Draft of MINT00336 (Mint 19/2/124-5)
Obs. 1. Before the lowering of the Guineas G \an ounce of/ standard Gold was worth about 3.£ 19.s 11d at the Mint price. b|B|y the taking 6d from the Guinea there 1s 10d{illeg} taken from ye ounce, & thereby an ounce of standard Gold became worth only 3£. 18s. 0d for coinage. But for exportation it kept its former value of 3£ 19d 11d. And by the fall of the Exchange \in Febr following/ from about 34 3 wth Amsterdam to about 33. 11 with Amsterdam, it rose to 4£ 0.s 6 per ounce & continued at that rate till after the middle of March. And afterwards by the rising of the exchange to 34. {illeg} about 34. 9 or 10 about t Gold fell to 3£ 18s 6d about the middle of April. And in the end of April & beginning of May it by the falling of the exchange from to 34 6 Gold rose to 3£. 19.s 0d & 3£ 19s 6d: And since that time while the exchange has continued at about 34: 8, 9, 0r 10 Gold has fallen by begrees to 3£ 8s 3d & now begins to come to the Mint [Editorial Note 1]When the Merchants profit of sneding silver rather then Gold abroad to pay debts, was diminished by the taking six pence from the Guinea, he chose rather to send over Gold for paying a good part of those debts rather then |to| let them continue till he could get silver to pay them off. But when those debts were so far paid off that the profit wch he could still make of paying off the rest in silver rather then in Gold made him begin to think chuse to let them remain till he could pay them off in silver: then the demand of Gold for exportation began to abate. And this I take to be the main reason why the price of gold has been falling ever since the middle end of August|continued at the rate of 3|a|bout 3. 19 6d. But since the end of August has begun to fallen {sic} more then the course of exchange requires & now begins to come to the Mint. And d{illeg}|th|is has happened by means of a good quantity of gold coming from Brasile in the end of August, this gold being more then the Merchant wanted at present to pay his debts abroad. Now this demand of Gold for exportation has carried abroad almost all the Gold imported since Christmas last & so has had the same effect for preserving our silver as the Act of Parliament would have have {sic} had for wch the house was moved the last winter for some stopping the coinage of Gold for some time that the Gold imported might go abroad to pay debts.|
Obs: 2. The {illeg} Standard silver {illeg}|is| worth 5s 2d per ounce for coinage, but was all last winter (as well before as after the taking six pence from the Guinea) at 5s 7d or 5s 8d or per above\ounce/ for exportation, & sometimes above. In March last it was at 5s 7d & 5s 7d & in April it fell to 5s 5d & 5s 5d & \has/ continued at |yt| rate ever since. So that silver the demand of Silver for exportation has all this year been three times greater the {sic} the demand of Gold \for exportation/, & sometimes four or five times greater or above. And therefore the Gold would not have gone abroad had it not been for the want of Silver.
Obs. 3. If the dem no Gold had gone abroad for answering debts the demand of silver for exportation would have breen {sic} greater then it is. And of the demand of Gold for exportation has carried away any of our gold moneys it must the demand of silver for exportation must have ca being three times greater m{illeg} must have carried away more of our silver moneys & would have carried away still more had not the Gold been lowered.
Obs. 1. The coinage of Gold has of late years been greater or less accordingly as the course of Exchange has been higher or lower In the years 16|7|14 & 1715 when the coinage was greatest th {illeg}|c|ourse of Exchange wth Amsterdam was at about\from/ 36 to{illeg} 37 Skillings. In the year 1716 \3/ the coinage abated\2/ & \1/ the course of exchange was between\from/ 36|5| to|&| 36. In the year 1717 the course of Exchange was between\from 34 to/ 35.2 & 34 & the coinage abated to one half of what it had been two or three years before. And in this present year the coinage\Exchange/ has been between 34.10 & 33.10, & this low course of Exchange joyned with the lowering the value of Gold for coinage by the taking 6d from the Guinea & has carried |out| almost all the gol gold imported, And thereby had|s| had\almost had/ the same effect for paying out debts abroad in gold & preserving our silver, wch the Ac Bill \proposed the last Sessions of Parliamt/ for stopping the coinage of Gold, would have had, if it had |then| passed into an Act the last Sessions of Parliament [ [For the Gold has been exported for paying of such debts abroad, as would have been continued till they could have \been/ paid with more advantage in Silver {illeg}|h|ad not the c{illeg}|o|inage \of gold/ been discouraged by taking six pence from the Guinea ].\2/ In November last & again in Febr. last the coinage Ex course of Exchange was at the\at the/ lowest, & ever since February. being then at 33. 10: [&\And/ ever since Febr. by ye g exportation of gold to pay debts it has been mending & is n{illeg}|ow| got up to 35 & s|a|t the same time the demand of Gold for exportation has been abating & is now become so small that Gold begins to come to the Mint again.] And while the course of Exchange was as low in Febr.\November/ last before the six pence was taken from the Guinea as it was afterwards in Febr. last: the lowness of ye cource of Exchange last winter is to be attributed not to ye taking six pence from the Guinea but to the debts wch we had abroad before the six pence was taken {illeg} off [& the mending of the course of Exchange ever since Ferb. can be\(wch is an advantage to the nation)/ must be attributed to the payment of a competent part of those debts by the gold which has been sent abroad] Whence these debts arose requires more skill & in Trade then I can pretend to But \considering that a good part of the Gold imported \in the years 1712|3| 1714 1715/ was in French money & Ducats/ I suspect that after the war with France was at an end, no great quantities of gold were sent hother from time to time\from abroad/ to buy stocks till the interest \of the stocks/ was lowered & since that time some\discouragement \some/ forreigners/ have been drawing their money back.
Obs. 3. In Febr. last when the Exchange was lowest Gold fell standard Gold was valued at 4.£ 0s. 6d per ounce & standard silver at 5s 7d per ounce
Obs. 3. Standard Gold at the Mint before the sixpence was taken from the Guinea was worth at the Mint \about/ 3£ 19s 11d per ounce & by the lowness of the Exchange some Gold be imported began \then/ to go aborad be & therefore was \then/ valued at \something/ more then 3£ 19s 11d. In February last when the Exchange was at the lowest, the price of Gold for exportation rose to 4£. 0s. 6d per ounce standard. And ever now the Exchange is risen to 35. {illeg} Gold is fallen to \the/ mint price which by the taking 6d from the Guinea is reduced to 3£. 18.s 0 per ounce standard. And therefore s|i|n the years 1713, 1714, 1715, & 1716 \& part of the year 1617/ |in| when|ich| the course of Exchange was above 3{illeg}|5|, & above five million was\were/ coined in gold, the Publick allowed six pence in the guinea more then was sufficient to have brought that gold to the Mint, & thereby lost about an hundred \& twenty/ thousand pounds. And for the future the taking six pence from the Guinea will save 4 that six pence in all the to the public in all the gold that shall be coined.
4|5|. The demand for exportation hath {illeg}|e|ver since the taking six pence from the Guinea, raised the price of silver \about three times/ more then the price of Gold: & & {sic} sometimes four or five times more or above. And therf|e|fore the temptation to exp{illeg}|o|\{rem}/rt Gold moneys has all this year been three times less then the temptation to export silver moneys, & if this temptation has not carried away\sensibly diminished/ our silver moneys \species/ has much less carried away our gold moneys |in specie.| & \all or almost all/ the gold which \has/ been exported \this year/ has been |in| forreign Bullion & \s{illeg}/ the nation |therefor| has \lost little or/ nothing by the exportation because it{illeg}|the| Bullion \being forreign/ went out at the same price that it came in.
5|6| And since the demand of silver for exportation has all this year been three times greated|r| then that of gold, th no gold would have been exported had it not been for the want of silver \bullion/; & the exportation thereof for the p has prevented the exportation of the same value of siver {sic} for paying of debts abroad as fast as it could be produced.
6|7| And this exportation has{illeg} been a further advantage to the nation by a|r|aising the course of Exchange from 33. 10 to 35. For when the Exchange is low the nation loses by it so much as it is under the par. And had the debts wch abroad wch have been paid in Gold continued till they could have been paid in silver, they would have cause the Exchange to continue low.
3|4|.3|4|. In February last the course of Exchange \was lowest being/ with Amsterdam was at 33. 10, & by the payment of our debts abroad in gould, the demand for exportation has abated \ever since Feb {illeg} last/ & the exchange to 35. has risen gradually to 35 & Gold \has fallen \down/ to the Mint price & now/ to come to the Mint again. And hence I gather that when ever go the Exchange with Amsterdam is above 35 it will bring Gold to the Mint, & therefore in the years 1713, 1714, 1715, 1716, & part of 1717 when Gold\the Exchange/ was ab abov above 35 & sometimes for the most part at 36 or 37 the public paid more for gold then would have brought it the Mint |by| above 6d in|pe||r| the Guineas & sometimes by above thereby has lost [above 120000£ in the coinage of \above/ five millions in those years above 6{illeg}|d| in the|pr| Guinea \or above/ in all the gold the coined in those years which was more then five millions of Guineas. |And with by the taking sixpence from the Guinea will save that loss in all the Gold wch shall be coined for ye future.|
4|3|.4|3|. The course of Exchange was as low in November last before the 6d was taken from the Guinea, as it was afterwards in Febr. last \& both times was at the lowest being with Amsterdam at 33. 10/ & therefore did not arise t that loweness did not arise from t the lowness of the Exchang {sic} last winter arose not from the course of exchange\taking six pence from the Guinea/ but from the debts wch we had abroad before the six pence was taken from it the Guine Which debt if they had bee paid {illeg} \the coinages of Gold had not been discouraged by taking/ sixpence had not been taken 6 from the Guinea, might have remained till they could have been paid off with more advatage in f silver.
8 \And/ Now to restore the six pence to ye guinea would be to lose these advantages & to give more for all the Gold wch Shall be coined hereafter by above{ast}\above/ six pence in the Guinea \then it is worth in forreign Markets/ & to revive the \corrupt/ trade of exporting our silver to buy gold abroad, & importing gold to buy silver at home.
<122v>1. Standard Gold before {illeg}|six| pence was taken from the Guinea was {illeg} worth 3£. 19s. 11d \per ounce/ at the Mint & by taking 6d from the Guinea became worth 3£. 18. 0 per ounce. And standard silver is \there/ worth 5.s 2d per ounce. But the demand for exportation hath raised both species above the price at the Mint, & thereby has carried out all the forreign silver for many years & began to carry out some of the forreign Gold the last November, |& therefore began to raise the price for exportation above the Mint price before the sixpence was taken from the Guinea| but never raised the price of forreign gold to more then 4£. 0. 6|7|d. And therefore the taking 6d from the Guinea has made little or no alteration in the price of forreign Gold for exportation, & the price of forreign silver this year for exportation has been much the same this years {sic} as it used to be in former years.
2. The price of forreign gold for exportatios|n| answers to ye cou{illeg}|r|se of exchange. When the Exchange is lowest the price of forreign Gold is highest & on the contrary. And thence the coinag{e} of Gold has of late years been greater or less accordingly as the price of gold course of Exchange ha{illeg}|s| been higher or lower. In the years 1714 & 1713|5| when the exhange {sic} was highest, it being with Amsterdam from 36 to 37 GuiSkillings, \& then/ the coinage was greatest. In the year 1716 the coinage Exchange was \only/ from 35 to 36 & the coinage abated accordingly. In the year 1717 the Exchange was \only/ from 34 to 3{illeg}|5||.2| & the coinage abated to one half of what it had been two or three years before. And in this present year the b|E|change has been \only/ from 33. 10 to 34. 10. And this low course of Exchange joyne together with the taking 6d per Guinea from the Mint price \of Gold/ has carried out almost all the gold imported. And thereby has had the same \good/ effect for paying our debts abroad in Gold & preserving our silver, which the BIll proposed the last Sessions of Parliamant would have had for stopping the coinage of Gold would have had \if it had/ then passed into an Act. Whence these arose is difficult to understand without more skill in trade then I can pretend to. b|B|ut considering that a good part of the Gold imported in the years 1713, 1714, \&/ 1715 \& 1716/ was in French money & Ducats, I suspect that after the war with France was at an end great quantities of Gold were sent hither to pay for stocks till the interest of the stocks was lowered by Act of Parliamt; & since that discouragement, some forreigners have been drawing their money back.
The way for England to thrive is to keep her moneys to the value p{illeg}|u|t upon Gold & silver abroad & to take care that her exports exeed {sic} her imports.
&|A|nd therefore in a{illeg}|ll| the gold coined in those years, the wch was above five millions, the nation would have saved 6d pr Guinea had the 6d been taken off before
[Editorial Note 1] Only the first words of each line struck through.
