Another holograph draft of MINT00131 (Mint 19/1/334-5)

<336r>

By the Act of 18 Caral. II chap v saith that there shall not be issued out of ye Exchequer of the said [coynage] moneys in any one year, for the Fees & {illeg}Salaries of the Officers of ye Mint or Mint or {sic} Mints & towards the providing, main{illeg}taining & repairing of the Houses Offices & other necessaries [or {illeg}appurtenances] for assaying melting down & coy{illeg}ning, above the summ of three thousand pounds sterling money & the overplus of the said moneys so kept or to be kept as aforesaid shall be employed for & towards the expence of wast & charge of assaying melting down & coynage & buying {illeg}in of Gold & silver to coyn & not otherswise. And in the preceding paragraph {illeg}these charges are called the [standing] charge of the Mint or Mints, & [that] of the assaying melting down wast & coynage of gold & silver & the encouragement of the bringing in of gold & silver into ye said Mint or Mints there to be coyned &c.

The first part of ye charge limited to 3000li I reccon to be ye standing charge of Salaries & buildings wth their nece{illeg}essary appurtenc{illeg}es (such as are convenient Chimne{illeg}ys, Hearths, floors, tables & places therein) for constituting a Mint. The latter part to be the charge of the instruments materials workmanshi{illeg}p & wast arising from the quantity of coynage & proportional to it, & coyn as& well as requisite for carrying it on. And of this sort I reccon Mills furnaces, coppels, coats for ye Assay office, water silver, Aqua fortis, refining, allaying &c. And in this sense the Act has been constantly interp{illeg}reted, as may be undersstood by the old Accounts of the Warden & Master.

In those Accts the salaries upon the establishment of ye Indenture amounted formerly to 2600li. And the charges of repairs came to two three & s{illeg}ometimes almost 400li more. The Articles in the Masters Accts for furnaces & charges of assaying refining & allaying were always recconed to ye charges of coyning. And the extraordinary salaries upon Warrant went wth the incident charges as an Articles not provided for by the Act, excepting that the Master about eight or nine years ago ordered the extraordinary salary of the Wardens Cler second Clerk amounting to 40li per an to be recconed into ye 3000li.

In {illeg}the Accts for ye 16712 {illeg}the salaries upon ye Indenture payable by the Wardens amount unto 1435, those payable by the Master unto 1080. The Wardens second Clerk 40, the Graver's Apprentice 35li The Smith assistant to ye Gravers 40li & the Moneyers 400li. TAnd the Repairs of the buildings in the Wardens Acocts 3{illeg}89li 2s + 1.. 13. 6. The w{illeg}hole amounts unto 3{illeg}9 {illeg} 3430. 15. 6.

The Articles of incidents in the Wardens Acct (amounting to 180. 7. 0 11. 13. 6) was ne{illeg}vw yet recconed to the 3000 pounds. And sometimes there are {illeg}such large incidents as will not admit of such a recconing as for instance 120li charge of ye last trial of the Pix & 160li the making the last trial pieces. The Press room is ready to tumble fall down & it ye allowance of 3000li (now 3500) be too much crouded there will be no room f money to rebuild it.

<336v>

vizt the charge of stationary ware for the ballances weights, {illeg} Mills furnaces, coppels, water silver Aqua fortis & charcoale for the Assay office, water silver, aqua fortis refining, allaying melting & coyning