Draft of MINT00493 (Mint 19/2/214-15)

<218r>

To the R^t Hon^ble the Lords Comm^rs of his Maj^ts Treary.

May it please yo^r Lord^ps

In obedience to yo^r Lord^ps Order of Reference signified to us the Officers of his Maj^ts Mint by M^r Lowndes, we have considered the Memorial of the Chancellour of Ireland about erecting a Mint in that Kingdom & also the Report of the late Warden & Master of|an|d the other Papers accompanying the said Memorial and finding upon enquiry into the state of the coyn of Ireland that the forreign coyns w^ch make a great part of their silver monies are g{illeg}|en|erally in great pieces w^ch are inconvenient for change in marketing, & other small expences and that by the want of smaller silver monies the coyning of greater quantities of Copper monies for change hath been so much encouraged as to be complained of: we are humbly of opinion that this inconvenience may deserve to be remedied by recoi|y|ning the said forreign monies or some part thereof into smaller monies of the same weight {illeg}|and| allay species & impression w^th the monies of England, adding only such a mark of distinction as his Maj^ty shall think fit. And we beleive {sic} it cheapest \& best/ for Ireland and safest for England to have this coynage performed\dispatcht/ at once by \erecting/ a Mint to be erected some in Ireland for |so|{illeg}|m||e| short time (suppose |of| a year & an half\as eighteen months/ or two years) under the same Laws & Rules \by Indenture/ w^th this in the Tower & \we/ \but w^th less salaries \& fewer Officers w^ch may be easily done/{.} & {illeg}|b|y lowering the value of the forreign moneys so much as may suffice \from time to time/ to bring th{illeg}|em| into y^e/ |Mint & we| are very ready to promote such a designe & p{r}|a|rticularly to supply that Mint w^th \standard weights & Tryal pieces &/ Dyes & Coyning Tools & to examin\try/ their money. |by weight & assay|

But i|I|f a lasting Mint be desired for coyning the Bullion of Merchants & other{illeg}|s| \perpetually/, we know not of what consequence such a Mint may prove & therefore\humbly beg leave to repeat a clause of a Memorial, w^ch o^r Predecessors/ almost forty years ago, in opposing the erection of a Mint for 21 years in Ireland laid before yo^r Lord Hon^ble Board, & a Copy of w^ch is now communicated to us by M^r Lowndes. It hath been, say they, the Policy & caution <219r> of Kings & Queens of England to stock their Realm of Ireland with moneys (both for quantity & quality) coyned in their Maj|in|^ty|t| in the Tower of London whereof one part yet retains the name of the Irish Mint: and King Iames (of happy memory) by his Indenture of the Mint caused his monies stampt for Ireland to be charged with an Harp crowned for distinctions sake, whose Reasons and Examples (as we submissively conceive) may well admit yo^r Lordships first consideration

The consequence of a standing Mint in Ireland in respect of the Government & Trade of England we are not able to foresee, but in this and every thing submitt o^r opinion to yo^r Lord^ps great wisdome