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

<597r>

Proposals for preserving & encreasing the Coyn of this Kingdom.

All silver designed for exportation shall be first examined & entred in the Mint. And for that end all American virgin gold or silver imported shall upon its first coming up the River to the Custome house be brought to the Mint by the Master of the ship &                  other wtinesses to be there examined & entred. And the said sand Gold & Virgin silver & all forreign monies designed for exportation shall be there melted into Ingots. And these Ingots & all other Ingots of Silver above mentioned shall at the choise of the Merchant be either coyned into monies or marked with a stamp provided in the Mint for that purpose. And at the request of the Merchant the Master of the Mint shall give him a Ticket certifying the weight of the monies coyned out of the said forreign silver & the time of the coynage thereof which Ticket shall be indented & cut out of a book in which the same shall be entred.

Ingots not markt with the Mint stamp may not be exported nor bought or sold but may be brought to the Mint for encreasing the coyn of this kingdome. This law now obteins in France by an Edict of last March for preventing the melting down of the monies.

The Merchant upon delivering the Mint Tickets at the Custome house may within a year after the coynage of the monies mentioned therein, by Warrant of the Commissioners of the Customes upon a day appointed in the Warrant ship for exportation the said monies or the same quantity of like monies by weight & also any Ingots which have the Mint stamp upon them, & the Customers shall enter the same & file the Tickets And upon the same day the Purser of the ship may carry on board so much money as shall be allowed the seamen & Passenger for their pockets. No other monies to be brought on board by any person whatsoever, except

In Vessel or Instrument or Vtensil of Gold or silver weighing above     ounces Troy shall be exported except Plate for the use of Passenger of Quality by License of the Lord High Treasurer or Commissioners of the Treasury for the time being. For Plate at present is freely exported & very great quantities of Plate have been made the two last years out of the hammered money.

All silver monies before shipping for exportation shall pay 1$\frac{\mathrm{1}}{\mathrm{2}}$d per ounce Troy at the Custome house for the charge of assaying standarding melting & coyning the same. Which Duty shall be kept apart with the Duty already granted for encouragement of coynage & therewith paid into the Exchequer & thence imprest to the Master of the Mint for the same uses. And <597v> all Ingots stampt shall pay to the Master of the Mint before stamping a farthing per ounce for defraying the charges of examining & reducing silver into Ingots & towards the charges of assaying melting & coyning the monies & of providing & repairing things necessary for the same. For which Duty the Master of the Mint shall be accountable to the King And for every melting of less then 4lwt of forreign silver the Merchant shall pay 1s to the Master for the same uses & have the Ingot stampt gratis.

No silver (other then pocket money already allowed) shall be exported out of any other Port of England than that of London nor out of Ireland except into England.

Felony without benefit of Clergy to counterfeit the Mint stamp or the Mints Tickets. And other penalties upon them that ship silver not licensed or without paying the Duty or upon any other day than that appointed in the Custome house warrant or buy or sell unmarkt Ingots or counterfeit American Virgin silver or other forreign silver or bring Barrs of silver to the Mint to be markt or coyned as forreign which are not forreign.

The like laws may be made for gold, the Merchant paying 6$\frac{\mathrm{1}}{\mathrm{2}}$d per ounce for coyning & 1d per ounce for marking what he exports. & 1s for melting every parcel of less then 1lwt Troy of forreign gold.