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Show NEVER PUT IN CIRCULATION Dean Swift's Notable Victory in Campaign Cam-paign Against Unpopular Coin Designed De-signed for Ireland. Wood'B halfpence, which was to have been placed for use In Ireland by Great Britain about 200 years ago, was never clrculnted in Erin, as a result of the efforts of Jonathan Swift, at the time dean of St. Patrick's In Dublin, Dub-lin, where he was In "exile," and who had for ten years previously been attacking at-tacking the attitude of the British toward Ireland. Swift's light against the circulation of the coin came when Great Uritaln decided to farm out the contract for their manufacture to a certain William Wil-liam Wood, on condition that he should pay the government l.Ovnl pounds a year for 14 years. In his famous Drnpler letters Swift gradually gradual-ly built np a picture of the ruin which Wood's halfpence were destined to bring npon Ireland. The government ' became alarmed. A report to the privy council made In July, 1724, defended de-fended the patent to Wood, but recommended recom-mended that the amount to be coined should be reduced. In the end Lord Carteret was sent to Ireland as lord lieutenant to endeavor en-deavor to settle the matter on the basis of this compromise. Lord Carteret Car-teret offered a reward of 300 pounds for the discovery of the author of the Drapler letters, and ordered a prosecution prosecu-tion against the printer upon his ar-rival. ar-rival. Swift boldly reproached him with his tyranny, then looked calmly on while the grand Jury threw out the . . bill against the printer In spite of all the efforts of the chief Justice to secure se-cure Its return. The next grand jury presented Wood's halfpence as a nuisance nui-sance which marked the end of It all, the coin neve circulating in Ireland. |