It evolved into the modern British currency, the pound sterling.

And to obtain the pounds, the company must find someone willing to exchange British currency for francs.

The pound took center stage in foreign exchange trading yesterday, sending the dollar to an 18-month low against the British currency.

The British currency has been burdened by concerns about the nation's growing current account deficit, dealers said.

What we had been using was British currency, and that is a fearsome and wonderful thing.

But consider the British currency as it has been.

The pound began 1989 at $1.885, meaning that the dollar's value against the British currency dropped by 14.6 percent in the year.

The company said its growth was constrained by continuing problems in the financial-services industry and the strength of the British currency.

The tax was to be paid in valid British currency, not in colonial paper money.

Partly because many dollar sellers tend to move first into the British currency, the pound rose to $1.7737 from $1.7525.