BRITANNIA, OUR COINAGE, AND THE WAR.
[To TUB EDITOlt OP TER " SPECTITOR."] Sin,—Would it not be a good thing in coining more money during the war to carry on the idea which is generally attributed to his late Majesty King Edward, in connexion with the figure of Britannia? During Queen Victoria's peaceful and splendid reign it was quite in keeping with the times that the most charming figure which ever appeared on any coin of any State should be shown at ease, at rest. The !seated figure of Britannia on the older copper coins of Queen Victoria's reign represents that mythical embodiment of everything British, so dear to us and so familiar, as seated gracefully on the British shore, holding her trident easily as a rest for her left arm, while her right band rests gently on the rim of her shield, bearing the design of the Union ; on one side of the helmeted figure, looking seawards, is Eddy- stone Lighthouse reflecting hope, and on the other a British man-of-war in full sail representing security. Some time after 1890, for certainly no good reasons, the lighthouse and the battleship were omitted and the figure of Britannia slightly altered—not for the better. I think no other alteration in the seated attitude of Britannia was made in the Victorian era ; but when his late Most Gracious Majesty King Edward the Seventh came to the throne, he who saw into the future and broke down the tradition of centuries of distrust and jealousy between us and France and between us and Russia— he knew that the seated, restful, easeful pose no longer repre- sented what should be his Empire's attitude, and so be caused the silver florin of his reign to show the figure of Britannia standing erect, the trident grasped in the right hand; the left band holds the shield; she stands with her feet set apart and firmly plantedon the prow of the ship of State, with the sea, still peaceful, in the background. This figure on the coins of 1906, &o., represents Britannia alert, as though she had heard her Prince's call to "Wake up!" It is impossible not to think of the significance of that figure of Britannia, no longer seated gracefully at ease on the shore, hut proudly standing ready for action on the sea. The self-styled Admiral of the Atlantic did not miss the significance of the changed attitude or the warning his uncle thus gave him!
For more than a year now Britannia has been at war and glorying in the splendid efficiency, courage, and devotion of her sons and daughters; would it not be an appropriate thing, and a most lasting memorial of this first year of war, to show Britannia in action leading the nation P At least on the copper coins minted up to the end of the war and on the forms: it would be infinitely preferable to that inartistic jumble of arms and sceptres on the back of his Majesty's head on all the latest florins, a design void of art, which looks like a brace of Christmas crackers and reminds one of the Iron Cross It is wonderful what a fine inspiring thing a coin can be with that splendid figure of Britannia on one side of it and with our King's head on the other—especially when you have plenty of ,them. There may he reasons of State against it, but what our people would love would he the double portrait in profile of King George and Queen Mary— then the women of our nation, who so well deserve it, would be as well represented as the men are ; I mean as in that beautiful coin which was struck to commemorate the coro- nation of William and Mary.—I am, Sir, &c., Surrey Lodge, Denmark Hill, S.E. R. B. MARSTON.
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