The honourable Ralph Grey, esq. auditor of the exchequer, Berwick.

Sir Bevil Granvil, governor of Pendennis castle, and colonel of foot, Fowey, Cornwall.

John Gibson, esq. colonel of a regiment of foot, and deputy-governor of Portsmouth, Portsmouth.

H.

The honourable sir Robert Howard, knt. auditor of the exchequer, Castlerising, Norfolk.

Henry Haveningham, lieutenant of the band of pensioners, Dunwich, Suffolk.

Robert Henley, esq. commissioner of the customs, Lime-regis, Dorsetshire.

Thomas Howard, esq. a teller of the exchequer, Bleching, Surrey.

Sir Joseph Herne, patentee for copper halfpence, and trustee for circulating exchequer-bills, Dartmouth, Devonshire.

Sir John Hawles, knt. sollicitor-general, Wilton, Wiltshire.

Sir Henry Hobart, bart. commissioner of the customs, county of Norfolk.

James Herbert, esq. treasurer of the prize-office, Ailesbury, Bucks.

Simon Harcourt, esq. secondary in the crown-office, Abingdon, Berkshire.

I.

Sir Henry Johnson, knt. a great builder of ships for the king by contract, Aldborough, Suffolk.

Sir Jonathan Jennings, commissioner of the prize-office, Rippon, Yorkshire.

K.

James Kendal, esq. lord of the admiralty, Port-Pigham, alias West Loe, Cornwall.

John Knight, esq. late auditor of the first fruits, Weymouth, Dorsetshire.

L.

Sir Thomas Littleton, bart. lord of the treasury, New-Woodstock, Oxfordshire.

James Lowther, esq. clerk of the stores of the tower, Carlisle, Cumberland.

1

William Lownds, esq. secretary to the lords of the treasury, Seaford, a Cinque-Port.

Sir John Lowther, bart. for many years past lord of the admiralty, Cumberland.

M.

Charles Montague, esq. chancellor of the exchequer, undertreasurer of the same, one of the lords of the treasury, &c. Westminster.

Sir Thomas Mompesson, knt. one of the commissioners of the privy-seal, in the absence of the earl of Pembroke, New Sarum, Wilts.

John Methuin, esq. lord chancellor of Ireland, Devizes, Wilts. Christopher Montague, esq. commissioner for paper and parchment, Northampton.

Sir Charles Musgrave, bart. master of the robes to the queen dowager, Appleby, Westmoreland.

N.

Thomas Neale, esq. master of the mint, and groom-porter, Lurgeshall, Wilts,

0.

Foot Onslow, esq. commissioner of the excise, Guildford, Surry. Charles Osbourn, esq. lieutenant-governor of Hull, Hull, Yorkshire.

P.

Thomas Pitt, esq. master in chancery, Old Sarum, Wilts.

Thomas Pelham, esq. lord of the treasury, Lewis, Sussex. The honourable Henry Priestman, esq. lord of the admiralty, Shoreham, Sussex.

Thomas Papillon, esq. commissioner of the victualling, London.

R.

The right honourable lord Edward Russel, treasurer of the chamber, county of Bedford.

Sir Robert Rich, lord of the admiralty, Dunwich, Suffolk.

The right honourable lord Robert Russel, clerk of the pipe, Tavistock, Devonshire.

The right honourable Richard lord Ranelagh, pay-master-general to the army, and governor of Chelsea-College, Chichester, Sus

sex,

S.

The right honourable John Smith, esq. lord of the treasury, Andover, Southampton.

George Sayer, esq. lieutenant of the yeomen of the guards, Canterbury.

Sir Cloudsly Shovel, admiral of the blue, commissioner of the navy, and colonel of a marine regiment, Rochester, Kent.

James Slone, esq. secretary to the chief justice in Eyre, Thetford, Norfolk.

The honourable James Stanley, esq. groom of the king's bedchamber, secretary to the houshold, and colouel of foot, county of Lancaster.

T.

Sir William Trumball, knt, late principal secretary of state, Oxford University.

Sir Thomas Trevor, knt. attorney-general, Plimpton, Devonshire. John Taylor, esq. book-keeper to the treasurer of the navy, and usher of the receipt of the exchequer, Sandwich, Kent.

Charles Trelawney, esq. a major-general in the army, and colonel of a regiment of foot, East-Low, Cornwall.

Henry Trelawney, esq. a colonel in the army, East-Low, Corn

wall.

Joseph Thurbarne, esq. king's serjeant at law, Sandwich, Kent.

U.

The right honourable J. Vernon, esq. principal secretary of state, Penryn, Cornwall.

W.

Sir Joseph Williamson, keeper of the records of state, Rochester, Kent.

Sir William Wogan, one of the king's serjeants at law, Haverford-West, Wales.

Richard Woolliston, esq. receiver-general for the county of Hertford, Whitchurch, Southampton.

The honourable Good Wharton, esq. lord of the admiralty, Cockermouth, Cumberland.

Edmund Webb, esq. gentleman-usher to the prince of Denmark, Cricklade, Wilts, &c.

AN ESSAY

TOWARDS CARRYING ON THE

PRESENT WAR AGAINST FRANCE,

AND OTHER PUBLICK OCCASIONS.

As also, for paying off all Debts contracted in the same, or otherwise. And new coining of all our Monies, without Charge, to the great increase of the Honour, Strength, and Wealth of the Nation. Humbly proposed for the Parliament's Consideration, and submitted to their great Wisdom, and Love to their Country, &c. Octavo, containing thirty-two Pages. To which is added an Appendix, MS.

Sect. I.

A

BOUT three years since, I humbly proposed, among other things, the new coining of all our monies, and gave these reasons for it, viz.

1. They were generally so bad, as to be refused abroad; and so were unserviceable in other countries.

2. The suffering them to pass gave advantage to the further clipping them, as is manifest in our sad experience, for they are now much worse; and so unserviceable at home.

3. It was reproachful to us, that it should be suffered to pass; and, therefore, worthy consideration and inquiry into the causes of it.

4. It was no otherwise to be prevented or reformed, than by new coining all; and then prohibiting the passing of any clipped money from and after a certain day to be limited, under the penalty of

seizure and sequestration, in whose hands soever the same should afterwards be found.

Sect. II.

Since which, and, as the natural consequence thereof, the value of our gold coin hath been inhansed to about half as much more as the same was coined at; the inconveniences and damages whereof to the nation and trade thereof are, and will be, at least, as great as the clipping of the silver, and, if not timely prevented, will utterly ruin us in our trade; and, the longer this is suffered, the firmer will the disadvantages be fixed, till the root of all our commerce becomes worm-eaten and cankered, and we lose the sweet fruit thereof for

ever.

Sect. III.

In short, the whole nation is almost destitute of monies, not only for the carrying on the war, in, or by any ordinary course of procedure, but for our home markets; and taken off from trade abroad, as by means hereof, so, partly by their losses at sea, partly by the more advantageous proposals for lending or laying out their monies on the lotteries, and other ways and means found out, and pitched upon, by the late parliament, for carrying on the war: and, lastly, by the high exchange of monies abroad for commodities imported hither, and paying our forces there, who must, otherwise, have had more of our monies sent hence to our further streightening.

Is there any remedy ? viz.

Q. First, How shall the silver be new coined, so as to become a due measure and standard for traffick?

Q. Secondly, How shall our gold be reduced to its coined value? Q. Thirdly, How shall the war be carried on thereby?

Q. Fourthly, How shall the trade be recovered, so as to preserve our coins, and augment bullion?

To the first, viz. How shall the silver be new coined? &c.

Sect. IV.

I humbly proposed, that all the clipped monies might be called in by a certain day to be limited; that the value in weight might be delivered out again new-coined; and that the damage accruing, as well to the publick as the private persons concerned, by the new coinage thereof, might be made good to both, by issuing so many bills of credit, made current by act of parliament, as would countervail the same, so as there should be no lessening of the nation's stock, and would cost nothing: and, to facilitate this, that all unnecessary silver plate (especially in taverns, inns, ale-houses, and victualling-houses) might be prohibited, called in, coined, and delivered out immediately to such as should bring in the same, at five shillings and three pence per ounce, deducting the coinage.

To the second, viz. How shall the gold be reduced to its coined

value?

Sect. V.

I humbly propose, that all coined gold may be likewise called in by a certain day, and each piece punched, and delivered back again to the owner, thenceforth to pass but at twenty shillings each guinea, &c. and that like bills of credit may be also delivered to the parties concerned for ten shillings more upon each guinea; and so proportionably for other pieces of gold, &c. And thus both silver and gold become reduced to their coined values, without prejudice, loss, or damage, either to the parties concerned, or to the publick stock of the nation: nobody is injured, but all greatly obliged in thankfulness and loyalty to the king for recommending the care thereof, and to the parliament for their enacting the same: for thus our homemarkets and manufactures will be supplied and carried on, in future, to general satisfaction. And, for preventing as much as may be this additional charge upon guineas, I humbly propose care may be taken, that, from henceforth, no guineas may be coined till this work be over; and, afterwards, only such as shall be distinguished from those already coined, by some special mark in the stamp thereof, to be passed at twenty shillings, and no more: which is, also, the reason of propounding that all guineas already coined may be punched, viz. that they may not be twice allowed for.

To the third, viz. How shall the war be carried on thereby?

Sect. VI.

I formerly proposed, 1. That whatsoever taxes or assessments should be thought fit and necessary to be raised or levied for carrying on the present war, and other publick charges of the nation, whether by or upon lands, tenements, or hereditaments, poll-monies, or personal estates, might be paid by the parties so assessed, quarterly, as had been done before, in ready monies, or silver plate, at five shillings and three-pence per ounce. This I argued to be necessary upon several accounts: 1. To assist and facilitate the coinage proposed And, 2. For pay of our forces abroad; tho', possibly, not needful to be all sent over in specie, but partly remitted by bills of exchange charged by merchants, &c. and partly supplied by the products, manufactures, and provisions that may be sent from England, Scotland, and Ireland (by which I mean, not only of such things as are needful for the soldiers, or them only, but of others to be transported to our confederate countries, at merchantable rates, instead of monies; out of the proceed whereof, the soldiers may be paid in the respective monies or coins of such countries) which would be a means to keep, much of our monies amongst us, and afford employment to our own manufacturers at home in this dead time of trade, and keep them in peace.