593384
Minutes for
An Act for further encouragement of the coynage.
1 Vpon yethe arrival of every ship a Custome-house Officer to take
an account of all Gold & Silver imported therein & enter the same
wthwith yethe exact weight of every species thereof in a Book for that
purpose & give the Merchant an indented Ticket conteining a Copy
of the said entry cut out from yethe said Book &
pay yethe MerchtMerchant
3
2
1
0
prper ozounce for all yethe ☉ & one qterquarter thereof prper ozounce for all the ☾ & in entred therein & or so much thereof
as shall contein
2 If the Merchant within one yea 12 months after the
date of the said entry or Ticket shall bring the said Gold or
Silver or any part thereof to yethe Mint to be coyned, the
Master & Worker or his Deputy after coynage thereof
shall gratis enter on yethe Back side of the said Ticket, the
species & gross weight of the Gold or Silver so brought into yethe
Mint & the weight of the money into wchwhich it hath been
coyned.
3And upon delivering back the said Ticket at yethe Custome
house, the Merchant or his Assignes may wthwithin one year 12
months after the said Date thereof export the BullionBullionGold or Silver mentioned
therein or any part thereof together with so much money by
weight as hath been coyned out of the other part thereof
wchwhich is not exported, paying a Duty of
643 4d or 6d
prper ounce for
all English Gold monies exported and of
3210 2d or 3d
prper ounce for
all uncoyned Gold or forreign Gold monies exported and of
11 1d
prper
ounce for all English silver monies exported and of
d
prper ounce
for all uncoyned silver or forreign silver monies exported. Which
Duty shall be kept apart wthwith the Duty already granted for encouragemtent of coynage & together with it be paid into the ExcheqrExchequer & thence imprest to yethe MrMaster & Worker according to yethe present usage of yethe Mint for or towards defraying the charges of coyning the monies so exported.
4 The Ticket so defaced filed in yethe Custom
house & yethe Exportation entred there. And if all the Bullion or
money mentioned in the said Ticket be not exported the remainder to be entred & the Merchant to have gratis a new intdented
Ticket of the 1st date for yethe same, & also for so much Bullion & Money as he
exports to have gratis a License under yethe hands of CommrsCommissioners of yethe
Customes.
No gold or silver to be exported in Barrs or Ingots or
molten masses wchwhich have not yethe Custome house mark upon them
Felony to counterfeit this stamp. And A penalty for counterfeiting this stamp or impressing it upon
other Gold or Silver then such as shall be found in yethe ship
at its first arrival, or exporting Gold or Silver without license
or more then licensed, or shipping the same for exportation
No gold or silver to be exported out of Ireland unless
into England upon pain of And an acctaccount of all yethe ☉ & ☾ exported
into England to be sent monthly from yethe Custome house of Ireland to yethe Custome house in London.
The Commrs.Commissioners of the Customes to take annually an AcctAccount of all
yethe Gold & Silver of every species imported & exported in all orour ports & send copies
of the summs of every species imported from & exported to every place,
to be sent to yethe TrearyTreasury, yethe Council of Trade & yethe Mint.
In consideration of the advantages accruing to the East India Company by this Act by lowering the price of Bullion & permitting the exportation of money, & for encouragemingent of the importingation gold & silver in lieu of yethe great quantities exported by them they the said Company shall annually pay into the Custome houshouse upon yethe Feast of — yethe summ of —
10000 80006000 50003000 25000000 0000
And
out of this Annuity the merchant shall receive together wthwith yethe Ticket about mentioned the sa prper ounce for every ounce of Gold imported & prper ounce for every ounce of Silver imported, provided the same contein not less then of fine ☉ or ☾. And upon any doubt, the Assaymrmaster of yethe Mint to assay the same at yethe Charge of yethe MerchtMerchant.
Such an Act would be for yethe advantage of yethe Merchant by the use of his Gold & Silver when turned into money. It would save him the trouble & charge of attending with it at Goldsmiths Hall. It would leave trade free even freer then in Holland where yethe Merchant pays to yethe Mint for what he exports. It would prevent the much better then by Customehouse oathspreventput an end to yethe perjury of such as now export by fals oaths & much better then by oaths prevent the melting down of orour money for exportation by wchwhich the nation loses the charge of coynage [& secure us from yethe exportation of more gold & silver then is imported,] much better then tis done at prsent by Custome house oaths. It would increase orour coyne by the merchants money with till exportation & also by what is not exported within 2 months. It would prevent yethe perjury of such as now export by fals oaths. It would be of great credit to yethe nation by the Merchants coyningexporting their Gold & Silver in the form of English money to be current in forreign nations. For this would make us appear to them more rich & potent then we do at present [& this without putting the government to any new charge worth considering or diminishing orour money at home.
594354
Such a Law would leaverender Trade perfectly free even freer then in
Holland when Bullion exported pays to their Mint. It would save the
Merchant the trouble & charge of attending at Gold Hall & Goldsmiths Hall with his
Bullion. & It& at Gold Hall witnesses wchwhich ddetersiscourages him from bringing his Bullion hither.
It would
[put an end to yethe practises of such as now export by false oaths &]
secure us from the exportation of more Gold & Silver then we import
much better then we are now secured by Custom house oaths. It would put an end to
the melting down of orour silver for exportation
by wchwhich yethe nation loses yethe charge of coyange& exporting by fals oaths. It would put an end to yethe buying of Plate for exportation.
It would be profitable to yethe Merchant
[who imports by yethe reward it gives him & to him who exports]
by bringing down Bullion to yethe
standard price, & also by the use of his gold & silver when turned into Bullion money,,.
[& by the coyning of his money cheaper & better here then abroad. [ wchwhich respects the East India Company would receive more profit by it then yethe charge of yethe above mentioned Annuity amounts to. It would free yethe Company from that odious clamour against them for exporting more silver then is imported]
It would increase orour coyn as well by the Merchants money running amongst us till exportation & alsoas by what is not exported
within the year. It would be of great credit to yethe nation by yethe Merchants exporting their Gold & Silver in yethe form of English money to be
current in forreign nations. For this would make us appear to them more rich
& potent to them then we do at prresent
[wchwhich & so mend our interest & give us advange both in trade & treating]
& thereby mend our interest in tTrade & tTreaties.