As the English recoinage was 'troublesome expensive and liable to abuse & gross abuses were actually committed in it', recommends various procedures to avoid a recurrence in Scotland. Possibly in reply to MINT00374 (Mint 19/3/110)

<160r>

The Tools you wrote for are preparing with all dispatch but will scarce be ready before the end of next week. Since you wrote about the manner of calling in & melting down the old hammered money in England & delivering it into the Mint to be coyned & M^r Haynes as I understand has written to you largely about it: because that method was troublesome expensive & liable to abuses & great abuses were actually committed in it, I will take the liberty to set the method w^ch seems to me the best & leave it to your judgement. You may compare it w^th other proposals & chuse the best. I propose therefo{re}

|1| That every mans money berought in to be recoyned be not only told but also weighed & the tale weight & price paid for it in English money be entered in a Book in this manner.

|2| That the money thus weighed be put into baggs, & where the parcels are small two or more parcels may be put into one bagg & the weight of the money in every bagg be enterd on a label of paper tied to the bagg & the{^the} baggs tyed up & locked up in a Treasury \under two or more keys/ till they shall be delivered to the melter. The number of the baggs may be also written on y^e labels

|3| That {a}|A| Melting house to be provided with two fire holes for two iron melting potts, & a Smiths pair of Bellows to blow the fires in the two holes by meanes of a leaden pipe coming from the snout of the Bellows to y^e two holes. The holes must have iron covers to keep in the fire for heating the potts speedily. [& the Potts may be big enough to contain 40, or\or/, 60 \or {illeg}|7|5/ pound weight of {co}silver in each Pot. [Which being melted must be poured out into an Ingot mould, & the Ingots must be marked in continual order with the numbers I. II III. {illeg} IIII. V. VI. VII. &c.] |A melter may melt 10 12 or 15 potts a day {illeg}|

|4.| That the old silver money be delivered [out of the Treasury] to y^e Melter \(upon his receipts)/ by exact weight of 10\15/, 20, or 25 pounds Troy in a parcel &\the Melter giving receipts for the same & y^t/ the parcels \be/ put into {illeg}\y^e numbered/ baggs {illeg} & {carried to a} Treasury room adjoyning to the melting house to be {held} {illeg} under the key of the Melter & under two other keys {{illeg}\{illeg}/} {custody} of {illeg} {{illeg}\{illeg}/} {illeg} {untill they shall be} {illeg} {illeg} {illeg}. And {illeg} {{illeg}\{illeg}/} {of the} {illeg} <160v> is at work & see that the money baggs be not opened {illeg} the melting potts with the money in them \about three baggs into each pot, & {illeg}/, & that no {illeg} |into the Melting house in their absence &| kind be brought into the Melting house besides the silver in {illeg} |& \all/ utensils of iron.| And that the silver being run \& cast/ into Ingots the Ingots {illeg}\be marked in continual {illeg}\order{illeg}// |I. II. III. IIII. V. VI. VII. VIII. VIIII. X, XI &c and locked up| in the treasury of the Melting house under the said three keys till they shall be sent to the Mint to be coyned, & that they be sent thither in the order in w^ch they are nubered {sic} & the {masters} receipts of them expressing the weight & assay of every ingot imported be given to the Melter.\delivery./

|5| That when the Ingots are coyned an Officer appointed by the L^ds Com^rs of the Treasury attend the Mint with Tellers |& receive from the Melter the Masters Receipts or Tickets & give the Melter| & that the Melter receive the moneys by standard weight from the Master & deliver it by the same standard weight to the Officer attending & take his receipt for the same & the tellers tell it into hundred pound baggs & examin the baggs by weight to see that every bagg be of a just weight. And that y^e weight & tale of the whole money recived by entered in two books one to be kept by the Officers of the Mint the other to be kept by the officers of the Exchequer. And the money thus weighed & told to be carried into the Exchequer.

|5.| That the Officer appointed by the L^ds Comm^rs of the Treary to deliver the \old/ money in {illeg}a by weight to y^e Melter {&} {&} do receive the Ingots back from the Melter by weight & send \or deliver/ the same to the Master of the Mint to b \and send them to the Mint in the order of their numbers/ & deliver back the Melters receipts for the like weight [abating 18 grains in every pound weight Troy for the wast.|{illeg} endorse|ing| odd recconing upon the {illeg} Melters receip about w^ch is next to be delivered back. And sent the Melters receipts of old money be {illeg} Ingots delivered {illeg} Melters receipts of old money & delivery of Ingots be entered in a book by each party.| And the excess of the weight of the Ingots delivered {illeg}\received/ above the weight expressed in the receipts delivered back to be endorsed upon the next receipt. And the \gross/ weight of the Ingots delivered back received from y^e Melter to be entered in books. And And the Ingots to be received by the Master The Ingots to of the Mint & coyned & delivered back by weight according to y^e ordinary course of y^e mint & at the same time told into hundred pound baggs

|6| That |y^e| Melter to have the same\be obliged to bound to/ deliver \back/ the same weight in silver\Ingots/ w^ch he receives in old moneys abating about 18 grains in the pound weight Troy for wast & to have the sweep towards making up his account, & to have t bring in his supply in the standard silver & be paid for fire\coales/ & potts & servants wages what & his own pains who such an allowance as shall be thought reasonable by y^e {illeg} of y^e Mint\after a certain rate per what pound weight{illeg} Troy. Or if the goverm^t {vast all} {illeg} by the day of by the number of Ingots./

|7| That the Ingots be set to\delivered into/ the Mint to be weighed assayed & standarded coyned & delivered back by weight in \new/ moneys & {then} according to the couse {sic} of the Mint & the new moneys at the delivery told 100^lb baggs, & {illeg} & the \weight &/ tale entered into books.

|Our {Master}{Melter} w^th a servant|