Another holograph draft of MINT00131 (Mint 19/1/334-5)

<336r>

By the Act of 18 Caral. II chap v saith that there shall not be issued out of the Exchequer of the said moneys in any one year, for the Fees & Salaries of the Officers of the Mint or Mints & towards the providing, maintaining & repairing of the Houses Offices & other necessaries for assaying melting down & coyning, above the summ of three thousand pounds sterling money & the overplus of the said moneys so kept or to be kept as aforesaid shall be employed for & towards the expence wast & charge of assaying melting down & coynage & buying in of Gold & silver to coyn & not otherwise. And in the preceding paragraph these charges are called the charge of the Mint or Mints, & of the assaying melting down wast & coynage of gold & silver & the encouragement of the bringing in of gold & silver into the said Mint or Mints there to be coyned &c.

The first part of the charge limited to 3000li I reccon to be the standing charge of Salaries & buildings with their neceessary appurtences (such as are convenient Chimneys, Hearths, floors, tables & places therein) for constituting a Mint. The latter part to be the charge of the instruments materials workmanship & wast arising from the quantity of coynage & proportional to it, & requisite for carrying it on. And of this sort I reccon Mills furnaces, coppels, coats for the Assay office, water silver, Aqua fortis, refining, allay &c. And in this sense the Act has been constantly interpreted, as may be understood by the old Accounts of the Warden & Master.

In those Accounts the salaries upon the establishment of the Indenture amounted formerly to 2600li. And the charges of repairs came to two three & sometimes almost 400li more. The Articles in the Masters Accounts for furnaces & charges of assaying refining & allaying were always recconed to the charges of coyning. And the extraordinary salaries upon Warrant went with the incident charges as an Article not provided for by the Act, excepting that the Master about eight or nine years ago ordered the extraordinary salary of the Wardens second Clerk amounting to 40li per annum to be recconed into the 3000li.

In the Accounts for the 1712 the salaries upon the Indenture payable by the Wardens amount unto 1435, those payable by the Master unto 1080. The Wardens second Clerk 40, the Graver's Apprentice 35li The Smith assistant to the Gravers 40li & the Moneyers 400li. And the Repairs of the buildings in the Wardens Accounts 389li 2s + 1.. 13. 6. The whole amounts unto 3430. 15. 6.

The Article of incidents in the Wardens Account was nevw yet recconed to the 3000 pounds. And sometimes there are such large incidents as will not admit of such a recconing as for instance 120li charge of the last trial of the Pix & 160li the making the last trial pieces. The Press room is ready to fall down & it the allowance of 3000li (now 3500) be too much crouded there will be no money to rebuild it.

<336v>

vizt the charge of stationary ware for the ballances weights, {illeg} Mills furnaces, coppels, water silver Aqua fortis & charcoale for the Assay office, refining, allaying melting & coyning