The  narrow  channel  of  usefulness  in  which  coins  can  be  em-
ployed, now  well  understood,  may  be  enlarged  by  discoveries
and  efforts  yet  to  be  made ;  interest  will  ever  be  a  sufficient
incentive  to  such  progress.  As  matters  now  stand,  it  is  more
in  the  natural  order  of  things  to  consider  how  to  dispense  with
the  precious  metals  advantageously,  in  effecting  the  operations
of  commerce,  than  how  to  employ  them.  Let  us  suppose  the
subject  presented  in  these  two  points  of  view  to  two  large  con-
sumers of  each  other's  products.  If  the  question  between  them
be  how  they  can  effect  an  exchange  of  their  products  with  the
most  economy  and  advantage,  they  may  devise  various  modes  of
doing  this,  without  using  money,  which  is  the  most  expensive  of
all  agents.  They  may,  for  instance*,  simply  charge  each  other
with  the  amount  of  the  respective  purchases  as  they  occur.  The
accounts  thus  kept  may  be  compared  and  balanced  once  a  month,
or  once  a  year,  and  the  amount  resulting  either  way  be  carried
to  a  new  account,  or  be  paid  in  gold  or  silver.  If  the  question,
however  considered  between  these  parties,  be  strictly  how  they
can  best  employ  money  or  coins  in  their  dealings,  it  will  be
merely  whether  the  cash  shall  be  paid  upon  each  transaction,
or  only  at  agreed  intervals.  They  will  not  arrive  at  the  economy
of  doing  their  business  without  gold  or  silver,  because  they  will
not  be  looking  for  it.
