FINANCES, in the French policy, denote the revenues of the king and state: much the same with the treasury or exchequer of the English, and the fiscus of the Romans. — The word is derived from the German finanz, "scrapping, usury." Though Du Cange chooses rather to deduce it from the barbarous Latin finantia, praestatio pecuniaria.
Council of the FINANCES, corresponds to our lords-commissioners of the treasury: the comptroller-general of the finances, to our lord high treasurer, &c.
The French have a peculiar kind of figures, or numerical character, which they call chiffre de finance.