<170r>

That all sorts of money are current at Dunkirk {illeg}|b|ut under such values as are put upon them by the French.

That the old French Ecus & Lewidor's are called in lately called in & recoined into new Crowns & Lewidors of the of 5 Livres & Lewidor's of 20 livres. |And| These crowns\pe|i|eces/ are of the same allay as the former & of the same |wt| with english Crowns & Guineas abating a few grains for the charge of coinage.

That at present the before the conquest of Lisle by the Dutch the value money was returned {illeg}|b|y the French to Lis Dunkir{d}|k| by Lisle & the value of the several coins at Duk|n|kirk was regulated by their value at Lisle in livres & sous & deniers. But since the conquest of Lisle by the Dutch have regulated {illeg} introduced their own way of reccon valuing the several coins by skillings & deniers or Gilders & styvers.

That at present there is no course of exchange by the Merchants of either England or Holland with Dunkink {sic}: but moneys may be returned to An Lisle or Antwerp & carried thence in specie up the Lys to Dunkirk at a small charge.

That if moneys be returned to Antwerp or Lisle & {illeg} by under the denomination of Guilders & Styvers & carried thence to Lisle\Dunkirk/ & paid there to her Majts forces under the same according to the value put upon the several species of moneys at Antwerp or Lisle, recconing {illeg}|10| Guilders 15 styvers to a pound English, there will need no new authority for paying her Majts forces at Dunkirk. And this method may be continued till a better can be found out setled.

That when a tr forreign Bullion may be bought in England \or Ho\or Holland// & sent to Dunkirk to be coined into French crowns & Lewid'ors |[|& paid to her Majts forces rec{illeg}|c|oning an ounce troy of such French silver moneys at 5s 3d12 English or thereabouts. But what proportion a French crown bears to an ounce Troy I do not yet know.\a French crown at 11212d more then its intrinsick value or thereabouts/
    That when ever the course of exchange shall be open wth France its proble {sic} that Exchanges will be made in \new/ French crowns of five livers\pieces/ as they were formerly in Ecus. But] or|\& French money may be/| perhaps bought by the Merchants in|a|t Lisle Antwerp Gent Bruges &c & sent \hence/ to Dunkirk or here{illeg}|af|ter {illeg}|&| hereafter |in| {at}|th|e trading cities of France & sent t{illeg}|h|ence to Dunkirk & her Maties forces paid there in French money recconing this money at \about/ two or three per cent more then the intrinsic value. T And this will require a new Privy Seale for Mr Bidges {sic}. But before it will be requisite first to examine a pound weight or two\know the intrinsic value/ of the \new/ French silver money for finding the intrinsick value by weight & assay. And it by weighing & assaying a pound \wt/ or two of the French silver moneys & some pieces of the gold.

That the money of Holland & Flanders is valued higher at Lisle & Antwerp in proportion to French money then at Dunkirk & thereby there will be some loss in carrying such money to Dunkirk. And it would be more profitable to buy up French money in Holland\contract wth the Merchants to/\new French money in not yet to be/ /had there in quantity in Holl. {sic}\ & Flanders \if it can be had there in quantity/ & sent that to Dunkirk|.| if it can be had there in quantity. Also\But/ forreign Bullion may be bought of the Merchants & sent to Dunki{illeg}|r|k to be coined.|,| And in either of those cases, or if the forces at Dunkirk may be paid in French money\& paid to the forces at Dunkirk/ reconning a \new/ French crown at \about/ two or three per cent above its intrinsic value in English money \or perhaps at {illeg}|5|s English & a new liver at 1s{sic}/. But the intrinsic value {illeg}|of| that money must be first known. For wch end it may be convenient to examin a pound wt or two of new French crowns & some pieces of their new Lewidors.

And I do not yet see but that a new French Crown may be paid for 5s a new Lewis d'or for 20s & a French Livre in all sorts of French money for a shilling

© 2024 The Newton Project

Professor Rob Iliffe
Director, AHRC Newton Papers Project

Scott Mandelbrote,
Fellow & Perne librarian, Peterhouse, Cambridge

Faculty of History, George Street, Oxford, OX1 2RL - newtonproject@history.ox.ac.uk

Privacy Statement

  • University of Oxford
  • Arts and Humanities Research Council
  • JISC