No. 44.
Mr. Kasson
to Mr. Evarts.
Vienna, July 6, 1880. (Received July 21.)
Sir: It is only a few days ago that I received, in answer to a former request from the Servian minister in Vienna, a memorandum (in German) embracing the statistics which are reported in this dispatch, and which are now translated and transmitted for the use of the Treasury Department, in obedience to your circular of the 11th of February, 1880.
1. To the first inquiry, his excellency promises me a copy (in French) of the mintage law of Servia, as adopted on the 10th of December, 1878; but he has not yet received it from his government. When it shall be received I will forward it.
2. His statement respecting the coinage presents the following facts:
Prior to 1868 Servia had no coinage of its own. In that year they caused to be minted copper coins, respectively equal in value to 10.5 and 1 centimes (“paras”), to the value in all of 600,000 francs (“dinars”). In the year 1875 they caused to be minted silver pieces of 2, 1, and ½ dinars (francs), to the value in all of 6,000,000 dinars (francs).
According to the law of the 10th December, 1875, there were to be thereafter minted as follows:
| Dinars, | |
| 250,000 coins of gold at 20 dinars (frances) | 5,000,000 |
| 500,000 coins of gold at 10 dinars (frances) | 5,000,000 |
| 200,000 coins of silver at 5 dinars (frances) | 1,000,000 |
| 750,000 coins of silver at 2 dinars (frances) | 1,500,000 |
| 800,000 coins of silver at 1 dinars (franc) | 800,000 |
| 600,000 coins of silver at ½ dinars (franc) | 300,000 |
| 9,000,000 coins of copper at 10 paras (centimes) | 900,000 |
| 600,000 coins of copper at 5 dinars (centimes) | 300,000 |
| Authorized amounts in all | 14,800,000 |
| Prior mintage in silver | 6,000,000 |
| Prior mintage in copper | 600,000 |
| Total coinage now provided for by law | 21,400,000 |
Very small amounts of the gold coins, however, have yet appeared.
3. The fineness and descriptions of both gold and silver coins correspond exactly with the fineness and descriptions of the like French coins, substituting only dinars for francs and paras for centimes.
Servia, having no mint of its own, has procured its mintage to be done at Paris and Vienna. (Query: Could not the United States advantageously offer to do the mintage, especially in silver?)
The metrical decimal system of the “Latin Union” has been by law adopted for the coins of Servia.
The minister was unable to inform me respecting the legal-tender quality of the respective coins. I have requested further information on that point.
4. The coins, of both gold and silver, from the mints of Austria, France, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Greece, Roumania, Germany, England, Russia, and Turkey circulate to some extent in Servia. The most abundant, however, are the gold coins of Austria-Hungary known as ducats (for value, &c., see inclosure 3 to my dispatch No. 299). After these come the gold coins of France, Italy, and Belgium, and then those of the other countries named in less quantities.
5. Paper money does not exist in Servia.
6. Prior to 1876 Servia had no state debt. During this year, however, and during the succeeding war for independence, the state contracted the following debts:
| Dinars. | |
| 1. The forced loan in the country pursuant to the law of January 19, 1876 | 12,000,000 |
| 2. Subsequently, under law of July 10, 1877 | 2,800,000 |
| Total issued at par, payable in five years, interest 8 per cent., bonds each for 50 dinars | 14,800,000 |
| 3. Loan in Russia, 8 per cent., at 21 years | 8,000,000 |
| Total | 22,800,000 |
Owing to the wars of 1876 and 1877 the interest remains unpaid, and larger figures are, therefore, required to represent the total debt.
The foregoing statement is made in accordance with the exhibit given to me by the Servian minister here. But I beg to refer to my dispatch No. 261* for the debt statement, which I obtained on the occasion of my visit to Belgrade, and which I believe more accurately represents the total debt of Servia, including the floating obligations.
I have, &c.,
- See F. R. 1879, pp. 82–86.↩