Volume 1

An historical inquiry into the production and consumption of the precious metals / By William Jacob.

  • Jacob, William, 1762?-1851.
Date:
1831
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An historical inquiry into the production and consumption of the precious metals / By William Jacob. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    western empire, about the year 476, a.p.—Gold and silver now used as coin.—Difference of abrasion between ancient and modern times.—Less used in domestic uten- sils than at present.—Much coin used in bribes.— Amount of those distributed by Augustus and succeeding emperors.—Small amount of gold and silver among the citizens.—Amount in the sacred edifices.—Effect of the | founding of Byzantium.— Increase of taxation.— Amount of it.—Diminished weight of gold coins—Vespasian’s wealth.—Table showing the decrease of money between the years 14 and 490.—Debasement of coins.—Table showing the effect of debasement on prices.—Decrease of the metals, shown by the small ransom paid for Rome to Alaric : ; Page 196 CHAPTER X. of the western Roman empire, to the discovery of Ame- rica.—Rise of Mahometan power.—State of society.— Table showing the decrease from 518 to 806.—State of mines in the middle ages.—In Macedonia.—Austrian dominions.—Chemnitz.—Salzburg.— Altenburg.—In the Tyrol. — Saxony. — The Hartz. — Silesia. — France.— Anecdote of the Baron de Beausoleil and Auffenbach.— . Sardinia.—Spain and Portugal under the Moors.—Mine of Almaden.—The Fuggars.—Gomez.— Lady Mary Her- bert.—The northern nations of Europe——Great Britain and Ireland.—Cardiganshire.—Tipperary and Wicklow. —Effect of the feudal system on mining.—Mining en- couraged by Elizabeth : 235 CHAPTER XI. the conclusion of the western empire to the discovery of