Draft of MINT00633 (Mint 19/2/356)

<444r>

To the R^t Hon^ble the Lords Commissioners of his Maj^ties. Treasury.

May it please yo^er Lord^ps

|1| In obedience to yo^er Lord^ps verbal Order that I should lay before your Lordships a Proposal Memorial for coyning Copper Money: I humbly represent that the Copper be imported into a Mint by weight in clean barrs nealed & of a due fineness & size for cutting out of them Blanks of such a weight as his Maj^ts. shall appoint; that the fineness be such that the Barrs when heated red hot will spread thin under the hammer without cracking; that the scissel be delivered back to the Importer by weight, & the Importer be paid for the excess of the Copper imported above the Scissel returned back, after the rate of              per pound weight averdupois; that it be in the power of the Mint-Master to refuse such copper as doth not bear the assay or is not well sized nealed & cleaned; that when a parcel of copy money suppose half one Tunn\a Tunn/ or {illeg}|two|, Tunns is coyned the same be well cleaned mixed by shoveling it forwards & backwards in a heap before sufficient witnesses, & then assayed \before them/ in four or five distant places & the assayes entred in Books & the tale of the heap estimated by taking a medium of all the assays; & the money then put into baggs by weight to be delivered to the people, & the weight & price of the baggs entred in books, & the weight of three or four pence allowed in every quarter of an hundred weight for turning the scales & preventing clamours\complaints/ about the weight & tale; And out of every heap assayed four or five pieces may be put into a Box & kept to be examined at the end of the year before whom your Lord^ps shall appoint; & a Remedy of about half a penny in the pound weight allowed for accidental errors. And the Mint-master may accoount annually to the King.|out of the produce of the coynage as fast as it shall arise to pay for the copper imported after the rates aforesaid & be discharged upon taking back his Notes, & to pay also for the repairs of\putting the/ buildings & coyning tools \into repair/ at the first setting up of the coynage & for such new tools \& other things/ as shall be wanting & account annually to the King.|

The Officers reuqisite in this service are, A Mint-master with a Deputy. A Smith to forge the Dyes & Puncheons. A Graver for graving them & polishing them. A Moneyer or Body of Moneyers for cutting out the Blanks & coyning them & taking care of the coyning Tools \& keeping them in repair./. A Clerk for \seeing the moneys assayed & weighed &/ entring the proceedings in Books. Another Clerk (who may be called the Kings Clerk) for doing the like in behalf of the King, & for making a Controllment Roll upon oath. \And an Auditor for examing the Account./ The assays may be made by the Moneyer or Smith or any labourer.|;| \&/ |the barrs \& scissel/ weighed by the Moneyer & the Agent of the Importer together.|

If the barrs be not nealed & cleaned by the Importer, the blanks may be nealed & cleaned by the Moneyer.

All which is most humbly submitted to yo^er Lord^ps great wisdome.

Mint Office. May     1717.                          Is. Newton