Memorandum on the royal tin trade

<561r>

1. If her Majestys Tinn continue to be sold after the rate of 76^li per Tunn, her Majesty will run above thirty thousand pounds intoo debt years till the term of the bargain be expired, & after all the Tin is sold off be a great loser by the bargain.

2 The raising of the price will not much abate the consumption & notwithstanding such abatement will bring in more money annually then comes in by the present price.

3 The higher the price the more it is for her Majestys advantage & for the advantage of the nation provided the price be not immoderate.

4 the Farmers of Tin have formerly sold it at 6^li per Hundred & therefore we believe it may be reasonably set at 5^li 5^s as in the Proposall & if it should be set at 5^li 10^s or 6^li per hundred as formerly, we should not think the price immoderate. And we are humbly of opinion that the price be raised at once.

6 It will be three years before the Dutch can have Tinn from India & after that they will have but two years more to prejudice her Majestys bargain.

7 If upon raising the price of her Majestys Tin it be declared that no Tin shall be sold under that price during the next three years, the merchants here will venture to buy at that price because they will have time to sell before the price abates & the Dutch will not venture to buy much Indian Tin because they know not what price that Tinn will bear three years hence when they bring it home.

5 For quickning the sale of the Tinn it may be sold 4 or 5^s per hundred cheaper upon the wharf then in the Tower, to them who for every two or three Tins of blocks will take of one Ton of small barrs at the same price with the blocks in the Tower

8 And for further preventing any prejudice from the importation of the Indian Tin her Majestys Envoy in Holland or some other fit person may propose to the Dutch East India company that if they will covenant with her Majesty that they shall bring over no more Tinn during her Majestys contract then they used to do (which is about 20 Tunns annually) they may make their advantage of it by raising the price thereof proportional to the price of her Majesties Tin without any impediment from her Majestys subjects, otherwise not: & the English East India company may be treated with to raise the price of Tinn in the Indies by such methods as they are acquainted with in case the Dutch company do not enter into the said contract or do afterwards break it

<561v>

Tin exported in time of peace 1274 Tuns per annum by a medium of the 4$\frac{1}{4}$ years between the two ways.

Tin exported in the last year of the first war 9470$\frac{1}{2}$

Tin exported in the first year of this war 9219$\frac{1}{2}$.