The liberty of melting of forreign Moneys into Ingots in private shops & houses for Exportation gives Oppertunity of of {sic} melting down ye. English Money into Ingots for the same purpose for restraining of wch a Law might be usefull against Exporting any Ingots of Silver melted down in England except in a publick office to be appointed or erected for that purpose.
The Law by barring the Exportation of forreign Silver after it is Coyned prevents the Coynage thereof because the Merchant Cannot afterward export it & tends to discourage ye bringing of Silver into England because the Merchant can make no use of it whilst it stays here in the form of Bullion the bringing of Silver to ye Market of England and the turning it into monies should rather be encouraged as the proper means of encreasing the coyn., If the Merchant might export what he Coyns, something of what he Coynes would be apt to laid out here, Silver being more apt to stay wth us in the useful form of money then in the useless form of Bullion and encreasing the Coyn whilst it stays wth us If the merchant might export what he coyns something some part of what he coyns would be apt to be laid out here. And this Liberty may be allowed him after some such manner as is Expressed in the Scheme hereunto annexedpart of what he coyns
The Licensing the exportation of Bullion whilst ye exportation of the money is prohibited makes silver worth more uncoyned then coyned and thereby not only stops the Coynage but causes the melting down of the money in private for exportation. For remedying this mischeif {sic} it may be perhaps better on the contrary to prohibite the exportation of Bullion and License that of money and when ever the money is in danger, to Licence the exportation of so much money only as shall be coyned from time to time out of forreign Bullion
Source
MINT 19/2/82, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UKca. 7 July 1702, c. 332 words.