Draft of MINT00499 (Mint 19/2/236v)

<231r>

To the R^t Hon^ble the Earl of Oxford & Earl Mortimer Lord H. Treasurer of great Britain.

May it please yo^er Lord^p

According to yo^er Lord^ps Order signified to me by M^r Secretary Harley in his Letter of Feb. 26 instant\last/, I have considered the Letter of his Grace the Duke of Ormond her Maj^ts Lieutenant General & General Governour of Ireland sent to yo^er Lord^p, together with the Representation sent to his Grace from the Lords of her Ma^ts most Hon^ble privy Council of that Kingdom, \mentioning  {sic} a \late/ Proclamation for making current in Ireland some pieces of forreig {sic} gold &/ proposing the making current there by \further/ Proclamation several \other/ pieces of forreign Gold therein named \& omitted in a former Proclamantion/ in order to prevent the counterfeiting thereof by making the crime high treason And \as to the value of the pieces/ I humbly represent that the Spanish Pistoles one w^th another, as they are brought hither by the Merchant, weigh 103 grains each, & are in fineness half a grain wors then standard, & after the rate that a guinea is valued in England at 1^£ 1^s 6^d, are here worth 17^s 1^d, & in Ireland where the silver money is raised a penny in the Shilling, if the gold be raised in the same proportion, are worth 18^s 6^d. But by the Representation I perceive that they are recconed in Ireland to weigh only 102 grains, a grain (as I conceive) being abated to give a currency to such lighter peices as want not above a grain of their just weight. The Lewid'ors of France are of the same weight fineness & value w^th the Spanish Pistoles. And the Moyders of Portugal one w^th another, as they are brought hither by the merchant, weigh 165 grains & three quarters of a grain, & are a quarter of a grain better then standard, & in England are worth 27^s. 8^d$\frac{1}{2}$, & being raised a penny in the shilling become worth 1^£ 10^s 0^d in Ireland. In her Maj^ts {illeg} Proclamation their weight may be put 165 grains, the fraction being omitted in favour of the lighter pieces. In the Representation their weight is put 168^gr w^ch is certainly too much; & thence it comes to pass that they are there valued at 1^£ 10^s 6^d, w^ch is 6^d too much. I have examined the weight of 30 parcels of Moyders conteining a thousand Moyders in each parcel & thereby found that the Moyder at a medium weighs only 165$\frac{3}{4}$ grains.

In her Ma^ts Proclamation therefore the Spanish & French gold coins may be put of the weight & value exprest in the Representation. But the Portugal coins may be set down as follows. The Portugal piece of gold called a Moyder & weighing 165 grains, at 1^£ 10^s 0^d. The half Moyder weighing 82 grains & an half, at 15^s. The quarter Moyder weighing 41 grains & a quarter, at 7^s 6^d.

All w^ch is most humbly submitted to yo^er Lord^ps great           wisdome Mint Office Mar. 3^d. 17$\frac{11}{12}$.                          Is. Newton