Two reports on foreign coin in Ireland
To the Right Honourable the Earl of Oxford & Earl Mortimer Lord High Treasurer of great Britain.
May it please your Lordship
In obedience to your Lordships Order of Reference signified to me by Mr Taylour in his Letter of Iune 16th Instant, I have perused the Representation from the Lords of the Privy Council of Ireland touching a late Order of Council here for giving currency in that Kingdom by Proclamation to some forreign Coynes which were omitted in a former Proclamation, a printed copy of which they have sent, desiring a clause to be added to the said Order for making such allowance for light pieces as was made in the said Proclamation, & that the Order may comprehend also the forreign coynes mentioned in that Proclamation because the original therof under the great seal was destroyed in the late fire which happened there at the Council Chamber, so that the Clerk of the Council cannot now certify that the printed copy agrees with the original verbatim as the late Act of Parliament requires for the conviction of counterfeiters of those coynes. And upon comparing the said Representation with the said late Order of Council & printed Proclamation, I humbly represent that the weight of the single Pistole & Lewis d'or being in the said Proclamation put 4dwt 8gr, the weight of the double Pistole & double Lewis d'or ought in proportion to be put in a new Proclamation 8dwt 16gr & that of the quadruple Pistole or double doubleon 17dwt 8gr. And that the Moyder of Portugal (which as the Merchants bring them hither a little worn weigh one with another 6dwt 21gr, & before wearing may be a quarter of a grain heavier or above) may be put in weight 6dwt 22gr in the same Proclamation & valued at thirty shillings. For in Ireland where an English shilling passes for thirteen pence the Moyder of this weight is worth 29s 11d reconning gold 22 carats fine at 3li 19s 8d per ounce which is the standard value, or it is worth 30s 00d reconning gold 22 carats fine at 4li per ounce as is ordinarily done: and 30s is a medium & the nearest round number. And a grain being allowed for wearing, this piece will be current till it weights but 6dwt 21gr as was stated in the late Order of Council. And after that it will be current still by abating 2d per grain in its value for what it wants to the weight of 6dwt 22gr. For the latter part of the printed Proclamation concerning the allowance for light pieces & concerning the scales & weights for weighing them, I am humbly of opinion should be continued in the next Proclamation.
I humbly beg leave to represent further to your Lordship that the weights & values of the silver coynes in the printed Proclamation would answer better to one another & to the coynes themselves if two pence were taken from the value of the Crusado & eighteen or twenty grains added to the weight of the Dollars. For the Crusado is reconned in Portugal to be the tenth part of the Moyder in value & the Moyder is worth 30s in Ireland as above, & yet the Crusado is valued in the Proclamation at 3s 2d. Its weight before wearing is 11dwt 4gr. In the Proclamation its weight is put 10dwt 20gr, & a <242v> Crusado of this weight is worth but three shillings.
Rix Dollars Cross Dollars & other Dollars are in the Proclamation put of the same weight & value with pieces of eight of Mexico & Sevil, Pillar pieces & Lewises. And yet the Dollars are much coarser & heavier than the pieces of eight & Lewises & ought to be 18 or 20 grains heavier to be of the same value. Rix Dollars before wearing weighed about 18dwt & 6 8 or 10 grains & Cross Dollars 18dwt 1gr. That they may be worth 4s 9d (which is their value in the Proclamation) they should weigh at least 17dwt 18gr.
I am therefore humbly of opinion that the gold coines should be of the weight & fineness expressed in the Paper hereunto annexed, & the silver ones as in the printed Proclamation, unless for the reasons above mentioned it should be thought fit to take two pence from the value of the Crusados & add eighteen grains to the weight of the Dollars.
All which is most humbly submitted to your Lordships great
wisdome
Isaac Newton
<243r>The weight & value of forreign coins in Ireland.
The piece commonly called the Spanish quadruple Pistole of Gold or double doubleon weighing seventeen penny weight eight grains to pass at three pounds & fourteen shillings.
The piece commonly called the Spanish or French double Pistole of Gold or the Doubleon or double Lewis d'Or weighing eight penny weight sixteen grains to pass at one pound & seventeen shillings.
The piece commonly called the Spanish or French Pistole of Gold weighing four penny weight eight grains to pass at eighteen shillings & six pence.
The piece commonly called the Spanish or French half pistole of Gold weighing two penny weight four grains to pass at nine shillings & three pence.
The piece commonly called the Spanish or French quarter Pistole of Gold weighing one penny weight two grains to pass at four shillings & seven pence half penny.
The piece commonly called the Moyder of Portugal weighing six penny weight twenty two grains to pass at thirty shillings
The piece commonly called the half Moyder weighing three penny weight eleven grains to pass at fifteen shillings
The piece commonly called the quarter Moyder weighing one penny weight seventeen grains & an half to pass at seven shillings & six pence.
The piece of Silver commonly called the Ducatoone weighing twenty penny weight sixteen grains to pass at six shillings.
The piece commonly called the half Ducatoone weighing ten penny weight eight grains to pass at three shillings.
The piece commonly called the quarter Ducatoone weighing five penny weight four grains to pass at one shilling six pence.
The piece commonly called the piece of eight of Mexico or Sevil, the Mexico called the pillar piece & the French Lewis each weighing seventeen penny weight & the Cross Dollar Rix Dollar & all other Dollars [weighing seventeen penny weight & twenty grains] to pass at four shillings & nine pence
The piece commonly called the half piece of eight of Mexico or Sevil, Pillar piece & French Lewis weighing eight penny weight & twelve grains & the half of the Rix Dollar Cross Dollar & other Dollars [weighing to pass at two shillings & four pence half penny.
The piece commonly called the quarter piece of eight of Mexico or Sevil, Pillar piece & French Lewis weighing four penny weight six grains & the quarter of the Rix Dollar Cross Dollar & other Dollars weighing to pass at one shilling & two pence farthing
The piece commonly called the old Peru weighing seventeen penny weight to pass at four shillings & six pence
The piece commonly called the half piece of eight of Peru weighing eight penny weight twelve grains to pass at two shillings three pence
The piece commonly called the quarter piece of eight of Peru weighing four penny weight six grains to pass at one shilling & one penny half penny.
<243v>The piece commonly called the Crusado of Portugal weighing ten penny weight twenty grains, to pass at three shillings &
The piece commonly called the half Crusado of Portugal weighing five penny weight ten grains, to pass at One shilling &
Source
MINT 19/2/242-3, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UKJune 1712, c. 1,329 words.