Variant holograph drafts of MINT00397 (Mint 19/3/152)

<158r>

To ye Rt Honble ye Earl of Godolphin Ld H. Tr. of gt Britain

May it pl. yor Lop

In obedience to yor Lops Order of Reference of 22 of this instant Decembr we have perused ye annexed Memorial of ye Master of her Mats Mint at Edinburgh, & for explaining or opinion about the Order wch maken be taken there convenient to be made upon it we humbly represent that Gol & Silver is imported into her Majts Mint in the Tower in the Ingott {illeg}& if it be not in the Ingot the Merchant or Importer is at the charge of melting it into Ingots with the wast made in that melting causes it to be made into ingots at his own charge {illeg}& loss by wast before the Master & Worker can {illeg}receives it by weight & assay upon his Note in order to coyn it. And according to this method ye publick paid for this first melting & wast in the late recoinage of the hammered moneys in England, & the Bank of Scotland should w pay for this melting in the present recoinage of the moneys in Scotland, & place the charge in the account of the deficiency to be made good out of the Equivalentsilver should be now placed among the losses wch private persons may sustein {illeg}by reducing the coin of Scotland to the standard & value of the coyn of England & wch by the act of union are to made good out of the Equivalent in the first place

But the disposal of the Equivalent being lodged in Commissioners by Act of Parliamt & her Maties Privy Counsel of Scotland having ordered this melting with an allowance of three pence half penny per lwtt for the performance thereof, & having by Act of Parliamt a power over the Coynage Duty of ye Mint at E{illeg}dinburgh but not over the Equivalent: the consideration of this matter seems to us to lye either before her Majts said Privy Councill & before the Commissioners of the Equivalent, {sic} or one of them & the said Bank.

For the Act of Parliament wch appoints ye Duty for coynage in Scotland ordeins that ye said Duty shall be kept apart in a chest & not be delivered but at such times as her Maty or her Privy Council shall think fit to ye General or& Master of her Mats Mint for payment of ye salaries of ye Officers thereof & for defraying the charge expence & charge of a free coynage & for the farther encouragement of Merchants & others to import Bullion. And we do not know but that by the last words of this clause of this Act a power may be lodged in her Maty or her Council of applying the said moneys even to the first melting whenever it shall be thought fit for the encouragement of coynage.

We are therefore humbly of opinion that before your Lordp give any Order about this matter, application be made by the General & Master of the said Mint or one of them to her Maties most Honble Privy Council in Scotland & to the Commrs of ye Equivalent & the {illeg} for an Order for the payment of ye said three pence half penny out of the propper fund.

The charge of refining the coarser Ingots to bring the remainder to standard being very uncertain is certainly to be allowed to ye Master in his accounts among the incident charges. In recoining the forreign moneys it may amount to about 3d or {illeg} pr lwt. In recoining those of Scotland to less then a farthing pr lwtt & we are humbly of opinion that moneys should be advanced to ye said Master from time to time by the Commrs of the Treary of Scotland out of the said Chest to the Master for enabling <159r> him to bear this charge, wch mayy be one ‡ < insertion from f 158v > either by either {illeg}by orders of the Commrs of ye Treary wth ye consentapprobation either at such times as her Mats Privy Council in Scotland {illeg}shall think fit or by yor Lordps Order by virtue of a signe manual. {sic} For the Act of Parliamt wch appoints the Order being directed to            Steward Collecto{illeg}rs of ye Bullion for coynage. For the Act of Parliament wch appoints the Duty for coynage in Scotland Ordeins that the said Dity shall – – – – import Bullion. And the Officer who keeps the key of this Chest is called the collector of ye Bullion < text from f 159r resumes > by Order either of her Maty of of her Privy Council in Scotland.

The Moneyers are allowed ten pence halfpenny for marking & coyning the moneys in her Maties Mint in the Tower & could not be prevailed with to send some of their body from their families & from their farms to ye Mint at Edinborough upon lower terms then those allowed in her Majts Mint Warrant, whereof the 9d pr lwt is the same allowance for coynage as in the Tower, {illeg}but the Master & Worker of her Mats Mint in the Tower pays only 8d thereof out of this standing allowance for coynage & ther Majty gives the other penny to the Moneyers for coyning the moneys well. And we are humbly of opinion that her Majty may make the like gift to the Moneyers in Scotland for their good service, whether it be of a penny per lwtt, or of the charges mentioned in the said Warrant above the nine pence ,(what, (in or opinion may amount to almost a half penny pr lwtt;) directing the Masrter by a signe Manual to make this allowance to the Moneyers out of such moneys as sh{illeg}all be imprest to him for the service of the Mint & the Auditors to allow the same in his Account.

And When it is determined what chargegs shall be allowed incidents are to be allowed out of the coynage money to the Master in his accounts amongfor the Incidents, we {illeg} are humbly of opinion that the Master do lay before her Mats Privy Councill of Scotland & before the Commrs of her Treasury Mats Treary in Scotland monthly or as often as shall be convenient an Account (signed by the other Officers if it be required) of what moneys have been coyned since the last accounts & what moneys are due to him for the same or for any preceding coynage including incidents including incidents, {illeg} ☉ < insertion from f 158v > ☉ or what money he is directed by her Maty or your Lordp to pay upon any acct of the coynage, that the said Commrs of the Treasury may order Scotland may order such summs too be paid to him upon account from time to time as may enable him to carry on the coynage. < text from f 159r resumes > the her Majts said Council the Commrs of the Treary wth the consent of may order {illeg}such summs to be paid to him from time to time as they shall judgebe proper be proper for carrying on the coynage

And whenever it shall be thought convenient to bring the constitution of that Mint nearer to the constitution of the Mint in the Tower we are humbly of opinion that by her Mats signe manual, at ye instance of the said Master from time to time such round summs of coynage money as yor Lordp shall think proper fit (suppose of one two, four or five thousand pounds at a time) be delivered out of the said Chestpaid from time to time by the Cash-keeper out of the Chest of moneys be{illeg} to the General & Master upon Account to be kept in a chest in the Treasury of the Mint under the keys of the General the Master the Warden & the Counter warde or three of them & issued out thence by the common consent of the said Officers at due times & in due summs for paying the salaries & charges of coynage & repairs other just charges of the Mint by the said Master, he giving security & accounting annually for the same.

All wch

<159v>

For the words of ye Act are these. It is agreed that in the first place out of the aforesaid summ (that is out of the summ called the Equivalent) what consideration shall be found necessary to be had for any losses wch private persons may sustain by reducing the coin of Scotland to ye standard & value of the coin of England, may be made good.

Considering therefore that her Mats most honble Privy Council of Scotland have direction the the three Comrs who receive the old moneysReceivers of the old moneys to bring deliver the same to Mr Allardes to be melted into Ingots that order then being delivered by weight & assay to the be recointed {sic}the ingots might be weighed assayed & & have ordered that Mr Allards should receivehave 3$\frac{\mathrm{1}}{\mathrm{2}}$ pr lwt for this melting {illeg} the{illeg} into Ingots{illeg}& wast: we are humbly of oppinion that † before yor Lordp give any order about this matter Mr Allards should apply to ye her Mts said Privy Council for their Order to ye said Commrs therein if any doubt arise

† the said Receivers should out of the new coyned moneys pay for this {illeg} theis 9$\frac{\mathrm{1}}{\mathrm{2}}$ in th{illeg}e first place the same among place & {illeg} set down the same in the acct of the losses susteined by reducing the coin of Scotland to ye standard {illeg}& value of ye coin of England, & t{illeg}hat if any doubt arise about this matter, Mr Allards apply to the Papplication should be made to her Mats Privy C. of Scotl. for their Order direction before yor Lop {illeg}give any Order about it.

† the paymt of this 3$\frac{\mathrm{1}}{\mathrm{2}}$ should be made (before all other payments) by ye said Receivers out of ye new coynd moneys before all other payments {illeg}& be placed in ye account {illeg}of the losses susteined by reducing the coin of Scotland to ye standard & value of ye coin of England, & that if any doubt about this matter it {illeg} application be made to her Mats Privy Council in Scotland {illeg} for putting the for ordering this payment before {illeg}yor Lordp give any order about it.

it seems to us that ye sadid 3$\frac{\mathrm{1}}{\mathrm{2}}$ is a just due to Mr Allards from the said Receivers by the said Act of Parl. & Order of Council together {illeg} & upon demand ought to be paid {illeg}out of ye new coyned money{illeg} in the first {illeg}place before theis said money {illeg} be applyed to make good any other losses {illeg}or dammages or deficiencieys & that whatsoever: And that the said Receivers {illeg} shouldare to are to place this payment in their Accounts iof the losses susteined by reducing ye coyin of Scotland to ye standard & value of the coin of England:. aAnd that where {illeg} any doubt arises about this matter, it has seems to lye before the {illeg}her Majts most honble Privy Council to heare of Scotl{illeg}and, who should heare may heare the same {illeg} upon application made to them, before yor Lordp give any Order about it, they having appointed this melting.

After the master have receive tithe Ingot upon his Note, he melts & coins tithat at his own charge, but. And After And after the silver is thus received from {illeg} {illeg} ye Masterdelivered to the Master & in his custody he bears all the charge of melting & coining it, but [the charge of {illeg} & loss susteined by melting it into Ingots by before this delivery is always born by Importers {illeg} before this delivery because the Silver is then in the Importershis custod {sic} custody & at his disposal [& he may melt it himself or imploy whom he pleases to melt it into Ingots & but cannot oblige the Master of ye Mint to melt it into Ingo perform this melting {illeg}melt it nor so much as to receive {illeg}it as Master of the Mint. For the Master receives all silver into the Mint. For ye Master receives all silver] & he must make it fit to be delivered before the assayed & the weighted fbefore the Master can receive for coynage according to the intrinsic value. Accordingly the public paid for in ye late recoinage of the hammered moneys in England pthe publick paid for the melting of the money into ingots