Draft of MINT00499 (Mint 19/2/236v)

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To the Right Honorable the Earl of Oxford & Earl Mortimer Lord High Treasurer of great Britain.

May it please yoer Lordship

According to yoer Lordships Order signified to me by Mr Secretary Harley in his Letter of Feb. 26 last, I have considered the Letter of his Grace the Duke of Ormond her Majesties Lieutenant General & General Governour of Ireland sent to yoer Lordship, together with the Representation sent to his Grace from the Lords of her Majesties most Honorable privy Council of that Kingdom, mentioning a late Proclamation for making current in Ireland some pieces of forreign gold & proposing the making current there by further Proclamation several other pieces of forreign Gold therein named in order to prevent the counterfeiting thereof And as to the value of the pieces I humbly represent that the Spanish Pistoles one with another, as they are brought hither by the Merchant, weigh 103 grains each, & are in fineness half a grain wors then standard, & after the rate that a guinea is valued in England at 1£ 1s 6d, are worth 17s 1d, & in Ireland where the silver money is raised a penny in the Shilling, if the gold be raised in the same proportion, are worth 18s 6d. But by the Representation I perceive that they are recconed in Ireland to weigh only 102 grains, a grain (as I conceive) being abated to give a currency to such lighter peices as want not above a grain of their just weight. The Lewid'ors of France are of the same weight fineness & value with the Spanish Pistoles. And the Moyders of Portugal one with another, as they are brought hither by the merchant, weigh 165 grains & three quarters of a grain, & are a quarter of a grain better then standard, & in England are worth 27s. 8d$\frac{\mathrm{1}}{\mathrm{2}}$, & being raised a penny in the shilling become worth 1£ 10s 0d in Ireland. In her Majesties Proclamation their weight may be put 165 grains, the fraction being omitted in favour of the lighter pieces. In the Representation their weight is put 168gr which is certainly too much; & thence it comes to pass that they are there valued at 1£ 10s 6d, which is 6d too much. I have examined the weight of 30 parcels of Moyders conteining a thousand Moyders in each parcel & thereby found that the Moyder at a medium weighs only 165$\frac{\mathrm{3}}{\mathrm{4}}$ grains.

In her Majesties Proclamation therefore the Spanish & French gold coins may be put of the weight & value exprest in the Representation. But the Portugal coins may be set down as follows. The Portugal piece of gold called a Moyder & weighing 165 grains, at 1£ 10s 0d. The half Moyder weighing 82 grains & an half, at 15s. The quarter Moyder weighing 41 grains & a quarter, at 7s 6d.

All which is most humbly submitted to yoer Lordships great           wisdome Mint Office Mar. 3d. 17$\frac{\mathrm{11}}{\mathrm{12}}$.                          Is. Newton