The
collectors made seven per cent by thus receiving in money and
accounting in depreciated paper. It was not very difficult to
foresee that this must be inevitable. It was, however, not the less
embarrassing. M. Necker was obliged (I believe, for a considerable
part, in the market of London) to buy gold and silver for the mint,
which amounted to about twelve thousand pounds above the value of
the commodity gained. That minister was of opinion that, whatever
their secret nutritive virtue might be, the state could not live
upon assignats alone, that some real silver was necessary,
particularly for the satisfaction of those who, having iron in their
hands, were not likely to distinguish themselves for patience when
they should perceive that, whilst an increase of pay was held out to
them in real money, it was again to be fraudulently drawn back by
depreciated paper. The minister, in this very natural distress,
applied to the Assembly that they should order the collectors to pay
in specie what in specie they had received. It could not escape him
that if the treasury paid three per cent for the use of a currency
which should be returned seven per cent worse than the minister issued
it, such a dealing could not very greatly tend to enrich the public.
The Assembly took no notice of this recommendation. They were in
this dilemma: if they continued to receive the assignats, cash must
become an alien to their treasury; if the treasury should refuse those
paper amulets or should discountenance them in any degree, they must
destroy the credit of their sole resource.
Pages:
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378