The writer is greatly indebted to the many persons whose names are mentioned in the text, who have supplied him with important facts and references ; also to Professor Sumner for the privilege of consulting his collection of works on banking; to Professor Hadley, for valuable suggestions and criticisms; to Mr. Horace White for pointing out the important pamphlet of the eighteenth century mentioned in Chapter I; and to Mr. Sakata for translating several statistical tables from Japanese.

New Haven, August, 1896.