Copy of letter concerning the funds for rewarding the place of engineer

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To the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners of His Majestys Treasury

May it Please Your Lordships.

According to Your Lordships Order of Reference of 28th. March, Wee have Considered the Annexed petition of the Provost & Company of Moneyers & humbly represent to Your Lordships that Mr. Doyley formerly Clerk to the Warden of the Mint having done some service to the Government in the Prosecution of Mr. Dives for Counterfeiting Guineas was Rewarded by K. Chas: II. with a Pattent for the Revertion of the Engineers place, that he being a Linnen Draper by Trade & altogether unskilled in the Engineers Business, a Clause was incerted in his Pattent impowering the King to Revoke the Grant, and put the Engineers Business with the Masters allowance for the same into other Hands, reserving only the sallary of £100 per Annum to Mr. Doyley & accordingly when the place became void, the King revoked the Grant to Mr. Doyley except the sallary of £100 per Annum & made the Provost and Corporation of Moneyers Engineer, And because the proper sallary was Reserved to Mr. Doyley the King in lieu thereof granted to the Moneyers another sallary of £ per annum by a particular Warrant.

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Wee further Represent to Your Lordships that out of the Coinage Duty 3000£ per annum is appropriated by Act of Parliament to Sallaries and Repairs of Buildings, and at present is not sufficient for those Vses, so that this new Sallary of 100£ per Annum cannott be spared from that sum without letting the Buildings run to ruin or Putting the Mint into Debt.

That it is contrary to the Coinage Act to take away any Part of the 3000£ per Annum from the service of the Mint (to which, it is appropriated) and give it away as a Reward for other s4ervices, And therefore We humbly Conceive that the Clause of the Pattent for separating this Sallary from the Engineers Business and reserving it to Mr Doyley is Illegal and voided the pattent

That Mr. Newton believing he is not bound to pay two sallaries for one Office has suspended the payment of this sallary both to Mr. Doyley, & to the Provost of the Moneyers till he knows to whom he ought to Pay it.

That Mr. Doyley offered not long since to do the Engineers Business though He understands it nott, butt intends only to Employ under Him the Smiths who are now Employed under Mr. Looker one of the Moneyers who is a Smith and does the Engineers Business, And that the Moneyers (for Reasons which they are best able to Explaine) are very unwilling that Mr. Doyley should come amongst their Gold and Silver

This is the State of the Matter and We are thereupon humbly of Opinion either that the Kings Council be Advised with, about voiding Mr. Doyleys pattent, so that the Engineers Sallary appointed by the Indenture of the Mint, may not be given away to an unqualified person for services to which the Coinage Duty is not applicable, butt be wholly applied to the Business of the Mint according to the Intent of the Act of Parliament, or else that the Payment of the Sallary to the Moneyers by particular Warrant be suspended till Mr. Doyleys Death

All which is most humbly submitted to Your Lordships great Wisdom by

[1]

I Stanley

Is: Newton