<225r>

According to yoer Lordps Order of Febr 26 signified to me by Mr Secretary Harley's Letter of Feb 26 instant I have considered the Letter of his Grace the Duke of Ormond her Mats Lewt Geneneral {sic} & General Governour of Ireland \sent/ to your Lordp, with the Representation sent to his Grace from the Lords of her Majts. most humble honble privy Council of that Kingdom proposing the making current there by proclamation several pieces \of forreign Gold/ therein named in order to precent the counterfeiting \{illeg}/ thereof. [I have not seen the last Proclamantion for making forreign moneys curent in that kingdom but presume that by ye values proposed in this Representation that to be put upon Spanish & French gold moneys, that the Spanish Pistole weighing 102 Grains was therein valued at {illeg} 18s 6d, & that the French of t Lewis was there estimanted of the same weight & value. And if so, the \all/ the French Spanish & French pieces of gold moneys mentioned in this Representation are rightly weighed & valued in weight & tale, in proportion to the Spanish Pistole & the French Lewis. The Moydor is in the Representation estimated at {illeg}|1|68gr in weight wch is too much by about 3 grains. They weigh one wth another 165gr, & are finer then the Spanish Pistoles & French Lewises, by 14 of\half/ a grain & so in proportion to the French & Spanish gold moneys a Moyeder should be valued 1. 10 at 1. 10. 1 or in round numbers 1. 10. 0, & in proportion half a Mœder \weighing 8212 gr/ {illeg}|a|t 15s & a quarter of a Mœder \weighing 4114 gr/ at 7s 6d.] And humbly represent that the Moyders of Portugal {illeg} one with another weigh 16 {34}|12| grains {illeg} & are 14 of a graind worse \better/ then standard, but the French & \Lewid'ors &/ Spanish Pistoles |weigh 10 3|2||12|gr one with another as they come from the Merchant or at {illeg}|\or so/ are 14|12| a grain worse Standard, & that at the rate that a Guinea is valued at 1£ 1s 6d a [Spanish Pistole weighing 10 2|3|12 grains is worth 17s. 2|1|d a Lewidor of the same weight is of ofweighing 103 grains is worth 17. 1d, A Moyder weighing 16534gr is worth 27 5|s| 8d12 . The Quadruple Spanish weighing 1662 grains\Pistole of Spain/ weighing 410gr is worth 3£ {illeg}|8|s - The double Pistole of Spain weighing 205gr is worth 1.£ 14.s. - The Spanish Pistole weighing 3|1|0212 gr is worth 17s. The double French Lewis weighing 205 grains is worth 1 14 The half Pistole Spanish Pistole is worth weighing 5114 gr is worth 8 {illeg}|s| 6d - The quarter Spanish Pistole weighing 2558 is worth 4s 3.

The double Louis \French/ Louis weighing 205gr is worth 1.£ 14.s -

The French Louis weighing 10212 gr is worth 17s. {illeg}

The half Louis of France weighing 5114 gr is worth 8s 6d.

The quarter Louis of France weighing 2558 gr is worth 4s 3d.

The Moyder of Portugal weighing 16512 gr is worth 1. 8. 8

The half Moyder weighing 8234 gr is worth 14s 4d.

The quarter Moyder weighing 4138 gr is worth 7s. 2. But if the \value of the/ forreign gold money coins be raised in Ireland in such a proportion that a double Pistol Spanish Pistole & a double French Louis {illeg} may pass \there/ fore 1£ 17s & other pieces in proportion as is desired in the memorial, then the value of the \Spanish & French/ pieces will be as follows|{illeg} may stand as in the memorial| THe double Spanish Postole weighing 2 {illeg}|0|5gr valued at 1.17. The double L{illeg}|o|us|d'or| of France weighing 205gr valued at 1. 17 The quarter Spanish Pistole weighing 2558 gr valued at 9|4|s 3|7|12 The quarter French Pistole

<225v>

But \{exceting} that/ the Mo{illeg}|y|der{illeg} \weighing 165 grains/ must be valued \only/ at 30s, the half Mpyder \weighing 3212/ at 15s & the Quarter Moyder \weighing 4114/ at7s 6 - .

In ye reign of K. William, the S{illeg}|c|oth|s| put of their Crown pieces in the northern borders of England at {illeg} 5s sterling & their other silver coins in proportion tho a Scoti|s|sh Crown was worth but 4s 6d. & By this means the northern bor{illeg}|d|ers of England began to abound wth Sc{illeg}|o|ti|s| money & Scotland wth English money; wch afforded profit of \about/ ten per cent {illeg} by recoining the english money & sending it back to us in the form of Scotish money,\in Scotland/ till the Officers of ye Mint gave notice thereof to the Lords Commers of ye Treasury who \thereupon/ put a stop to that practise.|ye currency of Scots money in England.|

In the so

At that time Lewid'ors passed here at 17s 6d a piece wch overvalue brought in so great a number of those forreign gold coins that when the Officers of ye Mint gave notice thereof the Lords Commers of ye Treary |&| the King issued out a proclamation that those pieces should go but at 17s a piece in the last year of his reign & the first year of her Majties reign there were \coined/ above 120000\twelve hundred thousand/ Guineas out of those forreign coins. And this gold came in by the encouragemt given to ye Merchant to pay but & pay debts in England with forreign gold |&| abroad with English silver |If \in Ireland/ a double Pistole be raid|s|ed in value from 34s to 37s & other pieces in proportion the Merchant may make a profit of 8 per cent by turning English gold & silver| < insertion from f 226r > into forreign \gold/ coins to be put off in Ireland. The too high value put upon Guineas in England \in proportion to silver/ conduces to carry out our silver & bring in gold. & in its room, & the raising it higher in Ireland \in proportion to silver then is done any where else in the world/ must {illeg} increase this effect. < text from f 225v resumes >

If There being {illeg}|c|onsiderable quantities of forreign gold moneys in Ireland, I am humbly of {illeg}|o|pinion that \they/ should be \all/ made current by d|p|roclamation, But\(as is desired) so/ that it may be fellony\death/ to counterfeit |t|it|he||m|. [But whether \{t}hey should pass/ at the same value wth a Guin gold in England \in proportion to guineas/ or at a raised value is a question wch may have dificulties in it wth wch I am not acquainted]

All wch is most humbly submitted &c
if it can be done wthout wihtout s{illeg} soon as it can be do
provided the same value \can/ be set upon gold in Ireland as in England. But I dare the establishing of a Proclam [I am afraid of the consequences of setting a higher value upon gold in Ireland \in proportion to silver/ then is done any where else in the world. The \too/ high value of gol put upon Guineas in England helping to conducing to carry out our {silver} & overstock us wth gold] but if that be opposed \disputed/ I humbly propose that ye \{o}pinion of ye/ c|C|ouncil of Trade be consulted \had/ in this matter. before

All wch &c

I do not \fully/ know the present state of the coins in Ireland, but I am humbly of opinion that this matter be well consi examined {illeg}|b|y the Comer of Trade & whom else yoer Lordp shall think fit, before any thing be done in it.

<226r>

a Guinea ought to pass in Ireland for 1. 3s 2|3|12

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