Memorial of Charles Earl of Lauderdale, with Treasury referral

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To the Right Honourable the Lords Commissrs: of His Majtie's Treasury.

The Memorial of Charles Earl of Lauderdale General of the Mint in Scotland.

That by an Act of Parliament past in the first year of his Majesty's Reign Entituled An Act to continue duties for Encouraging the Coinage of Money &ca: It is enacted, to the end the Importers of Gold and Silver into the Mints of England and Scotland respectively may not be discouraged by any deficiency of the Revenue by the said act settled for degrading the Coinage thereof, that it shall or may be lawfull to and for the Commissioners of the Treasury for the time being &ca out of the Moneys arising by the said Act or out of any other supplies granted or to be granted by Parliament to cause so much money to be applied as shall be necessary for defraying the Expences of the Mints of England and Scotland respectively by way of imprest and upon Accot: for that Service, so as the same together with the Coinage Dutys arising by the said Act do not exceed in any one Year the sum of Fifteen Thousand pounds, And so as the said Moneys be issued out of the Exchequer of Great Britain to the Master of the Mint in England and the General of the Mint in Scotland respectively for the said purposes.

That by his Majestys Sign Manual bearing date the Seventeenth day of Novemr: 1718. (A Copy whereof is hereunto annex'd) Your Memorialist is Authoriz'd and commanded out of such Moneys as are or shall be issued unto him out of the Exchequer by the Commissioners of His Majestys Treasury for the time being and by way of Imprest and upon Accot: for the Vse and Service of the said Mint in Scotland to pay unto the Officers of the said Mint their Sallarys and all charges of Coinage and of keeping the Offices of the Offices of the said Mint and the Coining tools in repair and the Dwelling Houses of the Officers within the said Mint Wind and Water tight. And in the like manner the Memorialist is thereby Authoriz'd & Commanded to cause his Majesty's Moneys of Gold and Silver to be Coined in the said Mint of the same forms with his said Majestys moneys Coined in England and with the same inscriptions and that the latter E be set under his Majestys Effigies to distinguish the Moneys Coined at Edinburgh from those Coined at London, And that Your Memorialist and all the Officers Moneyers & Ministers of the said Mint do conform themselves in all things to the Rules and Directions set down in the Indenture made between the late Queen Anne & Iohn Montgomerie Esqr Master of the said Mint untill a New Indenture shall be made.

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That since the Year 1709. there has been no Coinage in the said Mint in Scotland, and that the Want thereof has occasioned a scarcity of Coin in that part of the Vnited Kingdom and is a great discouragement to the Importers of Bullion there who have often made offer of Bullion to be Coined.

That Your Memorialist by the aforesaid Sign Manual conceives himself Warranted to {illeg}Cause to be Coined his Majestie's Moneys of Gold and Silver in the said Mint, If a sufficient sum were imprest into his hands for defraying the Charges thereof.

That the last sum issued was One Thousand four hundred and Seventy pounds for paying the Sallarys of the Officers and repairing the Fabrick of the said Mint for One Year & a Quarter viz. from Christmas 1719 to Lady day 1721 a{illeg}s may appear by the Warrant bearing date the 22d Ianuary last.

That since that time there have been no Moneys Issued for payment of the said Officers Sallarys, and for repairing and Vpholding the fabrick of the said Mint and there is now due of that Accot: two Years, vizt: From the said term of Lady day 1721. to Lady day last 1723.

It is therefore humbly entreated That Your Lordships may Grant a Warrant for Impresting into the hands of Your Memorialist such a Sum as Your Lordships shall judge necessary for defraying the Charges of a Coinage in the said Mint in Scotland And also for the sum of Two Thousand One hundred forty four pounds Eight shillings ten pence and two thirds for paying the sallarys of the Officers and repairing the Fabrick of the said Mint for the said Two Years From Lady day 1721 to Lady day last 1723.

<text in Clerical Hand (2) begins>Whitehall Treasury Chambers 3d August 1723

The Right Honoble: the Lords Commrs: of his Mats Treasury are pleased to referr this Memorial to Sr: Isaac Newton Knt: Master and Worker of his Mats: Mint who is to consider the same and Report to their Lordp's his Opinion what is fit to be done therein Which in the absence of the Secretarys is signifyed by their Lordp's Command from

Chris Tilson

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