Letter concerning the memoriall of W. Shepard, N. Shepard and G. Freeman, and their proposal to coin tin

Author: Isaac Newton

Source: T 1/94.8, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK

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<30r>

To the Right Honourable the Lord high Treasurer of England

May it please your Lordship

In Obedience to your Lordships order of Reference of the 15^th. of March last, upon the Memoriall of M^r Will^m. Shepard M^r. N: Shepard, and M^r. Geo: Freeman, wherein they desire to have a patent for coyning forty or fifty Tunns per Annum of Copper halfpence or Farthings, for the space of Eight or Ten years, of equall weight and fineness with those now Current as also your Lordships order of Referrence of the 22^d. of March last upon the Petition of the Provost and Monyers of the Mint, wherein they pray for a License to coyn thirty Tunns of Copper mony a year of the same value, under the direction of Officers of the Mint, and under such restrictions as your Lordship shall think fitt, to relieve them under the great Straits they are in for want of employment in the Mint, they being allow'd no salarys

We humbly take leave to remind your Lordship of a Report we made the 1^st of Iuly last upon a Petition of M^r. Abell Slaney to coin half pence and farthings, wherein we Acquainted Your Lordship, that the coinages of Copper money in the Reign of King Charles the 2^d. King James the 2^d. and in the begining of the Reign of the late King & Queen had been carried on at the charge of the Crown, under the care and direction of the Principall Officers of the Mint, who kept due Entrys thereof in Books, and the whole <30v> Profitt and Advantage was Accounted upon Oath to the Crown, which we then thought the best & safest Method to be followed

We have not heard any reasons since to Alter our opinions, and therefore humbly propose to your Lordship that whenever her Majesty shall think fitt to order Copper mony to be coined, that it may be performed as near as may be According to the Method of the Mint, that either a Generall Importer or the Master worker of the Mint may have money Imprest to him to buy copper to be coined into halfpence and farthings, under the same cheques that are Observed for the coinage of Gold and Silver, and to be coined by small quantitys, sufficient only to answer the demands of persons, without danger of complaints by overstocking the Nation. out of the clear profitts whereof, her Majesty may have it in her power either to relieve the wants of the monyers of the Mint, many of whom we must inform your Lordship are in a Starving condition, or to gratify any other persons

All which is humbly Submitted to your

Lordships great wisdome.

^[1]

I Stanley

Is. Newton

In Ellis.

^[1] Mint office
Apr. 5. 1705