years of the eighteenth century, at which time the proportion of gold to the production of the two metals had risen as high as 40 per cent., whereas in 1600 it had only formed 17.2 per cent. of the total.
From 1760, however, such relative preponderance Page 155 of gold was not maintained. It gradually sank back until, by the beginning of the present century, it had come to form only a little over 23 per cent. of the total. From 1820 to 1840 a recovery took place, but it was not until the Californian gold discoveries that the second great disturbance in the relative production of gold and silver took place; such a disturbance, i.e., as can be fitly compared with that which the sixteenth century witnessed.
| Period. | Annual Production of Gold. | Annual Production of Silver. | Percentage of Gold to Total. | Percentage of Silver to Total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1661-1680 | £1,291,750 | £3,134,150 | 29.2 | 70.7 |
| 1681-1700 | 1,501,700 | 3,179,650 | 31.1 | 67.9 |
| 1701-1720 | 1,788,400 | 3,253,750 | 35.5 | 64.5 |