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Treasury referral printed in NC, 7: 245 as T/244, fo. 94.
To the Right Honourable the Lords Commissrs:tie's
The Memorial of Charles Earl of Lauderdale General of the Mint
in Scotland.
That by an Act of Parliament past in the first year of his Majesty's Reign Entituled
An Act to continue duties for Encouraging the Coinage of Money &ca: It is enacted, to the
end the Importers of Gold and Silver into the Mints of England and Scotland
respectively may not be discouraged by any deficiency of the Revenue by the said
act settled for degrading the Coinage thereof, that it shall or may be lawfull to and
for the Commissioners of the Treasury for the time being &ca out of the Moneys arising by the
said Act or out of any other supplies granted or to be granted by Parliament to
cause so much money to be applied as shall be necessary for defraying the Expences
of the Mints of England and Scotland respectively by way of imprest and upon t:
said Act do not exceed in any one Year the sum of Fifteen Thousand pounds,
And so as the said Moneys be issued out of the Exchequer of Great Britain
to the Master of the Mint in England and the General of the Mint in Scotland
respectively for the said purposes.
That by his Majestys Sign Manual bearing date the Seventeenth day of Novemr:
1718. (A Copy whereof is hereunto annex'd) Your Memorialist is Authoriz'd and
commanded out of such Moneys as are or shall be issued unto him out of the
Exchequer by the Commissioners of His Majestys Treasury for the time being and
by way of Imprest and upon t:
in Scotland to pay unto the Officers of the said Mint their Sallarys and all
charges of Coinage and of keeping the Offices of the Offices of the said Mint and the Coining
tools in repair and the Dwelling Houses of the Officers within the said Mint
Wind and Water tight. And in the like manner the Memorialist is thereby
Authoriz'd & Commanded to cause his Majesty's Moneys of Gold and Silver to
be Coined in the said Mint of the same forms with his said Majestys moneys
Coined in England and with the same inscriptions and that the latter E be
set under his Majestys Effigies to distinguish the Moneys Coined at Edinburgh
from those Coined at London, And that Your Memorialist and all the Officers
Moneyers & Ministers of the said Mint do conform themselves in all things
to the Rules and Directions set down in the Indenture made between the
late Queen Anne & r Master of the said Mint
untill a New Indenture shall be made.
That since the Year 1709. there has been no Coinage in the said Mint in
Scotland, and that the Want thereof has occasioned a scarcity of Coin in that part of the
Vnited Kingdom and is a great discouragement to the Importers of Bullion there
who have often made offer of Bullion to be Coined.
That Your Memorialist by the aforesaid Sign Manual conceives himself
Warranted to
Mint, If a sufficient sum were imprest into his hands for defraying the Charges
thereof.
That the last sum issued was One Thousand four hundred and Seventy
pounds for paying the Sallarys of the Officers and repairing the Fabrick of the said
Mint for One Year & a Quarter viz. from Christmas 1719 to Lady day 1721 a
appear by the Warrant bearing date the 22d
That since that time there have been no Moneys Issued for payment
of the said Officers Sallarys, and for repairing and Vpholding the fabrick of the
said Mint and there is now due of that Acco two Years, vizt:t: From the said term
of Lady day 1721. to Lady day last 1723.
It is therefore humbly entreated That Your Lordships may Grant
a Warrant for Impresting into the hands of Your Memorialist
such a Sum as Your Lordships shall judge necessary for
defraying the Charges of a Coinage in the said Mint in
Scotland And also for the sum of Two Thousand One
hundred forty four pounds Eight shillings ten pence and
two thirds for paying the sallarys of the Officers and repairing
the Fabrick of the said Mint for the said Two Years
From Lady day 1721 to Lady day last 1723.
d August 1723
The Right ble:rs:ts
this Memorial to r:t:ts:
who is to consider the same and Report to their
to be done therein Which in the absence of the Secretarys is signifyed by their
Chris Tilson