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THE CURRENCY. We complete to-day our extracts from the annual report of the Controller of the Currency, of which we printed a portion on Saturday. The limit of the National Bank issues in each State and Territory is fixed on the basis of population. resources, businees, and bank capital, as ascertained by the census. The last census required a new apportionment, as it showed a total increase in the population of the Union of more than 7,000,000 persons, and in wealth of nearly $14,000,000,000. An act was accordingly passed providing for an additional issue of $54,000,000. Of this the largest sum, $8,400,000, apportioned to any State, went to Illinois; Ohio and Kentucky each got over $5,000,000; Indiana, $4,000,000; Michigan and Louisiana each over $3,000,000; the distribution being made one-half on the population and one-half on the wealth of the country. It will be noticed that the increase all goes to the South and West, and more is yet needed to give those sections their due apportionment; to accomplish this, $25,000,000 is to be withdrawn and redeemed from the circulation of banks in New-York and New-England, and a corresponding amount authorized to banks in States that have not now their quota. It is a commonly received but somewhat erroneous opinon that the amount of currency in the hands of each individual member of the community has been on the average largely increased by the National Bank system; but this report only gives it now as, for the whole United States, $9 18 per capita, against $7 59 before National Banks existed: but the circulation of U. S. Treasury notes should be added before any conclusion is reached from these figures. The State of Rhode Island has the largest per capita circulation: $61 56; Mississippi the least:-one centexcept Florida and California, which have none. New-York has but $14 08. The National Banks have paid in the last eight years some $40,000,000 taxes to the United States; their State and national taxes for four specified years together amount to $71,000,000. The bank dividends are not so large on the average as is generally supposed: they do not exceed in the aggregate those of the old State banks; for the whole Union they but slightly exceed five per cent on invested capital. The great question of the proper reserve to be held by the National Banks is discussed in this report, and the conclusion reached that it is only the smaller and weaker banks that want to go below the present limit. Their necessities arise from putting out their funds at interest on deposit with Eastern banks-a condition which has more than once given riso to the most serious financial convulsions, as in 1857 - and a remedy proposed by the Controller is the issue of a new security by Government which will afford these banks the needful investment at interest. Not the least interesting feature of this report is the announcement that the Chicago banks, 80 far from being crippled as was anticipated after the fire by losses on discounted paper and the withdrawal of their balances, in point of fact steadily increased in business and profit, after resuming without embarrassment as soon as their safes were cool. There is a similar prospect in Boston, where the aggregate losses since the fire on bills receivable are estimated at less than three millions of dollars, which the bank surpluses will cover without touching capital or reserve. The question of usury is discussed. It appears that the penalty for its practice by National Banks is not clearly defined, and the Controller therefore declines to institute proceedings concerning it. A general law for the establishment of Savings Banks in the District of Columbia seems desirable. Locking up greenbacks is reprehended, and the New-York Stock Board and Clearing House are asked to discourage it. A table of the specie kept on hand by the banks shows it as less in October last than in many years before; as $10,000,000 against a usual average of $25,000,000. In the few cases of failure among the National Banks, the unfortunate institutions seem to be wound up with less ruinous loss to depositors and stockholders than has ever been re-
