Recommendations for sorting out the Edinburgh Mint's expenses

<166r>

We have made a report upon the petition of Mr Robt Millar the Queens Clerk & proposed that he should be allowed a recompence of 60li for his service in assisting the three Commissioners appointed to certify the deficiencies upon the recoinage. The Petition of the moneyers was referred to us before I stopt it, which I was note aware of when I had the honour to see your Lordship last. We have since made a report upon it in which we set forth the weight of all the money coyned, the sum due to the Moneyers after the rate of 9d per lwt for the coinage, , how much they have received thereof & what remains due to them & that of the said 9d Mr Allardes be allowed one penny per poundweight in his accounts by her Majesty, & beare only the other 8d out of his own allowance as is done in the Mint in the Tower. We have also reported what is due to the Moneyers for journeys & other allowances So that I hope this Report will fully settle their account & procure a Warrant for paying it off as soon as there is money, & for authorizing Mr Allardes to place the penny per poundweight to her Majesty in his account &

My Lord

I understand that the Barons of the Exchequer of North Britain are calling in the money due to your Mint from the Collectors of the Bullion, & I hope there is good progress made in that matter. And as that money can be got in I presume my Lord Treasurer will order it for paying off the arrears of the late recoinage & the other charges of your mint. And if any thing relating to this matter be referred by my Lord Treasurer to the Officers of the Mint in Tower I shall be ready to promote the affairs of your Mint as much as I can.

Since the Vnion of the two kingdoms there has been a Duty collectd in North Britain upon the same foot with the coinage Duty in England & the money collected (which is but a small summ) lies in her Majestys Exchequer. I presume my Lord Treasurer will give order about it next winter & also about the 12 hundred pounds applicable (by the new Act of Parliament) to the payment of salaries & charges of repairs. But during this vacation time, his Lordship being seldom at London & not yet having an account of the old arrears in the hands of the collectors of bullion, will be difficult to get these matters settled. I wrote to Mr Allardes about two or three months ago to sollicit the Barons of the Exchequer to call in those arrears, & as soon as a full state of that matter can be laid before his Lordship which I hope may be before <166v> winter, I am humbly of opinion that it may be proper to draw up a memorial representing the arrears due to the Mint, & moving his Lordship for the payment thereof & for settling the payment of such further summs from time to time as shall be requisite for the support of your Mint for the future, & I believe it will be most proper to get the Secretary of State to lay the Memorial before his Lordship.