Draft of MINT00287 (Mint 19/2/602-3)

<595r>

Proposals for encreasing the Coyn of this Kingdom

The use of Gold & Silver in Cloaths Coaches & Houshold Furniture was forbid in France last March. If Such a law here should be of good consequence butif {illeg} it would difficultly pass for apparrel pass for apparrel If that a {illeg}But if they it should be {sic} thought too general it might suffice to forbid the use of gold & silver in laces & fringes & shoi buckles & the guilding upon leather wood & stone plaister excepting letters of gold & varnish & basic materials & other materials then standard ☾ or ☾ finer then sta.. excepting such pieces of work as s{illeg}ly singly exceed not the price of             for guilding not above 6d a piece for guilding

All persons going to sea have the liberty are allowed without any restraint to carry on boadrd what plate the think fit for their own uses: by wch means our money may bebeing run down into plate &may be freely exported to the Indies, without any & luxury is encouraged in the King Royal Navy, it growing into fashion for ye Officers to have great quantities of Plate on board.

In France by an{illeg} for a long time ce{illeg}rtain vessels are prohibited & Vtensils have been forbid to be made of gold &or silver & others are forbid to be made of those metalls of above {illeg}a cert{illeg}ain weights Particularly all vessels of gold for ye use of the Table are forbid & so are all other vessels of gold exceeding abovemust not exceeding an an ounce in weight. Also Ballisters                        Cabinets Tables Bure{illeg}aus          Looking-glasses               Andirons, Grates, Orn{illeg}aments of ye fire or of Chimneys, Candlesticks wth branches &c are forbidden to be made of silver. Bas{illeg}ins of silver must not exceed ye weight of 12 marks, blatters not 8, Trencher plates not 24 marks ye douzen &c

The like prohibitions & limitations for vessels of China earthen ware would save the nation much money. And so would a general prohibition of Iapanimporting Iapan wooden ware

The importation of stained Callico{illeg}es is prohibited, but they painted of themare stained in England increase the{illeg} importation of those Callicoes for wch we send silver to the Indies is encreased them wch ye export& thereby the{illeg} importation is encreased wch export{illeg}ation of or silver to purchaseof plain Callicoes is encreased. The staining of them is prohibited in France Quære whether the want of themstained Callicoes would not cost the nationEngland more money in other commodities?

I have head that in France the Est India Merchants are{illeg} enjoyned to export half as much in French commodities as in gold & silver. Such a law in England would promote the exportation of or own manufacture & diminish the exportation of gold & silver & thereby bring down the high price of Bullion wch occasions the melting down of or money. for exportation. Such a law would force put the the East India Merchants to some difficulties for a while but in a short time would {illeg}force their Trade into new Channels more to the nations advantage (thô perhaps less to the Merchants) then those it runs in at prsent. For they Merchants would soon find out ways of vending their goods in China & other places. I would therefore propose that in lending any East India ship no money☉ or ☾ should be coined on boadrd till she had one third part of her lading in Eng{illeg}lish commodities & then on a day to be appointed by the Commrs of ye Customes {illeg} twice as much ☉ & ☾ might be in value might be carried on board. & no more. {sic} And if any ship wanted of her lading to be in ☉ & ☾ complementdefact or remainder might be carried on board the next ship of the same Merchant or Company, & sailing to ye Indies provided it be done within           m{illeg}onths after ye lading of ye former ship. But no ship should exceed her just lading in money except in making up the defect of a former ship.

<595v>

The {illeg}increase of or coyn is principally hindred by the InEast India Company buying up all forreign Bullion of silver & some of gold & th for ye Indies wthout being obliged to export a proportionateble quantity of English commodities. The Old East India company are obliged toby exp Patent to export 100000li ꝑ an in commo{illeg}dities but this Obligation is expiring & perhaps was never well observed & the cargo in goods i{illeg}s too small in purport to yein gold & silver they export is unlimited in proportion to ye cargo in goods. If they were obliged to export at least half as much in commodities as in ☉ & ☾ it would conduce very much to the Exportation of or own manufacture & native product & che ye exportation of bullion Gold & Silver