Petition for a pay rise

<156r>

Sir

The giveing you the truble of this being altogether a Stranger and to one of such a larg Character may justly be termed a bold attempt, but the singūlar accoūnt I have of you from Dor Gregorie and these Gentlemen of our Societie Alerdice and Mr Drūmmond, and that oblidgeing caire you have of evrie particūlar relateing to our Mint makes me venture ye more on your goodnes and plad that this may humble present my sincear good wishes and most duetie Respects with a full acknowledgement of ye recd freedom I take to acquaint that the Generall and other Directing Officers of our Mint finding ymselfs at a stand and difficūltie annent our foūnds for supporting ye Recoynage; agreed to make a Representation yrof to My Lord Heigh Tresaūrer and of ye necessar {sic} officers added by Doctor Gregorie on his doune comeing hier to put ūs in the method at your mint which he did with all coine and good thoūght, a Coppie wherof Mr Drūmmond is to transmit to you with this accoūnt yrof Queen Clerk I presume to informe you that being Comptroller or Coūnter warden my Sallerie is only sixtie pounds, this I complaind of to Dor Gregorie as being too mean for ye office and Atendance and no ways in proportion with the other sallerie, he proposed that to saive some charge to ye Government I might have a suteable allowance, and officiat as Weigher and Teller also, this besids Mr Drūmmonds and my attendance was give by tūrns as sūrviors of the meltings, and because the Qūeens Clerk had only 40£ And that a Clerk of the Irons was necessar yt he should officiat <156v> in that office, and so have his sallerie by the same reason augmented, wee are hopefull hier that My Lord Tresaurer will transmit our Representation to you and the other Directing officers with you, and yrfor shall earnestly beg yt favour of your freindship in this for us both as you see good reason for the Aūgmentation and shall wish your thoūght and advice did determine it. also there are three new Clerks added one to the Master one to Mr Drūmmond and one to me, all to continūe fo{illeg}r the fūtūre, and one assistant to ye assaymaster to continūe only dureing the Recoynage, ye new offices shoudl commence from the first of Aūgūst last, to iune with our Quarter salleries, and am hopefull yr will be a reasonable allowance given them, fūrther I plead to informe out of a principall of Charetie and the benefet of oūr Mint, that oūr founder and Melter Iames Shiels who performs extreamly well and most usefull to ūs in a great monie things as Dor Gregorie will acquaint you, his condition is bot brean in ye world and is haired by the day, when the Mint is goeing and so as his incūragement fails he may come to leave ūs, Therfor wee did propose to the Doctor if it was possible to get ten pounds a year setled on him, which he thought reasonable and yt he might be named pūrvior, I am possetive this is for yt service of the mint for if wee shoūld lose this man wee would have difficūltie to supply his place he haveing yt exact practi{illeg}ce of smelting with pit-coall and a most readie servant evrie way and might prove a great lose to Alerdice our Master. I know mr Drummond will wreat you annent our founds and yrfor shall not double that trūble to inorme, wee shall want ane order from My Lord Treasuurer {sic} to ye Exchequer hier to signe precepts to us for two Quarters salleries preceeding ye first of May last, and in time comeing to ye officers according to oūr old Establisment befor ye ūnion, a shedall {sic} wherof Mr Drummond sens ūp and for the salleries of ye new added officers from the first of aūgūst 1707, all might be in a sign'd shedall {sic} by My Lord Tresaurer

<157r>

By the fue trayels wee have had of oūr new Essay Mr I hope he shall ansuer expectation our moneyrs are verie dilligent and wee all continūe easie and freindly with onanther; Dead Sir I have been most ūnmainnerly in first presumeing this and then to insist so long on our oune particūlars, but being mint būssines and your readie inclination to favoūr ūs at all times makes me hope you'l pardin this; I beg the urther favoūr of presenting my kind Respects and service to your Warden and Mr Ellies who I hope well justly contribūt to my pairt of the Representation also to yor Essay Mr and the rest of ye Gentlemen of yoūr Societie and again in particūlar to your self with my heartie and good wishes I am in all cinceretie and good will

Sir

Your most hūmble and real servant

Edinbūrgh 10 Iūllie 1708

Wa:Boswell