Holograph draft of MINT00509 (Mint 19/2/464)

<465r>

To the Rt Honble the Lords Commrs of his Majts Treasury.

May it please yor Lordps

The Corporatio{illeg}n of the Moneyers represent that they have been brought up Apprentices to the trade of coining with relation to England & that to set up new Mints in England without them diminishes the right of their Apprenticeship. They represent also that the multiplying of Mints tends to promote the {illeg}skill of counterfeit{illeg}ing the gold & silver moneys as happened in the coina{illeg}ge of Tin half pence & farthings in the beginning of the reign of K. Willm & Q Mary. For obvi{illeg}ating these objections & that of the insignifican{illeg}cy {illeg}of {illeg}a Con{illeg}troller alone without other checks of such a Mint, I humbly propose that Mr Wood prepare the blanks of fin{illeg}e Copper & make them fit to be stamped & then send them to the Mint in the Tower to be delivered by weight, toassayed, & stamped as Counters to& delivered back by the same weight without concerning me in the value. {sic}. This may be done by {illeg}a signe Manual appointing the Assay & the number of piec{illeg}es in the pound weight & the stamp of the Medals or Counters & yearly Quantity without {illeg}them & what shall be allowed to the a Clerk fo seeing the Copper weighed & assayed & entring all receipts by weight & deliveries in books, & seing the copper weighed & essayed. & acquainting me wth what he meets with amiss. The whole charge will be much the same with what {illeg}he as as in the late copper coynage, vizt about 2$\frac{\mathrm{1}}{\mathrm{2}}$d or 2$\frac{\mathrm{1}}{\mathrm{4}}$dnot exceed two per halfpenny per p{illeg}ound weight: for I reccon nothing for medals my self. This I propose as a better method safer for the go{illeg}vernmt then to erectgive {illeg} to subjects to erect new Mints without account or practicable control& hope if it may be done by vertue of the power re{illeg}served in his Maty & Lordps of controlling th{illeg}e proceedings of Mr Wood. All wch is most humbly submitted. for my self. This method I propose as safest for the government, if it may be done by vertue of the power reserved in his Maty & your Lordps of controlling the proce{illeg}edings of Mr Wood. All wch is most humbly submitted.