servitude for life
or for not less than three years, or imprisonment for not more than two
years, with or without hard labour. Whoever impairs, diminishes or
lightens current gold or silver coin, with intent to pass same, is
liable to penal servitude for from three to fourteen years (s. 4), and
whoever has in his possession filings or clippings obtained by impairing
or lightening current coin is liable to the same punishment, or to penal
servitude for from three to seven years. The statute also makes
provision against tendering or uttering false gold or silver coin, which
is a misdemeanour, punishable by imprisonment with or without hard
labour. Provision is also made with respect to falsely making,
counterfeiting, tendering or uttering copper coin, exporting false coin,
or defacing current coin by stamping names or words on it, and
counterfeiting, tendering or uttering coin resembling or meant to pass
as that of some foreign state. The act of 1861 applies to offences with
respect to colonial coins as well as to those of the United Kingdom.

By the constitution of the United States, Congress has the power of
coining money, regulating the value thereof and of foreign coin (Art. i.
s. viii.), and the states are prohibited from coining money, or making
anything but gold and silver money a tender in payment of debts (Art. i.
s. x.). The counterfeiting coin or money, uttering the same, or
mutilating or defacing it, is an offence against the United States, and
is punishable by fine and imprisonment with hard labour for from two to
ten years. It has also been made punishable by state legislation.

COIR (from Malay _K[=a]yar_, cord, _K[=a]yaru_, to be twisted), a rough,
strong, fibrous substance obtained from the outer husk of the coco-nut.
(See COCO-NUT PALM.)

COIRE (Ger. _Chur_ or _Cur_, Ital. _Coira_, Lat. _Curia Raetorum_,
Romonsch _Cuera_), the capital of the Swiss canton of the Grisons. It is
built, at a height of 1949 ft. above the sea-level, on the right bank of
the Plessur torrent, just as it issues from the Schanfigg valley, and
about a mile above its junction with the Rhine. It is overshadowed by
the Mittenberg (east) and Pizokel (south), hills that guard the entrance
to the deep-cut Schanfigg valley. In 1900 it contained 11,532
inhabitants, of whom 9288 were German-speaking, 1466 Romonsch-speaking,
and 677 Italian-speaking; while 7561 were Protestants, 3962 Romanists
and one a Jew. The modern part of