Oppose [Gabriel] le Clerk's petition to succeed Harris as engraver: would like to take him on as third engraver under Croker and Bull, but not until summer 1705, due to the cost of repairs occasioned by last year's storms [see MINT00063 (Mint 19/1/170-71)]
To the Rt. Honble the Ld High Treasurer of England
May it please yor Lordp
In obedience to yor Lordps Order of Reference of Mr Le Clerk{s} Petition to succeed Mr Harris in the place of Graver to her Majts Mint{,} we have considered the same, and are humbly of opinion that Mr Le Clerk is a skilfull & expeditious Graver fit to be received into her Majts Mint in the third place, that is, next after the two Gravers Mr Croker & Mr Bull who were imployed under Mr Harris, & that he be upon the same foot wth those two Gravers wth a salary of eighty pounds per annum & the Lodings {sic} appointed the third Graver in our former Report. But by reason of the charges wch the Mint has been at by the dammages done by the great winds last Autumn, we are humbly of opinion that for saving money to defray those charges his salary do not commence till next Midsummer.
All wch is most humbly submitted to yor Lordps great wisdome
Is. {Newton}
In Ellis
