67 



instead of silver by a Bank, & failing to cheat us y' way, they 

 now wou'd impose brass on us which in the event will be 

 equaly pernicious and rather more, for there was some colour 

 of a security for exchanging those bank bills for money, but 

 there can be none for this ; there was a possibility of pre- 

 venting counterfeting in y* case, but there can be none here. 



2^y. They allege y' there is no need of brass money for 

 change, since we still have enuf for that purpose, & to have 

 more is so much loss to y^ kingdom. 



" 3""y. They suspect this coinage will be granted to some 

 favourite who will set it out to underlings and they will not 

 fail to make the best of it, and regard only their own profit, 



without any consideration to w* the kingdom may by 



it patent granted formerly, if I remembr 



right to the Earl of Arran to coin 20™ pounds in halfpence & 

 a clause in it, y* none shoud be obliged to take above a certain 

 sum in y™. This was immediately sold to some who made 

 their fortune by it, they were obliged to change these half 

 pence w" required, but easily evaded the obligation, and 

 'twas thus. The stamps used in coining I think are called 

 dice, and these soon wear out and new ones are substituted in 

 their room; they contrived to have the 2^ sett somew* different 

 from the first, & y°, after awhile, w" required to change any sum 

 they only allowed those of the first stamp to be genuine, and 

 alleged all the rest to be counterfeit, and who could prove the 

 contrary; but suppose the patent obliged the grantee to change 

 all, w* way is there to come at him, the lowsers are at a loss 

 how to do it, or in whose name the suit must be brought, and 

 it is manifest it were better for any private man to lose an 100''' 

 y° enter into such a law suit. 



a 4tiiiy_ -pjg observed y* the Patentees did not confine 

 y™selves to any sum, tho' their patent obliged y% but coined 

 on till the collectors of the Kings revenue were forced to send 

 up their money in barrels of half pence, and there was hardly 

 a tinker or blacksmith but coined as fast as these and the 



