Draft of MINT00470 (Mint 19/3/107-8); Mint 19/3/105-6 dated 7 October 1718

<102r>

May it please your Lordships

In obedience to your Lordships Order of Reference upon the Memorial of the General of the Mint in Scotland for impresting upon account 2400^li to his Lordship out of the Coinage Duty as due for the service of the said Mint for the two years ending at Christmas last together with such further summ as your Lordships shall judge necessary for bearing the charge of coinage, I humbly represent, That be the Act of Vnion there was to be a Mint in Scotland conformable to the Mint in England, & by the Act which passed in the first year of his Majesty for continuing the former Acts for encouragement of coinage, your Lordships are impoured, out of the moneys arising in Great Brittain by the said Act to cause so much money to be issued out of the Exchequer to the Master of the Mint in England & to the General of the Mint in Scotland respectively by way of imprest & upon account as shall be necessary for defraying the expences of the said Mints. And accordingly 1200 the summ of 1200^li has been already issued to the General of that Mint not as an Annuity due to the Mint but upon Account, & therefore an Account thereof should be certified to your Lordships in order to know what moneys are to be further imprest to his Lordship.

That the standing salaries of the Officers of that Mint amount unto 930^li per annum & therefore if 1000^li per annum towards the charges of coinage & of keeping the Offices in repair & the dwelling houses wind & water tite, & the ballance of the Account may be certified into the Treasury annually in order to be paid off. There is also a further salary of 50^li per annum allowed to the Clerk of the Bullion untill his place becomes void he being an useless officer. And the Indenture of that Mint became void by the said late Act of Parliament in relation to the Masters Office of receiving & paying & accounting.

All which being considered 7amp; that by the Act of Vnion the Mint in England is not altered & the Mint in Scotland ought to be conformable to that in England: I am humbly of opinion that the money arising by the coinage Act in England be still imprest to the Master & Worker of his Majesties Mint in the Tower by a Sign Manual as before <102v> the union & in the same manner. And that out of the moneys arising by the coinage Act in great Britain so much be imprest from time to time upon account for the use & service of his Majesties mint at Edinburgh by a like Sign Manual as shall be sufficient, for the maintenance thereofso that the whole moneys from time to time upon the same sign manual do not exceed a certain summ suppose t

In the Mint in Scotland the salaries amount only to 980^li per annum whereof 50^li per annum is to cease at the death of the late Clerk of the Bullion: & therefore 1200^li per annum to that Mint without including the charge of coynage is too much. If to the 200^li already in their hands 1800^li more be added to make up the whole summ 3000 for the three years ending at Christmas last & the 1800^li be imprest for the use & service of that Mint in general so that it may be applicable to all sorts of charges: when the Account is made up till Christmas last, & the ballance of the account is certified to your Lordships, it will then appear to your Lordships what further summ should be imprest.

The salaries of that Mint amount unto 980^li per annum whereof 50^li per annum is allowed to the late Clerk of the Bullion during life & 50^li per annum was added to the Wardens salary a little before the Vnion in consideration of services done to some of the Nobility of Scotland. And when these two fifty pounds cease the salaries will amount only to 880^li per annum. And therefore an Annuity of twelve hundred pounds per annum without including the charge of coinage is too much.

It may be sufficient at present to add 1800^li to the 1200^li already imprest, so as to make the whole summ 3000^li advanced for the three years ending at Christmas last. And when the Accounts shall be made up for those three years & a copy thereof sent to your Lordships, it will then appear to your Lordships what further summ should be imprest. But I am humbly of opinion that there should be a signe Manual – – – untill a new Indenture shall be made.

And when that Mint shall be to a posture to coine, care may be taken that there be always a summ of money (suppose of one, two or three hundred pounds,) lodged in the Generals hands for bearing the charges thereof, & appropriated to that service; with direction that whenever that summ shall fall short, the charges of coinage be born out of any other moneys in the Generals hands untill the deficiency can be made up

All which &c

✱ & the charge of keeping the Officers in repair & the dwelling houses wind & waster tite can be but small.

And that there may be no more complaints of the want of moneys to beare the charges of coynage, the General may have notice to pay those charges in the first place & let the deficiency (if there by any) fall upon the salaries.

<103r>

– wherein is set for{t}h that pursuant to the Acts of Parliament for encouragement of coinage, moneys have been issued after the rate of 1200^li yearly for the service of the Mint in Scotland untill 1^st Decem. 1714. And that pursuant to an Act in the first session of this present Parliament twelve hundred pounds more have been issued upon account for one years service untill 1^st Decem 1715 & 2400^li more are due for the two years ending 1^st December last. I humbly represent that no moneys are due to that Mint by way of an Annuity.

The standing salaries of that Mint amount unto 930^li per annum, besides an allowance of 50^li per annum to the Clerk of the Bullion duuring life. And therefore 1200^li per annum without including the charges of coinage, is too much. It may be sufficient at present to add 1800^li more to the 1200^li allready imprest so as to make the whole summ 3000^li for the three years ending at Christmass last. And then the Accounts shall be made up for those three years & a copy thereof sent to your Lordships: it will then appear to your Lordships what further summs should be imprest. But there may be a signe manual now sent to the General of th{a}t Mint impowering & directing him to pay the salaries to whom they are or shall due by the Indenture of that Mint, & to pay off Bills of charges examined by the Master, Warden & Counterwarden & to make up his Accounts annually, & directing in their several Posts to take care that the moneys be duly coined & him & all the Officers to observe the Rules & Precepts set down in the Indenture of that Mint (except the alterations made by Parliament) untill a new Indenture shall be made.

But considering that the General of that Mint is not impowered by the Indenture of that Mint to pay any moneys, I am humbly of opinion that there should be a signe Manual sent to him impowering & directing him to pay the salaries & other expences to whom they are or shall become due by the said Indenture & to make up his Accounts annually, & directing him & all the Officers in their several places to take care that the moneys be duly coined, & to observ{e} all the Rules & Precepts set down in the said Indenture (except the alterations made by Parliament) untill a new Indenture shall be made.