Notes on German coins

<179r>

To the Right Honorable the Lords Commissioners of his Majesties Treasury.

May it please yoer Lordships

In obedience to yoer Lordships Order of Reference signified to me by Mr Tilson's Letter of the 5t Instant, that I should report the value of Imperial Dollars both intrinsecally & by way of Exchange with Sweden: I humbly represent that the Guldens of Hanover, Zell, Brandenburg, Saxony, Magdeburg &c are by the weight & assay worth 28d English & pass in payments for 16 Gute Grosch or 24 Marien Grosh & One Gulden & an half or 36 Marien Grosh is the common Doller of the Empire in respect of which the Gulden is usually marked $\frac{\mathrm{2}}{\mathrm{3}}$ & two Guldens or 48 Marien Grosh make the Rix Dollar of full value. The common Dollar is therefore wirth 3s 6d & the Rix Dollar of full value is worth 4.s 8d. But the Rix Dollars seldom coined to this value & therefore pass among the Iews (especially those of the late Emperors) for only 47 or 46 Marien Grosh; & accordingly I have found them by the assay worth only 4s 7d or 4s 6d & sometimes less. The difficulty is to know whether by the Imprerial Dollar, the common Dollar or the Rix Dollar is to be understood. If any payments of Imprerial Dollars have been made since the Treaty made $\frac{\mathrm{6}}{\mathrm{16}}$ Jan. 1700, the president is to be followed as the best interpreter of the Treaty. If none, the Question depends upon criticisms in the German Language, of which I am not master.

Exchanges with London at present are almost at a par. Between London & Hamburgh the allowance for exchange was on Friday last 1$\frac{\mathrm{1}}{\mathrm{2}}$ per cent. But the exchange rises daily. How it is etween London & Stockholm I do not find in the Tables of Exchange.

All which is most humbly sudbmitted to yoer Lordships great           wisdome.                                         Is. Newton

16 Gute Grosh or 24 Marien Grosh make the Gulde or Guilder & that the Gulde is worth 2s 4d & is usually marked $\frac{\mathrm{2}}{\mathrm{3}}$ to signify that it is two thirds of the Common Dollar, of the Empire. This Dollar is therefore 36 Marien Grosh or 3s 6d in value & the Rix Dolar is in some places two Gulden or 48 Marien Grosh in value, & in other places it coined of less value by one or two Marien Grosh, the several Princes of the Empire coining it of several values, & the Rix Dollars of the late Emperors passe among the Iews for only 47 or 46 Marien Grosh.

The difficulty is to know whether by the Imperial Dollar the common Dollar of the Empire or the Rix Dollar is to be understood.

If any payments