Draft of MINT00287 (Mint 19/2/602-3)

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Minutes for
An Act for further encouragement of the coynage.

1 Vpon the arrival of every ship a Custome-house Officer to take an account of all Gold & Silver imported therein & enter the same with the exact weight of every species thereof in a Book for that purpose & give the Merchant an indented Ticket conteining a Copy of the said entry cut out from the said Book & pay the Merchant ^[1] per ounce for all the ☉ & one quarter thereof per ounce for all the ☾ or so much thereof as shall contein above $\frac{5}{6}$ of fine ☉ or ☾. to stamp all the Barrs or Ingots with a stamp for that purpose. All this he shall do gratis.

2 If the Merchant within 12 months after the date of the said entry or Ticket shall bring the said Gold or Silver or any part thereof to the Mint to be coyned, the Master & Worker or his Deputy after coynage thereof shall gratis enter on the Back side of the said Ticket, the species & gross weight of the Gold or Silver so brought into the Mint & the weight of the money into which it hath been coyned.

3And upon delivering back the said Ticket at the Custome house, the Merchant or his Assignes may within 12 months after the said Date thereof export the BullionGold or Silver mentioned therein or any part thereof together with so much money by weight as hath been coyned out of the other part thereof which is not exported, paying a Duty of 4^d or 6^d per ounce for all English Gold monies exported and of 2^d or 3^d per ounce for all uncoyned Gold or forreign Gold monies exported and of 1^d per ounce for all English silver monies exported and of $\frac{1}{2}$^d per ounce for all uncoyned silver or forreign silver monies exported. Which Duty shall be kept apart with the Duty already granted for encouragement of coynage & together with it be paid into the Exchequer & thence imprest to the Master & Worker according to the present usage of the Mint for or towards defraying the charges of coyning the monies so exported.

4 The Ticket so filed in the Custom house & the Exportation entred there. And if all the Bullion or money mentioned in the said Ticket be not exported the remainder to be entred & the Merchant to have gratis a new indented Ticket of the 1^st date for the same, & also for so much Bullion & Money as he exports to have gratis a License under the hands of        Commissioners of the Customes.

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No gold or silver to be exported in Barrs or Ingots or molten masses which have not the Custome house mark upon them

Felony to counterfeit this stamp. And A penalty for impressing it upon other Gold or Silver then such as shall be found in the ship at its first arrival, or exporting Gold or Silver without license or more then licensed, or shipping the same for exportat{ion}

No gold or silver to be exported out of Ireland unless into England upon pain of          And an account of all the ☉ & ☾ exported into England to be sent monthly from the Custome house of Ireland to the Custome house in London.

The Commissioners of the Customes to take annually an Account of all the Gold & Silver of every species imported & exported in all our ports & copies of the summs of every species imported from & exported to every place, to be sent to the Treasury, the Council of Trade & the Mint.

In consideration of the advantages accruing to the East India Company by this Act by lowering the price of Bullion & permitting the exportation of money, & for encouraging the importation gold & silver in lieu of the great quantities exported by them they the said Company shall annually pay into the Custome house upon the Feast of — the summ of ^[6] And out of this Annuity the merchant shall receive together with the Ticket about mentioned       per ounce for every ounce of Gold imported &         per ounce for every ounce of Silver imported, provided the same contein not less then $\frac{10}{12}$ of fine ☉ or ☾. And upon any doubt, the Assaymaster of the Mint to assay the same at the Charge of the Merchant.

Such an Act would be for the advantage of the Merchant by the use of his Gold & Silver when turned into money. It would save him the trouble & charge of attending with it at Goldsmiths Hall. It would leave trade free even freer then in Holland where the Merchant pays to the Mint for what he exports. It would put an end to the perjury of such as now export by fals oaths & much better then by oaths prevent the melting down of our money for exportation by which the nation loses the charge of coynage. It would increase our coyne by the merchants money till exportation & also by what is not exported within 2 months. It would be of great credit to the nation by the Merchants exporting their Gold & Silver in the form of English money to be current in forreign nations. For this would make us appear to them more rich & potent then we do at present

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Such a Law would render Trade perfectly free even freer then in Holland when Bullion exported pays to their Mint. It would save the Merchant the trouble & charge of attending at Gold Hall & Goldsmiths Hall with his Bullion & witnesses which discourages him from bringing his Bullion hither. It would secure us from the exportation of more Gold & Silver then we import much better then we are now secured by Custom house oaths. It would put an end to the melting down of our silver for exportation & exporting by fals oaths{.} It would put an end to the buying of Plate for exportation. It would be profitable to the Merchant by bringing down Bullion to the standard price, & also by the use of his gold & silver when turned into money. It would increase our 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 the nation by the Merchants exporting their Gold & Silver in the form of English money to be current in forreign nations. For this would make us appear to them more rich & potent to them then we do at present & thereby mend our interest in Trade & Treaties.