842 42,163 61,629 150,276     19,519 273,587 174,508 323,372 5,630 503,510 777,097
1843 48,148 62,873 56,619     13,088 180,728 272,064 570,080 22,573 864,717 1,045,445
1844 40,595 194,917 30,739     28,771 295,022 167,348 479,794 25,036 672,178 967,200
1845 86,783 365,886 17,325     19,388 489,382   498,632 20,313 518,945 1,008,327
1846 55,538 286,105 13,601     110,825 466,069 196,381 455,149 21,758 673,288 1,139,357
1847 67,736 99,491 10,547     5,635 183,409 344,054 352,366 9,256 705,676 889,085
1848 57,886 109,034 3,370 $44,177 $682 26,395 241,544 370,799 274,473 12,589 657,861 899,405
1849 129,382 102,688 10,525 5,481,439 32,889 10,169 5,767,092 390,732 252,974 677,985 1,321,691 7,088,783
Total   1,132,562   4,097,858   2,344,111   5,525,616   33,571   625,059   13,758,777   2,424,295   3,739,407   807,362   6,971,064   20,729,841

C.

Statement showing the deposites of California gold at the Mints of the United States.

Year. Mints. Total.
Philadelphia. New Orleans.
1848 $44,177   $44,177
1849 5,481,439 $666,080 6,147,519
     Agregate 5,525,616 666,080   6,181,696

D.

Statement of the entire coinage of the United States to the close of the year 1849.

Mints. Commencement
of coinage.
Gold. Silver. Copper. Entire coinage.
Pieces. Value. Pieces. Value. Pieces. Value. Pieces. Value.
Philadelphia 1793 11,725,426 $63,470,612  00 176,801,491 $64,091,211  90 128,913,641 $1,251,734  52 317,440,558 $128,813,558  42
New Orleans 1838 2,551,895 15,768,990  00 34,551,830 11,490,253  00     37,103,725 27,259,243  00
Charlotte 1838 560,937 2,381,689  00         560,937 2,381,689  00
Dahlonega 1838 842,189 3,727,910  00         842,189 3,727,910  00
    15,680,447   85,349,201  00   211,353,321   75,581,464  90   128,913,641   1,251,734  52   355,947,409   162,182,400  42