'The state of the Mint & Coynage according to the best of my knowledge'

<4r>

The state of the Mint & Coynage \according to the best of my knowledge/ has hitherto been as follows.

Vpon a contract between the Crown & the Master & Work^r for y^e time being some Officers of the mint act in behalf of the Crown as cheques upon the Master to see that he performs his contract duty & others act under the Master for performi{illeg}|ng| that contract. \By the Indenture of the Mint/ The Warden pays the Salaries of the former to the {illeg}|c|harges of repairing & rebuilding the Officers & Houses & providing necessaries therein for assayin melting {illeg}|ass|aying & coyinging {sic} &|o|f Bullion. \{&} the charges of the {illeg} Diets of the Officers & other necessary charges to be imployed in & about the making of the said moneys, or repairing of the Offices & Houses necessary to be imployed in the said |service|/ \& the general Incidents of the Mint/, the Master directs the making & repairing of {illeg}his\the/ Instruments used by him by hi{illeg}|m| & defrays the charges thereof & {illeg}|t|hose of {illeg} reduceing the bullion to standard & of Assaying melting assaying & coyning & of the wast made in the operations, & as Treasurer of the Mint he pays also the fees at the Exchequer & Treasury of y^e coynage money & those of ppassying the Accounts through the several Offices of the Excheq^r. He pays all|s||o| the charges of \ordinary fees upon/ {illeg}|t|rying the Pix|.| & those {illeg}|o|f making the trial pieces & of dinners for the Iuries a And by th{s}|i|s & the Master are enabled to make up their Acc^ts separately without depending upon one another.
    The charges of reducing the Bullion to standard (viz^t by refining & allay) are by the Indenture of the Mint
    The salaries from the time of making the Coynage Act have amounted to 2600^li & sometimes to more so that for defraing {sic} the charges of y^e buildings & {things} other necessaries there has remained only 400^li p^r an, whereof the buildings have taken \usually taken up/ two or three & some times almost 400^li.
    The charges of reducing the Bullion to standard, viz^t by refining & allay are {illeg} allowed to the M^r & W^r by a clause in the Indenture of the Mint: w^ch clause would have been needless had this clause \charge/ been \deemed/ within the 3000^li.
    Charcoal, Aqua fortis, Water-silver, Lead & Cupels \for the Assay Office/ & loss by the Assays are within the charges \& wast/ of Assaying & so to be {illeg}|b|or{illeg}|n| out of the surplus above the 3000, by the coynage Act. And of the same kind is the\are/ Assay {illeg} the charges of repair buy repairing Assay furnaecs & buying new ones, these being moveables made of copper plates & luted within with loom.
    Furnaces for the Melting houses are distinguished from the buildings these being under the Masters direction & within his Accoutns while the buildings are withing the Wardens. Th Hearths & Chy|i|mneys co{nv}{illeg} necessary for such Fur{illeg}|n|aces are {illeg}|w|ithing the Wardens Account|.| the The Master {illeg} adds repairs \removes/ & rebuilds the furnaces at discreti{illeg}|o|n without medling with the buildings. |The nealing & blanching furnaces are also under the Masters| /direction within his Acc^t.\
    Mills-rooms w^th such floors as are necessary for erecting \& benches for c|C|utters {sic}/ are within the Wardens Acc^ts: the Mills & Cutters are under being Engins for coyning are under the Masters direction & within his Acc^ts. The Moneyers repair the Iron work of these Engins out of their allowance for coynage: the M^r repairs the wooden work & places the charge ther{illeg}|eof| in his Acc^t. the same is to be understood of the {illeg} Presses & Flatters \& Cutters/. The Moneyers out of their allowance for coynage repair the iron work of all the engins used by them & this by a clause in the Indenture of the Mint; & therefore the charge of repairing the coyning Engins have not hitherto bee reputed w^thin the 3000^li. Nor was it practicable to comprehend them within this {sic} charge <4v> the salaries amounting to 2600^li & the repairs of y^e Engins \& furnaces frequently/ to above 500^li besides the buildings.|]|

By y^e Act of 18 Car II entituled An Act for encourage|i|ng of Coynage the Salaries of the Officers of the Mint {illeg}|&| the charges of providing maintaining & repairing the buildings of the houses Offices & buildings & \|[|those of {the} providing maintaining & repairing|]|/ other necessaries for assaying melting down & coyning the {illeg} are limited to 3000^li \for preventing extravagance/ & the Overplus if it be employed f{illeg}|o|r & towards\appropriated by//(for encouraging the coinage) is appropriated to\ the expence wast & charge of assaying meltign down & coyning, {illeg}|&| by|u|ying in of Bullion to coyn. And in the clause preceding, these necessaries are called the charge \or expence/ of the Mint, & the overplus is called y^e \charge or/ expence of Assaying melting down & coyning & the encouragement of bringing in bullion. By the first I understand such necessaries \for coining/ as may be limited without discouraging teh coynage by the such second such as {arise} cannot, that is such as arise from \the {being} of/ a coynage & increase or decrease therewith. The Act of Parliam^t reccons th{illeg}|e| {illeg} salaries & repairs\Houses Offices & buildings/ among the necessaries & the Indentures of the Mint add the Diet of the Officers. made at that time, adds the Diet, & allows 2600^li \per an/ for the salaries & so leaves {illeg}|o|nly {343} 400^li for the buildings Diet & other necessarie|y|s. |provisions whereby the Master may be enabled to carry on the coinage.|

Vpon a contract \by Indenture/ between the Crown & the Master & W^r for y^e time being, some Officers of y^e Mint act in behalf of the Mint crown as ches upon the Master to see that he performs his covenants contract duly & others act under him for {illeg}|p|erforming that contract And by the Indenture the Warden pays the Salaries of the former & the charges \of the repairs &/ of the \repairs &/ Diet &|o|f the Officers & other necessary charges to be {illeg}|im|ployed in & about the making of the moneys & repai{illeg}|r|ing of the Offices & Houses necessary to be imployed in the said service. There are the necessaries within the 3000^li. And the Master pays the Moneyers

<5r>

By the Indenture of the Mint the Warden pays the Salaries of y^e former, & the charges of the Diet of the Officers & other necessary charges to be imployed about in & about the making of the said moneys or repairing of ht e Offices & Houses necessary to be imployed in the said service. And the Master pays the Moneyers 9$\frac{1}{2}$ per lw^t of silver & 3^s 6^d p^r lw^t of Gold for drawing cutting flatting & sizing the same marking & coyning the same & repairing the rollers\for all their labour \wast/ & expence therein & for/ keeping in repair all other Tools Engins the Rollers & Instruments to cut flatten make round \&/ size & mark y^e pieces of m & mark them on the edges & all other tools Engins & instruments \amongst w^ch are the wei\Mills & the/ scales & weights \& vices & files/ for sizing/. B But the wooden work of the said {illeg} Mills Presses & Cutters & the Nealing & blanching furnaces \& the furnaces in the melting houses/ are repaired by the direction of the Master & the charges the\r/of are placed in his Account \according to the {Laws} of the Mint/ And so are \all/ the charges of Assaying, {illeg} (viz^t in charcoal, Aqua fortis, watersil{illeg}|v|er, lead, furnaces & Cuppels,{)}) & the charges of reducing the silver to standard by assa refineing & allay. A All these charges are paid by the Master out of the surplus above y^e 3000^li; \viz^t/ the charges of repairing the Mills Presses & other coynng {sic} tools & those of reducing the Bullion to standard \{illeg}/ by \vertue of/ certain clauses of the Indenture, & those of Assaying by \vertue of a clause of/ the coynage {act}|Act||.| & The wooden work of the Mills Presses & Cutter Flatters {can}|ma||y| be considered as belonging to the coyning Tools. The Assay furnace is a moveable engin m{a}de of copper plates. The other furnaces are distinguished from the bu{il}dings in being under the Masters direct. He erects repairs demolishes & rebuilds removes & rebuilds them without medling with the other buildings or asking te consent or leave of the other Officers & he places the charges \of repairing them/ in his own Account \according to the course of the Mint/ while the charges of repairing the buildings are placed in the Wardens Account. And the reason of this distinction seems to be that the W Master may be enabled to dispatch the coynage & make delivery w^th all convenient speed w^thout sto accod|r|ding to his covenants without staying for the {illeg} consent or order of the other Officers or being retarded by the want of money, while the salaries of the Officers & the ch{illeg}|ar|ges of repairs & necessaries in the Wardens Account are limited to 3000^li for preventing extravagance. And by this means the Warden & master are enabled to make up their Accounts severally without depending upon one another.

If any doubt ari{illeg}|s|e about any \standing |any|/ {illeg}|c|ustome \or course of the Mint/, the custome \not being contrary to an Act \of Parliam^{t}// is made a law by the following clause of the Indenture of the Mint. And that the said Master & Worker shall upon his Account yearly to be made of his Receipts payments charges & disbursments before the Auditors of the Mint or Mints for the time being have full allowance defalc{ati}on & discharge of & for all such summ & summs of money as he shall duly pay & disburse according to the true intent & meaning of the above recited Letters patents & according to y^e directions hereafter in these presents expressed, & according to the course of the said Mint or Mints respectively, as by the same Acts of Parliament is directed & appointed

The Master & Worker also as Treasurer of the Mint pays the fees at y^e Excheq^r & Treasury upon received the Coynage money & those in |for| \passing the Acc^ts throug {sic} the {sic}/ y^e several Offices upon the \of/ the excheq^r|.| upon {illeg} & upon trying the Pix.

He pays also the charges of trying the Pix & \the fees for/ entring the Report of the Iury, & for summoning them. The Pix is tried by the Assay & the charges there{of} belong to that head. Th But the charges of the Dinner \for the Iury/ being too great to be come within the 3000^li, have been hitherto paid out of the civil List.

<5v>

The Furnaces w{illeg}|e|re necessary to be repaired for carrying on the coynage & the charges thereof & those of the Assay Office & of reducing the money to standard {illeg}|&| the fees of the Exchequer & Treasury were necessary to be paid & the vouchers are vouchers are g are \all/ placed in my Account according to the course of the Mint, & the Vouchers arg|e| god &t herefore all these charges are, \I think,/ to be allowed by the Article of the Indenture above {illeg} recited.|]| The particulars are of the \Masters/ Account {illeg} for y^e year 16712 are /as follows\

The furnaces were necessary to be repaired for carrying on the coynage & the charges thereof & those of the Assay ffice & of reducing the money\money/\bullion/ t standard \w{illeg} {illeg} & free from extravagance & \{illeg}/ legal & necessary\necessary/ for encour{illeg}|a|ging the coynag{i}|e|{ng}/ & the fees of\at/ the Exchequer Treasury & other Officers were necessary to be paid \& could not be delivered/ & {as all}\all/ \these expences are/ placed in my Acc^t according to y^e course of the Mint & all the V{illeg}|ou|chers are good & therefore all these charges are I think to be allowed by the Article of the Indenture above recited. And the Warden is to discharge himself of what has been imprest to him & in his next Acc^t to charge himself w^th the surplus if any there be.

T{illeg}|he| salary of 40^li to y^e Wardens second Clerk is now ceased, but in its stead the charg{illeg}|e|s of y^e dinner of y^e Iury at the last trial of the Pix will come to amounting to 9|a|bout 92^li will come into the next years Acc^t