Memorandum arguing for an increase in the price of tin John Williams c. 1,788 words Newton Project London 2020 Newton Project, University of Oxford

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 1696-1727, c. 1,788 words.

A letter from John Williams to the Treasury, MINT00690 (Mint 19/3/597-9), argues much the same.

 Treasury MINT 19/3/589-96, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK UKSurreyKew, RichmondNational Archives MINT 19/3/589-96 England 1696-1727 English Unknown Hand MintEconomic Theory and Legislation Catalogue information compiled by Rob Iliffe, Peter Spargo & John Young Catalogue exported to teiHeader by Michael Hawkins Transcribed by Kees-Jan Schilt
Tis a tryed Case Tin can be had no other where but From her Ma:tieMajestie to suply Foreign Markets

When Her Ma:tieMajestie first Farmed the Tin the Pewterers & MerchtsMerchants in Combination with the Dutch bought up all the Tyn that they could gett & stood it out against the Queen for about 4 year & sold it one to another as long as they had a Block of Tyn left in hopes to make her Ma:tieMajestie cast off the Form & if Tyn could haue ben to be had any other where the Dutch would have procured it there fore it is a plain & undisputable Case that Tin cannot be had from any other place. they did not therefore they could not ꝑcureprocure it

We haue ben amused all alonge that Tyn may be ꝑcuredprocured from the East Indies, but we are now fully assured That we Send Tyn there & if we gott Nothing by it we cannot Carry it There under 7:£ the hundred

The Dutch haue alwais heavy goods on the Indies fully to ballance their ships & they vallue the fraight of heavy goods att 50:£ ꝑper Tun - besides they scarce bring any goods from the Indies but they Make doble the Mony that it costs them by wchwhich Computation if there were Never so Much Tyn in the Indies it could not be brought home under 7£, 10s the Hundred

Though we haue alwais threttened with India Tyn yet they could not bring it in 3 year when the Queen begun her farm Neither did they ever bring a quantity

589

Or if they could bring a quantity they could not bring it for six pound the hundred so that they cannot hurt us & the Queens Tyn Now cost but 65:s ꝑper hundred 120£: to the hundred wchwhich is but 3:£ the Merch:tsMerchants hundred & itts tried enough to fall the price when they have brought a quantity

In the Mean Tyme if what here is after ꝑposedproposed be agreed to we may sell all the Queens Tyn in 4 Monthes time

We must tohe Notice that our mony doth passe for doulb double in the Indies & the Malaiha tin cost 50:s the hundred of our MOney wchwhich is 5:£ in the Indies & the Charges cannot be So little as 3:£ 10:s besides what they should gett if they brought other goods so that doeing us any dammage by India Tyn is an Imposotion & Meer Fiction itt is Certain they Cannot bring it in 4 MOnthes & the people Cannot liue a week without Tyn 0- lett us then sell all the Queens Tyn first & lett them bring it after wards if they Can - & they Cannot bring it for 3:£ the hundred wchwhich is the Queens price that it Cost - it is time enough to fall it wchwhich they haue brought it

The vseds by which Tyn is Consumed will bear doble the price that Tyn is sold att without hindring the Consumption ~ or abateing itts use

Tin is Consumed by Tinning of all sorts of Copper Ware as potts stue pans sauce pans &c.

And a quarter of a pound of Tynn will Tyn a pott of 20s. price Whereas if this quarter of a pound of Tyn had Cost 4:d there would not a pott the lesse be tinned in a year & Most the Tyn that is cast into smale Barrs is Consumed beyound sea by Tinning of Copper wchwhich is computed att 8 or 400 Tun a year

Tin is also Consumed by Glaseing of fine Earthen Ware & Cheyney in which Millions of people are employed throughout the world - upon which it doth dilate its self to that degree that it can fool no price if it were doble price it would no way Vnder Consumption

Tin is also Consumed by Tining Iron plates which they Call Lattin of which Coffy potts dripping pans & Many other things are Made by the Tin Men they are MAde in Germany & dispersed in very great quantityes all over the known world & if Tin were double the price it would not be felt or these & yet they Consume Much btyn being Tyned on both Sides.

Tyn is also Consumed by Tynning of Ironmongers Ware of Innumberabe Sortes & by Sadlers Ware as Bridle Bitts, Stirrops Curry Combs, Prachols &c.

590
No Damages to the Pewtereres, or to the Consumers of Tyn if the price were doubled

IF Tyn be Advanced to double All the pewterers goods in his shop Advances in ꝑportionproportion att first & afterwards according to the Advance of tin he Advanceth his pewter &c.

No Damage to the Artificer who Consumes the Tin becaus he advanceth his work it may be 3d or a groate on twenty shillings worth & by that he is a Gayner

No Damage to the Mercht:Merchant because the Queens price Rules the Marketts all over the world & there is a Necessity for it for the uses aforesdaforesaid and it were bore the prices & thereofre it can be no Damage

No Damage to the Gent:Gentle Man or Country Man because if they want all the Pewter in their houses is worth the More & the pewter they buy will yeild in proportion as it would before losose but the Makeing as they Must now if they come to sell it

No Damage to the Nation in Genll:Generall becaus in Time of peace when they Made but 1400 Tun a year of this 1400 Tun 1200 was exported as appeares by the Custom house books

591
Pewter is No Consumption of Tyn

Consumption of Tyn is Anihillating it or Reducing it into that state or Condition that it cannot ever come into a body or be servicible any more; or Converted into any other use as Tyn - And this is ꝑformedperformed by Copper, Earthen Ware - Tyn plates, Ironmongers Ware, sadlers ware, Backs of Looking Glasses, By Pewterers Soader, By Dyeing of Scarlet & Grain Colds By Putty, By Buttons Buckells Toyes &c

Pewter is Tyn Still & as out of fashion is Melted again & Converted to other uses so that it is so Much stock upon hand & No Consumption further than what is Consumed by Makeing

Pewter is a Great Increaser of Tyn by adding Much lead to it & thereby Adulterating it Cheating the people - Robin Robbing the Tin of itts Beauty & Glory - the Tin would be Consumed so fast as that they would Not haue a Block before hand were it not Increased by Lead - And it is pitty that there is not a sevear Act of ParliamtParliament against it - That pewter cannot be Made without lead is an Error I haue Consulted able Men - Lead is used only for a Cheat Tyn is so Neare to silver that after the Drosse of it 592 is gon if you keep it Melted seven yeares it will not wast & if it had Not ben debased with Lead would come So Near to Silver that it would scarce be discernable

As Much Tyn Consumed every yeare as is Raised out of the Earth

Those that Farmed the Tyn 40 years since were Accounted the Greatest Monyed Men in the Nation and yet they could not beare the weight of the Stock of Tun that Now lyes upon the Queens hands, but the Dutch in Combination with our MerchtsMerchants & Pewterers stood it out against them as they did against the Queen with the old stocl untill their Credit failed & brake them otherwayes they would haue gayned Great Estates - And her Ma:tieMajestie had Never 3 year Tin att One Time by wchwhich it appears that the Tin is Consumed from year to year as it is Raysed so that it is a Naturall Consequence - IF Tyn were not Increased by Lead there would be no stock before hand

They Rais as Much Tyn in Cornwall as possible they could if Tyn were doble the price & so they doe in the Indies & it is an Error to think that if they Imployed More Men they would rais more Tyn for Experience tells us the Contrary becaus they would Rais all the Tun in Cornwall in one yeare if they could, but providence keeps it & giues out but such a quantity as it pleaseth & Reserues its for the rest for Ages to come for there are as Many or More workers for Nothing as there is for something & that is the Reason Cornwall is not Enriched by the 593 Tyn, becaus they would haue it faster thenthem ꝑvidenceProvidence will giue it out to then by which Meanes Many spend all their estates in serching for Tun & Cannot find it for which Reason it is Rightly called Adventuring for Tyn which as a lottery hath a great Many blankes to One prised so that we May as well say that the More Ticketts we take wee shall haue the more prizesas to say the More Men we Employ wee shall haue the More Tyn - IF the Dutch had our Tyn as her MatieMajestie hath they would Make their own price of it

What Must be don in the first place as soon as advancing the price of Tyn is Resolved on.

With great secresy and accttAccount Must be Demanded of the Comers:Commissioners how Much Tyn Remaines unsold which as soone as giuen in an order Must be giuen to bring the Keys to the Treasury att the Same time a Messenger Must be disspatched to every place where the Queen hath Tyn with two orders, the first to giue the Bearer and accttaccount how Much Tin is unsold which as soon as he hath recdreceiued he Must deliver an Open order to Sell No More untill further order

THis Must be ꝑformedperformed with Great Care & secresy becaus on this Axel all the work Turnes

594
How to make the first sale

Suppose the stone houses were shut up the first of Feb: there should be NO Tyn Sold untill yethe first of May - & then Notice shoud be giuen on the Gazett that all that had any Occasion for Tyn Might be supplyed att the Tower att fiue pounds the hundred waight untill the first of June & from that time No More should be sold under fiue pounds ten shillings during her Matiess:Majesties farm

595
0 2 What Tin the Queen hatt in all Morgaged or otherwais & when the Morgage is Redeemable at home or abroad