Holograph draft of an act to come into force 10 May 1702 (but the paragraph containing the date has been deleted) regulating the melting, stamping, import and export of bullion

all Bullion or molten silver and all manufactured silver whatsoever which shall be imported from any foreign Region or Country into this Kingdome & Port of London either in Barrs Ingots Wedges Cakes Pinas or in any other form whatsoever and shall be designed for exportation shall upon its first coming up the River of Thames to the Custome House be brought into his Majesties Mint in the Tower of London by the Master of the Ship and one or more other Witneses who shall there shew their Bill of lading to the Master & Worker of the said Mint or his Deputy or Deputies & before him or them give account thereof and prive upon oath that all the said silver was brought in their ship from beyond the seas into this kingdome and was part of the lading of their ship mentioned in the Bill of lading produced by them and that to the best of their <578r> knowledge no part of the said silver was been heretofore unlawfully exported out of this kingdom or molten out of the current coi thereof, or out of Plate manufactured therein. Which Oath the said Master of the Mint or his Deputy is is hereby authorised & required to administer And after such proof made the said Barrs Ingots Wedges Cakes or other molten masses of silver shall at the choise of the Merchant be either coyned into monies or marked by the said Master & Worker of the Mint or his Deputy with a Mark or Stamp which the said Master & Worker of the Mint is herby required to provide. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid that all silver imported which by the said proof shall appear to be foreign & is not yet molten into Ingotts Cakes or other masses aforesaid and all forreign monies brought to his Majesties MInt, shall if the Merchant desire it, be there molten down into Ingots by the Master & Worker of the said Mint or his Deputy, the Merchant paying for the melting after the rate of one penny per pound weight Troy for every Ingot exceeding twelve pounds weight. And these Ingots shall at the choise of the Merchant be either coyned into monies or marked by the said Master of the Mint or his Deputy with the Mark or Stamp above mentioned. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid that all Ingots Cakes or other molten masses of forreign silver which shall be entered in a Book provided in the Mint for that purpose, and the Master of the Mint or his Deputy shall without fee or reward give to the Merchant an indented Ticket or Certificate cut out of the said Book conteining or expressing the name or names of the true owner or owners thereof & certifying the number & weight of the Ingots Cakes or other molten masses of forreign silver marked as above and also the weight of the monies coyned out of any other Ingots Cakes or molten masses of the said forreign silver all silver brought to the the Mint as forreign & not proved to forreign as above shall be coyned into monies of equal value with the silver & the said shall be delivered to the owner of the silver according to the course of the Mint without any Ticket for exporting the same. And whereas the liberty of exporting silver only in the forme of Bullion occasions the couning of considerable quantities thereof by the Indians in such Ports of the <579r> east Indies where the Merchants trading to these countries have not a Mint of their own, for which coynage the Indians receive of the Merchants a considerable seigniorage or duty at discretion, and the coynage of forreign silver in England with liberty to export so much money by weight and no more as hath been coyned out of the same would by the use of the said money circulating in England till exportation be profitable to the Merchant and encrease the coyn of this kingdome and after exportation by its circulating in foreign countries would make this Kingdō appear abroad more rich and potent then at present to the great credit of the English nation; Be it therefore enacted by the authority aforesaid that from and after the first day of June aforesaid upon delivering the said Tickets or any of them at the Custome house the Merchant by Warrant or Cocket of the Commissioners of the Customes or any            of them which they are hereby upon the receipt of the said Ticket or Tickets (& not otherwise) impowered & required to grant, may within one year after the marking of the Bullion or coyning of the monies certified in the said Tickets or Tickets so delivered upon a day appointed in the Warrant ship or cause to be shipt for exportation the said Bullion so marked and certfified or any part thereof and also the said English silver monies so certified or the same weight of English silver monies or any part thereof. And the Customer shall enter the saide bullion and monies in a book provided in the Custom House for that purpose and shall file the Tickets. And the Merchant upon shipping the said English silver monies for exportation shall pay three half pence per ounce Troy at the Custome house for the Charge of assaying melting and coyning the same which Duty shall be kept apart with the Duty granted for encouragement of coynage and therewith paid into the Exchequer and thence imprest <580r> to the Master & Worker of his Majesties Mint for the same uses; And it shall and may be lawfull for the Merchant to export the Bullion so shipt any law or stature to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding. And be it further enacted by the suthority aforesaid that it shall not be lawfull for any person or persons whatsoever to export or to ship or cause to be shipt or put on board or to buy or sell any Ingots Barrs Wedges Cakes or other molten masses of Silver not marked with the Mint stamp above mentioned nor to ship or cause to be shipt or put on board any silver on any other day then that appointed in the Warrant aforesaid except pocket money allowed to be exported nor to export any silver (other then pocket money aforesaid) out of any other Port of England then that of London nor to export any silver out of Ireland except into England. And of any person or persons whatsoever shall shop or cause to be shipt or put on board any molten silver or Bullion not markt with the Mark or Stampt abovementioned or any greater quantity of Bullion or English silver monies then is certified in the Mint Ticket or Tickets delivered to the Customer q? as above or shall ship any Bullion or Monies in any other name then that of the true owner or on any other day then that appointed in the Warrant aforesaid or it shall & may be lawfull to & for any Officer or Officers of his Majestys customes or any other person or persons whatsoever to seize such molten silver & Bullion so shipped or put in board as forefeited the one Moiety whereof shall be to his Majesty his Heirs & successors & the other Moiety to Officer or Officers or person or persons so seizing the same: And the owner or owners proprietor or ^[1] proprietors of such bullion or monies shall forfeit double the value of such Bullion or Monies one moiety whereof shall be to his Majesty & the other Moiety to the <581r> person that shall see or inform for the same to be recovered with costs of suit in any of his Majestys Courts of Record by action of debt Bill Plaint or Information wherin no Privilige Protection or Wager of Law shall be allowed nor any more then one Imparlance; and the Captain or Master of such ship or vessel if the same belong to a susject who shall knowingly permit the said Molten silver or Bullion to be put on board his Ship or Vessel shall forfeit to such person or persons as shall sue or inform for the same the summ of two hundred pounds to be sued for and recovered in manner as aforesaid and in case the Ship or Vessel be a man of Warr or vessel belonging to his Majesty then the Captain thereof shall forfeit the summ of two hundred pounds to any person that shall sue for the same as aforesaid & shall also forfeit his imployment & be made uncapable of any Office or Imployment Civil or Military. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid that if any Commissioner or Commissioners Offier or Officers of the Customes shall grant any Warrant or Cocket for exporting of any molten silver or Bullion or English monies whatsoever before such Ticket or Certificate concerning the same be delivered at the Custome-house as by this Act is directed and entry thereof made in the Book hereby directed to be kept by the Commissioners of the Customes that every such Commissioner & Officer of the Customes so offending shall forfeit the summ of two hundred pounds & be made uncapable of any office or place of profit or trust whatsoever. And it be further enacted by the authority aforesaid that in case any seizure of any molten silver or bullion or English silver monies shall happen to be made in pursuance of this Act as above or that any Action Bill Plaint or Information shall be broughtfor any of the forfeitures or penalties incurred by this Act and a doubt or question shall arise theron whether the molten silver or Bullion or English silver monies so seized were really and truly forreign Bullion or monies coyned out of forreign <582r> Bullion, or of the like value, or prohibited to be exported, or otherwise forfeited by this Act, in every such case the proof shall lye on the part of the Owner Proprietor or Claimer of such Bullion or Monies or of the Party sued, & in default of such proof the Bullion or monies in question shall be adjudged deemed construed & taken to be Bullion or monies forfeited by this Act & liable to the penalties before mentioned. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid that if any person or persons whatsoever shall buy or sell any molten silver or Bullion not markt with the stamp aforesaid, it shall be lawfull for any other person or persons whatsoever to seize the same as forfeited the one Moiety whereof shall be to his Majesty his heirs or successors & the other Moiety to the person or persons so seizing the same. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid that if any person or persons whatsoever shall counterfeit the Mark or Stamp above mentioned upon any Ingot Barr Cake Wedge or other Mass of molten silver or shall counterfeit any Puncheon Stamp or Dye for making the said Mark or shall counterfeit any Ticket or Tickets of the Master & Worker of his Majesties Mint for procuring the exportation of any Bullion or Monies as aforesiad such person or persons so offending shall be deemed & adjudged guilty of Felony and being thereof convicted or attainted according to the order & course of the laws of this Realm shall suffer death as in case of Felony without benefit of Clergy <582v>