602-3)

Author: Isaac Newton

Source: MINT 19/2/600, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK

Additional Information
- Notes on the Electronic Edition
  - You are currently reading the diplomatic version of this text. Diplomatic transcriptions offer a detailed representation of the document with minimal editorial intervention. All deletions and additions are rendered in the text and abbreviations have not been expanded. Switching to the normalized view of this text will hide 18 deletions, silently include 22 additions and apply 20 editorial regularizations.
- Revision History
  - 1 January 2001
    - Catalogue information compiled by Rob Iliffe, Peter Spargo & John Young
  - 29 September 2011
    - Catalogue exported to teiHeader by Michael Hawkins
  - 29 January 2017
    - Transcribed by Will Scott, with retrofitting from MINT00287
  - 10 March 2017
    - Checked by Will Scott
- Download MINT01926.xml and schema (advanced users only)
Related Texts
- This document is a version of:
  'Proposals for preserving and encreasing the Coyn of this Kingdome.' Draft of second appendix to MINT00281 (Mint 19/2/78-9) [MINT 19/2/602-3]

<600r>

Proposals for \better/ preserving & encreasing the Coyn of this Kingdome.

All Spanish Barrs & other Ingots of Silver & all Virgin Silver & all other silver Bullions imported & designed for exportation shall upon its first coming up the River of Thames to the Custome house be brought to the Mint by the Master of the ship & one or more other witnesses who shall there shew their Bill of lading & prove the importation upon oath. And the sand Virgin silver & Bullion not yet run into ingots & all forreign monies \brought to the Mint &/ designed for \melting &/ exportation shall be there melted into Ingots \at the charge of y^e Merchant/. And these Ingots & all other Ingots or Barrs above mentioned shall at y^e choise of the Merchant be either coyned into monies or markt with a stamp provided in the Mint for that purpose. And the Master of the Mint if desired shall give the Merchant an indented Ticket certifying the weight of the monies coyned out of the said forreign silver & the time of the coynage thereof: w^ch Ticket shall be cut of out of a book kept in the Mint & shall be entred in the same book.

Ingots not markt with the Mint stamp shall not be e{illeg}|x|ported nor carried into any ship nor bought or s{illeg}|ol|d but may be brought to the Mint for encreasing the coyn of this kingdom. This law now obteins in France by an Edict of March was a twelvemonth for preventing the melting down of the monies.

The Merchant upon delivering the Mint Tickets at the Custome house may within a year after the coynage of the monies mentioned therin by Warrant of the Comm^rs of the Customes upon a day appointed in the Warrant ship for exportation the said monies or the same weight of like monies or any part thereof, & also any Ingots w^ch have the Mint stamp upon them \& any forreign monies/ & the Customer shall enter the same & file the Tickets.

The Merchant upon shipping the said \English/ silver monies for exportation shall pay 1 $\frac{1}{2}$ ^d p^r ounce Troy at the Custome house for the charge of assaying melting & coyning the same. And all gold monies Which Duty shall be kept apart with the duty granted for encouragement of coynage & therewith paid into the Excheq^r & thence {illeg}|i|mprest to the Master of the Mint for the same uses. And \for/ all Ingots stampt shall \be/ payd to the Master of the Mint before stamping a farthing per ounce for defraying the charges of the first meltings & stamping & towards the charges of assaying melting & coyning coynage & of providing things necessary for the same. For w^ch Duty the Master of the Mint shall be answerable to the King.

<600v>

No gold or silver (other then pocket money already allowed) shall shall {sic} be exported out of any other port of England then that of London nor out of Ireland except into England.

Felony w^thout benefit of Clergy to counterfeit the Mint stamp or the Mint Tickets. And other penalties \(suppose forfeiture of |y^e| silver)/ upon them who ship silver not licensed or without paying the Duty or upon any other Day then taht appointed the {illeg} Warrant \or in any other name then that of the t{illeg}|r|ue owner/ or buy or sell unmarkt Ingots or knowingly bring gold silver to the Mint to be markt or coyned as forreign w^ch is not forreign.

|Part of an Act of 6 & 7. W. & M. chap. 17 \concerning the marking of Ingots at Guild Ha Goldsmiths Hall/ to be repealed.|

Such a Law would enable the Officers of the Mint to understand the state of the money with respect to trade. It would render trade free freer then at present. It would save the Merchant the trouble & charge of attending {illeg}|w|^th his Bullion & Witnesses at Goldsmiths Hall & Yeild Hall after he has melted it at y^e Refiners or Goldsmiths. It would prevent the melting down of o^r monies for exportation much better or for sale to Goldsmiths much better then the laws do at present, no ingots cast in private being a{illeg}|n|y longer exportable or vendible. It would decrease the Indian Manufacture of coyning o^r Bullion in Ports \of India/ where the Company have not a Mint of their own, for w^ch coynage the Indians receive of us a large seigniorage \at discretion./ It would be profitable to the Merchant by the use of his silver when turned into money till exportation. It would encrease o^r coyn as well by the Merchants money running amongst us till exportation as by what is not exported within the year. It would be of great credit to y^e nation by the Merchants exporting their gold & silver in the form of English money to be current in forreign nations & thereby make us appear abroad more rich & potent then we do at p^rsent. |And all this without any new charge to the Government.|