Draft of MINT00493 (Mint 19/2/214-15)

<220r>

May it please yor Lordps

In obedience to your Lops order of Ref. signified to us by Mr Lowndes we have considered the M{illeg} Memorial of ye Chancellour of Ireland about erecting a Mint in that Kingdom &wth the Report of the late Warden & Master & Worker upon it & the other Papers accompanying them [& find the caution of those Officersthose Officers in {illeg}that Report {illeg}ktnot without a wth the like caution of their Predecessors in a Report made almost 40 years ago a copy of wch is {illeg} conteined in the said Paper & copied in those P{illeg}apers. "If, say they, It hath been, say they] And by those papers we find that And by those papers we find that the Officers of the Mint have long been longformerly cautious in this matter. &For in theira Report made by them about 39 years ago they thus delivered their opinionuse have these words.of {illeg} to yor Honble Board It hath been, say they, the policy & caution of &c – First consideration.

We understand also that the la{illeg}te Warden & Master in their ab Report ab upon {illeg} the {illeg} above mentioned Memorial made about three years ago were {illeg} the more {illeg}cautio{illeg}us by reason of the applause the applause wch the {illeg} a project a designe of exempting Ireland from subordination to England then met with in Ireland., [& how far that he now is now laid aside we do not know does not appear to us] Andreason of th a designe great then set on foot of perswading the people of Ireland that their {illeg} Parliament & government ought not to be subordinate to that of England

And to a Mint in Ireland may have been much desired we do not see but that the Government {illeg} of Englandof England has even been cau{illeg}tious in this matter For tho a Mint in Ireland may have been upon several occasions much desired yet it has either not been granted or not suffered to continue. The Warrant An instance of this kind is afforded by the Warrant for setting up such a Mint which we find amongst the Papers above mentioned. And The reasons wch {illeg} {illeg} Among the Papers above mentioned we find a Warrant for erecting such a {illeg}Mint {illeg} soon after the restauration of K. Charles II but ye designe is not yet put in execution.

If such a standing Mint be desired for coyning from time to time the Bullion of Merchants & others (as the words of the Memorial may import) {illeg}we beleive {sic} it may put Ireland to a greater charge then to coyn such Bullion in London. {illeg} But upon inquiring

But if it {illeg}shall be his Majts pleasure that {illeg}a Mint be erected in that Kingdom (for the determination depends upon somesome for increasing considerations wch arewe reccon above us) we are humbly of opinion in consideration {illeg} {illeg} in the papers communicated to us that the monies coyned there should be of the same weight allay species & stamp or impression of with the monies of England, adding only such a mark of distinction as his Majty shall think fit, & that the Mint be const{illeg} under the same rules & laws with thatis in the Tower but with less salaries & fewer Officers such retrenchment of salaries & oOfficers as cmany conveniently be made & that ye same valuation of the money & same proportion of Gold to silver be observed in both nations. And we are ready to promote such apromote the setting up such a Mint after the best manner & particularly to supply them with Standard weight, Inde Trial pieces, Dyes,& Coyning Tools & to try their money & instruct their Officers at their first setting outif it be desired. {illeg}And for such a purpose the directions in the Warrant of 14 Car. IIBut if a standing Mint be desired for coyning from time to time the Bullion of Merchants & others we are (as the words of the Memorial <221r> may import) we of opinion that beleive {sic} it may put Ireland to a greater charge then to coyn theirsuch Bullion in London

Vpon inquiring into the state of ye Coyn in Ireland we understand that the forreign coyns wch make a great part of their silver monies are generally in great pieces (as Ducatoons & pieces of eight) wch are inconvenient for change in marketing & other small expences and that by the want of small silver monies the coyning of great quantities of Copper monies for change hath been so much incouraged as to be complained of, & if for remed{illeg}ying this inconvenience tis pro{illeg}posed that p{illeg} a Mint is be desired only to coyn part of the I{illeg} the small money forreign moneys or any part of t{illeg}hem int small English money (shillings & sixpences) in {illeg} as we now understand, we beleive {sic} it may be cheapest & best for Ireland & safest for England to have this coynage dispatcht at once by erecting a Mint in Ireland for some short time (as eighteen months or two years) & by lowering the values of the forreign monies to bring them into th{illeg}at Mint. But we humbly represent that the late Mints in the Country were full of disord lay before your Lordps that the late Country Mints were inclined toin disorders & thatleft their Accounts are full of difficulties & that upon the breaking up of such a Mint may increase the number of fals coyners. {sic} {illeg} And we heare that the money {illeg} English money is now grown much more plentifull in Ireland in proportion to ye forreign then it was a few years ago so that ye want of change is vanishing. in good measure vanished & is still vanishing decreasing.

If the Government of Ireland shall think fit to prohibitdiscourage the exportation of English money from thence by a lo setting a lower value something lower upon the forreign so that when Merchants or others have occasion to export Gold or silver they may chuse rather to export the forreign monies then the English, there will be but little {illeg}there will it will pro it will much promote the increase of the English money {illeg}in Ireland. A difference of one or two per cent may be sufficient in the value of the monies may be sufficient for this purpose & will mend the{illeg} exchange to the{illeg}se profits of Ireland wthout hindring the importation of the monies of Spain & Flanders into Irelandthat kingdom by trade. And if the exportation of English money out of Ireland bewere prohibited by the same laws in Ireland as in England, it wouldwhile the forreign money {illeg}it would still conduce to the same end. A

Andlso if shillings & sixpences were for a few years while raised a f{illeg}arthing ith' shilling while {illeg}in proportion {illeg}without raising ye greater money it would {illeg} sufficiently increase th{illeg}ose smaller species of money at a less charge then a Mint would do.

But if a new Mint be thoughtadded ye best {illeg}fittest would more increase the {illeg} of {illeg} expedient {illeg} we are ready to contribute or best endeavours for support towards it for setting it up &for supplying Ireland for furnishing Ireland with small moneys we beleive {sic} the Directions in the Warrant {illeg}of 14 Car II amongst the Papers referred to orus, may be propoer for such a purpose if applied & restrained to the prsent way of coyning without by {illeg}ye Mill & Press without a Seigniorage & without the penalty of fine & ransome upon two penny weight remedy in the single pieces., & with the trial of their Pix by theAll wch &c Assaymaster & Weigher & Teller of his Majts Mint in the Tower in the presence of the Warden Master & Comptroller there of the saidme Mint.

{illeg} There are severalmany Mints in France & have been divers in England & if his Majty should think fir to set up a new one any where in England (as at Bristol or Chester) for furnishing Ireland & the Plantations wth silver & brass money we should {illeg} oppose it of the English standard w{illeg}ithout any dependance {sic} on ye Mint in the Tower except for the triall <221v> of their moneys & the stamps, we should not oppose it it might put an end {illeg}to the {illeg} Projects wch are dayly on foot for {illeg}coyning money {illeg} making great advantage by the coyning money for the Plantations of the other standards then the English & without due intrinsic value. A

Yet such a Mint may deserve tend to encrease the coyn of this for coyning English money there may tend to encrease the species if care by first taken {illeg}by due laws (as in England) to prevent {illeg}the melting it down for ye market in London to East Indies or otherwise exporting it. AndFor if his Majty upon considering {illeg}the reasons on both sides (some of wch are about or judgment) shall please that a Mint be erected in Ireland, we are humbly of opinion that the monies coyned there

I {illeg} {illeg}I am in a Post

The consideration of the advantage of y

The I am now in a Post wch gives me an advantage by the coynage yet I could be glad to wave

I amI am And A new Mint being a thing of a public consideration concern I could be glad to wave any private advantage {illeg}I may have i{illeg}by the {illeg}Coynage to oblige the Gentlemen of Ireland {illeg}a new mint {illeg} a thing of a public consideration And if his Maty please to have {illeg} {illeg} set upshall think fit to order {illeg}one I am ready to assist in setting it up contribute what I can to ye best manner of setting up it, & paid but as by supplying them with Dyes &c {illeg} The endeavours I am satisfied that the Memorial of M my Ld Chancellour of Ireland was well intended, & perceiving {illeg} now that a mint for a year or twotwo or thre {sic} years to coyn {illeg}the forreign money now iin Ireland is all {illeg} into shillings & sixpences is all {illeg} would {illeg} satisfy {illeg} is only desired, I do not see that itsuch a coynage (if it stop there) would prejudice the {illeg}Mint in the Tower in ye Trade of England or the Mint in the Tower, but the Question whether {illeg} a new Mint shall be erected tho but for a year or two depends upon some other considerations above our judgment & we do not know what censures it may meet with how it may be censured what make us continue reccon above their judgment