'Of Spanish Money'

Author: Isaac Newton

Source: MINT 19/2/197, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK

Additional Information
- Notes on the Electronic Edition
  - You are currently reading the diplomatic version of this text. Diplomatic transcriptions offer a detailed representation of the document with minimal editorial intervention. All deletions and additions are rendered in the text and abbreviations have not been expanded. Switching to the normalized view of this text will hide 24 deletions, silently include 22 additions and apply 7 editorial regularizations.
- Revision History
  - 1 January 2001
    - Catalogue information compiled by Rob Iliffe, Peter Spargo & John Young
  - 29 September 2011
    - Catalogue exported to teiHeader by Michael Hawkins
  - 12 March 2017
    - Transcribed by Will Scott
- Download MINT00220.xml and schema (advanced users only)

<197r>

Of Spanish Money.

The gold monies of Spain are the double Dobleon or four Pistole piece {is}|wit|h sixteeen Reales, the Dobleon worth 8 Reales, the single Pistole worth four Realis, the Ecus de Mare or Crown de Mare worth 2 Reales or 16 Reaus or 544 Maravadis. The silver pieces are the {r}|R|eale, Piastre or Piece of 8 worth 1 Reale o{illeg}|r| 8 Reaus of old Plate & 10 of new. For since the year 16{illeg}|8|6 their monies have been raised 25 p^r cent, or in the proportion of 5 to 4 to 5. The half & quarter pieces of eight called in Ireland half & quarter cobbs worth 4 & 2 Reaus of old plate & 5 & 2 $\frac{1}{2}$ . The Rea\u/{illeg}|l|e of plate or silver worth 34 Maravadies. The Maravadi is a little piece of copper money. Their Pistoles & Pieces of $\frac{8}{8}$ are of the same weight fineness & value w^th the French Lewidors & Ecus. The Pistoles are accounted $\frac{1}{4}$ ^legr wors{.} {illeg}|t|heir pieces of $\frac{8}{8}$ of Sevil $\frac{1}{2}$ ^{legr\dw^t/} worse, those of Mexico 1 $\frac{1}{2}$ ^{dw^t} worse those of Peru 16 (1 $\frac{1}{2}$ )^{dw^t}\12^{dw^t}/ worse, the Pillar pieces of $\frac{8}{8}$ are $\frac{1}{2}$ ^dwt better. Their Ducat is not a real coyne but an {illeg}|im|aginary one being a name put for 11 Reaus 374 Maravadis in merchandizing &|or| 11 Reaus & 1 Maravadi or 375 Maravadis in Bills of exchange. For exchanges are often made by the D{illeg}|u|cat. The silver money above mentioned they call money of plate. This is reale effective & invariable. They have another sort of money called money of Billion w^ch is partly reale of silver & copper mint) & partly imaginary & this money is half the value of y^e money of Plate, but variable in value. In this money there are no Reales nor Reaus in specie but only quarter & half quarter of Reaus.

One Sevill piece dated 1691 weight 13^dwt 21^gr. Another dated 1700 weight 14^dwt 00^gr By the assay both{e} were found standard. They seem to be four fifts of the old Piasters & to be coyned for eight Reaus after the Piastres were raised to tenn & to be worth about 3^s. {illeg}|7| $\frac{1}{4}$ ^d.

Pieces of eight should weigh 17 $\frac{1}{2}$ ^{dw^t} & 1000 pieces of eight should weigh 7|8|75 ounces or 72^℔ {illeg}|11| ounces Troy, but they usually weigh Merchants find that those w^ch come from Mexico\the West Indies/ fresh out of the Mint (the Mexico & Pillar pieces usually weigh but 872 ounces {pr}|or| 72^℔ 8 ounces Tory \the thousand/ & sometimes but {illeg} 72^℔ 5^oz, especially if there be many pillar pieces mixt w^th the Mexico. For the Pillar pieces are scarce so heavy as the Mexico & some of them are a little worn: whereas the Mexico come all of the{m} fresh out of the mint. The merchants sort them & send the lighter pieces to the \sea/ coasts of France & other places where they pass as money to|h|e 8 grain pieces to barbary; the four grain pieces to Turkey & the pillar pieces to England {illeg}|f|or the melting pot. Whence t{illeg}|h|e pillar pieces in London equal or exceed the Mexico pieces in number.