Variant holograph drafts of MINT00397 (Mint 19/3/152)

<158r>

To y^e R^t Hon^ble y^e Earl of Godolphin L^d H. Tr. of g^t Britain

May it pl. yo^r Lo^p

In obedience to yo^r Lo^ps Order of Reference of 22 of this instant Decemb^r we have perused y^e annexed Memorial of y^e Master of her Ma^ts Mint at Edinburgh, & for explaining o^r opinion about the Order w^ch maken be taken there \convenient to be made/ upon it we humbly represent that Gol & Silver is imported into her Maj^ts Mint in the Tower in the Ingott {illeg}|&| if it be not in the Ingot the Merchant or Importer is at the charge of melting it into Ingots \with the wast made in that melting/ \causes it to be made into ingots at his own charge {illeg}|&| loss by wast/ before the Master & Worker \can/ {illeg}|rec|eive{s} it by weight & assay upon his Note in order to coyn it. And according to this method y^e publick paid for this first melting \& wast/ in the late recoinage of the hammered moneys in England, & the Bank of Scotland should {w} pay for this melting in the present recoinage of the moneys in Scotland, & place the charge in the account \of the deficiency/ to be made good out of the Equivalent\|silver| should be now placed among the losses w^ch private persons may sustein {illeg}|b|y reducing the coin of Scotland to the standard & value of the coyn of England & w^ch \by the act of union/ are to made good out of the Equivalent in the first place/

But the disposal of the Equivalent being lodged in Commissioners by Act of Parliam^t & her Ma^ties Privy Counsel of Scotland having ordered this melting with an allowance of three pence half penny per lw^tt for the performance thereof, & having by Act of Parliam^t a power over the Coynage Duty of y^e Mint at E{illeg}|d|inburgh but not over the Equivalent: the consideration of this matter seems to us to lye either before her Maj^ts said Privy Councill & \before/ the Commissioners of the Equivalent, {sic} or one of them & the said Bank.

For the Act of Parliament w^ch appoints y^e Duty for coynage in Scotland ordeins that y^e said Duty shall be kept apart in a chest & not be delivered but at such times as her Ma^ty or her Privy Council shall think fit to y^e General or|&| Master of her Ma^ts Mint for payment of y^e salaries of y^e Officers thereof & for defraying the charge expence & charge of a free coynage & for the farther encouragement of Merchants & others to import Bullion. And we do not know but that by \the last words of/ this clause of this Act a power may be lodged in her Ma^ty or her Council of applying the said moneys even to the first melting whenever it shall be thought fit for the encouragement of coynage.

We are therefore humbly of opinion that before your Lord^p give any Order about this matter, application be made by the General & Master of the said Mint or one of them to her Ma^ties most Hon^ble Privy Council in Scotland & to the Comm^rs of y^e Equivalent \& the {illeg}/ for an Order for the payment of y^e said three pence half penny out of the propper fund.

The charge of refining the coarser Ingots to bring the remainder to standard being very uncertain is \certainly/ to be allowed to y^e Master in his accounts among the incident charges. In recoining the forreign moneys it may amount to about 3^d or {illeg} p^r lw^t. In recoining those of Scotland to less then a farthing p^r lw^tt & we are humbly of opinion that moneys should be advanced to y^e said Master \from time to time by the Comm^rs of the Treary of Scotland/ out of the said Chest \to the Master/ for enabling <159r> {him to} bear this charge, w^ch mayy be one \‡/ < insertion from f 158v > either by \either {illeg}|by| orders of/ the Comm^rs of y^e Treary w^th y^e consent\approbation/ \either |at such times as|/ her Ma^ts Privy Council in Scotland \{illeg}|shall| think fit/ or by yo^r Lord^ps \Order/ by virtue of a signe manual. {sic} For the Act of Parliam^t w^ch appoints the Order being directed to            \Steward Collecto{illeg}|rs| of y^e Bullion for coynage/. For the Act of Parliament w^ch appoints the Duty for coynage in Scotland Ordeins that the said Dity shall – – – – import Bullion. And the Officer who keeps the key of this Chest is called the collector of y^e Bullion < text from f 159r resumes > by Order either of her Ma^ty of {of} her Privy Council in Scotland.

The Moneyers are allowed ten pence halfpenny for marking & coyning the moneys in her Ma^ties Mint in the Tower & could not be prevailed with to send some of their body from their families & from their farms to y^e Mint at Edinborough upon lower terms then those allowed in her Maj^ts Mint Warrant, whereof the 9^d p^r lw^t is the same allowance for coynage as in the Tower, {illeg}|b|ut the Master & Worker of her Ma^ts Mint in the Tower pays only 8^d thereof out of this standing allowance for coynage & the|r| Maj^ty gives the other penny to the Moneyers for coyning the moneys well. And we are humbly of opinion that her Maj^ty may make the like gift to the Moneyers in Scotland for their good service, whether it be of a penny per lw^tt, or of the charges mentioned in the said Warrant above the nine pence ,|(|what, |(|in o^r opinion may amount to almost a half penny p^r lw^tt;|)| directing the Masrter by a signe Manual to make this allowance to the Moneyers out of such moneys as sh{illeg}|a|ll be imprest to him for the service of the Mint & the Auditors to allow the same in his Account.

|And| When it is determined what chargegs shall be allowed \incidents are to/ be allowed \out of the coynage money/ to the Master in his accounts among\for/ the Incidents, we {illeg} are humbly of opinion that the Master do lay before her Ma^ts Privy Councill of Scotland \& before the Comm^rs of her Treasury Ma^ts Treary in Scotland/ monthly or as often as shall be convenient an Account (signed by the other Officers if it be required) of what moneys have been coyned since the last accounts & what moneys are due to him for the same \or for any preceding coynage including incidents/ including incidents, {illeg} \☉/ < insertion from f 158v > ☉ or what money he is directed by her Ma^ty or your Lord^p to pay upon \any/ acc^t of the coynage, that the said Comm^rs of the Treasury may order Scotland may order such summs too be paid to him upon account from time to time as may enable him to carry on the coynage. < text from f 159r resumes > the her Maj^ts said Council \the Comm^rs of the Treary w^th the consent of/ may order {illeg}|su|ch summs to be paid to him from time to time as they shall judge\{be} proper/ |be| proper for carrying on the coynage

And when\ever/ it shall be thought convenient to bring the constitution of that Mint nearer to the constitution of the Mint in the Tower we are humbly of opinion that by her Ma^ts signe manual, at y^e instance of the said Master \from time to time/ such round summs of \coynage/ money as yo^r Lord^p shall think proper fit (suppose of one two, four or five thousand pounds at a time) be delivered out of the said Chest\paid/ \from time to time by the Cash-keeper out of the Chest of moneys be{illeg}/ to the General & Master upon Account to be kept in a chest in the Treasury of the Mint under the keys of the General the Master the Warden & the Counter warde or three of them & issued out thence by the common consent of the said Officers at due times & in due summs for paying the salaries & charges of coynage & repairs other just charges of the Mint by the said Master, he giving security & accounting \annually/ for the same.

All w^ch

<159v>

For the words of y^e Act are these. It is agreed that in {the f}irst place out of the aforesaid summ (that is out of the summ {call}ed the Equivalent) what consideration shall be found necessary to be had for any losses w^ch private persons may sustain by reducing the coin of Scotland to y^e standard & value of the coin of England, may be made good.

Considering therefore that her Ma^ts most hon^ble Privy Council of Scotland \have/ direction the the three Com^rs who receive the \old/ moneys\Receivers of the old moneys/ to bring \deliver/ the same to M^r Allardes to be melted into Ingots that order then being delivered by weight & assay to the be recointed {sic}\the ingots might be weighed assayed &/ & |have| ordered that M^r Allards should {receive}\have/ 3$\frac{1}{2}$ p^r lw^t for \this/ melting \{illeg}/ {the{illeg}} into Ingots\{illeg}|&| wast/: we are humbly of op{p}inion that \†/ before yo^r Lord^p give any order about this matter M^r Allards should apply to y^e \her M^ts/ said Privy Council for their Order to y^e said Comm^rs therein if any doubt arise

† the said Receivers should out of the new coyned moneys pay for this {illeg} the|i||s| {9}$\frac{1}{2}$ in th{illeg}|e| first place the same {among} \place & {illeg} set down the same in the acc^t of/ the losses susteined by reducing the coin of Scotland to y^e standard {illeg}|&| value of y^e coin of England, & t{illeg}|h|at if any doubt arise about this matter, M^r Allards apply to the P\application should be made to/ her Ma^ts Privy C. of Scotl. \for their Order direction/ before yo^r Lo^p {illeg}\give/ any Order about it.

† the paym^t of this 3$\frac{1}{2}$ should be made \(before all other payments)/ by y^e said Receivers out of y^e new coynd moneys before all other payments {illeg}|&| be placed in y^e account {illeg}|o|f the losses susteined by reducing the coin of Scotland to y^e standard & value of y^e coin of England, & that if any doubt \about this matter it {illeg}/ application be made to her Ma^ts Privy Council in Scotland {illeg} \for putting the for ordering this payment/ before {illeg}|yo|^r Lord^p give any order about it.

it seems to us that y^e sad|i|d 3$\frac{1}{2}$ is a just due to M^r Allards from the said Receivers by the said Act of Parl. & Order of Council \together {illeg}/ & \upon demand/ ought to be paid {illeg}|o|ut of y^e new coyned money{illeg} in the first {illeg}|p|lace before the|i||s| said money {illeg} be applyed to make good any other losses \{illeg}|o|r dammages/ or deficiencie|y|s & that \{whatsoever}: And that/ the said Receivers {illeg} |should\are to/| \are to/ place this payment in their Accounts i|o|f the losses susteined by reducing y^e coy|i|n of Scotland to y^e standard & value of the coin of England:|.| a|A|nd that \where {illeg}/ any doubt arises about this matter, it has \seems to lye/ before the {illeg}|h|er Maj^ts most hon^ble Privy Council to heare \of Scotl{illeg}|and|, who should heare may heare/ the same {illeg} upon application made to them, before yo^r Lord^p give any Order about it, they having appointed this melting.

After the master have receive |t|it|h||e| \Ingot/ upon his Note, he melts & coins |t|it|ha||t| at his own charge, but. And After And after the silver is thus received from {illeg} {illeg} y^e Master\delivered to the Master/ \& in his custody he/ bears all the charge of melting & coining it, but |[|the charge of {illeg} & loss susteined by melting it into Ingots by before this delivery is always born by Importers \{illeg}/ before this delivery \because/ the Silver is \then/ in the Importers\his custod {sic}/ custody & at his disposal |[|& he may \melt it himself or/ imploy whom he pleases to melt it into Ingots & \but/ cannot oblige the Master of y^e Mint to melt it into Ingo perform this melting {illeg}\melt it/ nor so much as to receive {illeg}|it| as Master of the Mint. For the Master receives all silver into the Mint. For y^e Master receives all silver|]| & he must make it fit to be {delivered} before the assayed & {the} weight|e||d| f|b|efore the Master can receive for coynage according to the intrinsic value. Accordingly the public paid for in y^e late recoinage of the hammered moneys in England p|t|he publick paid for the melting of the money into ingots