Minute Book: October 1678

Calendar of Treasury Books, Volume 5, 1676-1679. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1911.

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'Minute Book: October 1678', in Calendar of Treasury Books, Volume 5, 1676-1679, (London, 1911) pp. 852-857. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-treasury-books/vol5/pp852-857 [accessed 20 April 2024]

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October 1678

Oct. 3. The particulars of the small branches [of the revenue or more probably the petty farms of the Customs] are to be called for, which are estimated [to yield] about 15,000l. per an.
Mr. Kent to be sent for to attend Treasurer Danby to-morrow morning about the state of [the account of] the Customs. In the margin : Done. [meaning : note of advice sent to Mr. Kent.]
The Excise Commissioners are to attend at the same time about the state [of the account] of the Customs. (Marginal note ut supra.)
The managers [or Farmers] of Excise are to attend also at the same time about the running cash [the current daily cash in the Excise Office] and the surplus of that revenue. (Marginal note ut supra.)
A state to be made of what debts and arrears Treasurer Danby has paid which were due before his time.
A state to be made of the defects and falling short of the Acts for [Parliamentary grants of] money and to take notice that the Act for disbanding [the forces] provided [money] but to the 30th of June for the Forces, and but to the 5th of June for the Navy.
Query : About the money for soldiers' clothes.
Treasurer Danby directs that the 20,000l. to be advanced by the Hearthmoney Contractors in December next shall be paid to [the garrison of] Tangier.
Treasurer Danby directs that 10,000l. of the 20,000l. brought in by way of advance the 1st inst. by the Hearthmoney Contractors shall be paid to the Treasurer of the Navy to discharge ships come in ; and that 4,000l. more be paid out of the Customs to discharge seamen directed to be paid.
The Forces [are ordered] to be paid the other 10,000l. of this October [instalment of] advance [money from the Hearthmoney Contractors] and [are] to have the whole 20,000l. [instalment which is] to be advanced [by said Contractors] in November, and [are also to have] 10,000l. of the January [instalment of the like] advance [the aforesaid sums being] to complete their 50,000l. for Guards, Garrisons, etc.
The Victuallers [are] to have 10,000l. out of the East India [Company's] loan. The remainder due to them [said Victuallers] is to be paid by orders on the last Act [of Parliamentary supply].
The subsistence money for the Forces is to be considered when the Excise Commisioners are here.
"The new establishments for the Plantations, viz., Virginia, Jamaica, New York, Leeward Isles" [are to be considered by Treasurer Danby]. Such a state of [these] establishment[s] is to be prepared as is fit to be presented to Parliament and [so as] to show the necessity of the additional charge of these establishments.
"To state all accounts with the Earl of Ranelagh touching the money to be paid to Mr. Chiffinch."
[Treasury Minute Book VI. pp. 49-50.]
Oct. 5. Get a copy or list of the Committee of [the House concerning] the East India Company.
A copy of the Poll Act margented [with marginal notes is] to be brought to Treasurer Danby.
Mr. Kent [is] to have a copy of the scheme of the Customs dated the 1st instant and proposed to him by Treasurer Danby for an undertaking of payments [charged] thereon [i.e. on the Customs].
The men in the Portsmouth frigate are to be turned over to the Swallow ; and the Foresight, Henrietta and Assurance are to be discharged, which will amount to 6,000l.
The Managers [or Farmers] of the Excise with the [Excise] Commissioners are to make up and lay before Treasurer Danby a true state of the account of the whole last year's produce of the revenue of Excise.
[The garrison of] Tangier (besides the 20,000l. assigned them of the December [instalment of the Contractors'] advance of the Hearthmoney) is to be paid the 14,701l. remaining [due to said garrison] out of the remaining Hearthmoney advance, viz., 5,000l. [out of the instalment thereof payable] in Jan. [next], 5,000l. [out of the like payable] in Feb. [next] and 4,701l. [out of the like payable] in March [next].
Mr. Fortry at Shoreham [is] to be writ to to assist Sir Anth. Dean in his election there.
Tallies for 4,000l. [are ordered] to be struck on the [remains of] the Queen's portion : [same to be] for [the works at] Windsor Castle [and to be issued] on Mr. Bertie's privy seal for secret service. This money [is] to be repaid to Mr. Bertie when the privy seal for [the works at] Windsor is passed.
[Treasury Minute Book VI. pp. 50-1.]
Oct. 14. Monday. The business relating to the quays of Falmouth is adjourned until Monday, Oct. 7 [sic for 14, this order of appointment being itself probably made on the 7th Oct.]
The business of the Alum Farm is to be then heard.
The business of the Auditors of the Imprests, upon their petition for further allowance is to be then also considered.
The business of the arrear of Berwick is to be then considered.
The petition of the Warders of the Tower is to be then read.
[Day Book p. 146.]
Oct. 14.
Treasury Chambers.
Present : Lord Treasurer, Chancellor of the Exchequer. Attending : Customs Commissioners, and Attorney General.
The business relating to the quays of Falmouth, etc., is considered and the Counsel for the towns of Truro, Penryn, Falmouth and Helston are called in at the same time who petition against the settling a new quay at Falmouth. Serjeant Maynard, of counsel for the [said] four towns desires that Treasurer Danby would please to award a new Commission and that the townships concerned may have notice to attend it : he shews the inconvenience of unquaying the old towns and bringing of Helston' and Truro to lade and unlade at Falmouth which are almost 2 miles distant ; that there are several shoals which are very dangerous in the coming thither and that the consequence is to put a burthen on the trade of the old neighbouring towns.
The Solicitor General, of Counsel for Sir Peter Killigrew, urgeth that the Commission is regularly awarded and regularly executed, that the Surveyor General gave due notice to the Mayors of the several towns to attend and that there was no surprise in the execution, and that it will prevent the frauds [at present] practised.
Sir Robert Sawyer says that no Custom House is at Helston and that there were no settled quays in the other towns, but that the end of this commission is to secure the King's Customs ; and as to the limiting the bounds of the several ports he says it is sufficient if they have left [to them] the limits of a port and [if] that all ships may ride safely that belong to those places ; which they [the Commissioners] have done [made provision for] according to the best skill they have.
The question is whether there be depth of water sufficient at Boscawen Point to carry up any ships that may ride at Truro quay.
Treasurer Danby directs an enquiry to be made concerning the limits of the two ports of Truro and Penryn and what the depth of water is within the limits of the said ports.
At the request of Mr. Yonger, Treasurer Danby directs a summons to be sent for Jubbard and Ekins to attend the Customs Commissioners on Wednesday morning next.
[Treasury Minute Book VI. pp. 51-2.]
Oct. 19. Present : [Treasurer Danby. Attending :] Customs Commissioners.
Upon Treasurer Danby's desire to have an estimate of the true value as near as may be of the Customs as they now stand upon the prohibition [of brandy], the Customs Commissioners conceive they are worth and may be valued betwixt 450,000l. and 500,000l. per an.
Treasurer Danby allows the informer of [Customs frauds in] Bristol [port] half [the value of the seizure as reward] for his information.
To shew Treasurer Danby what the Privy Purse was in arrear when he came in [as Lord Treasurer].
[Consideration to be had] concerning the stopping Sir Jno. Duncombe's pension.
[Ibid. pp. 52-3.]
Oct. 28. Present : [Treasurer Danby. Attending :] the managers of the Excise, that is those of them hereafter named, viz., Samll. Dashwood, William Strong, John Freind.
The Excise managers [above named] did for themselves and in the name of the rest promise Treasurer Danby forthwith to advance for his Majesty's service 30,000l. on the credit of the Excise and surplus thereof. And [it is agreed that they are] for their security to have tallies of loan levied upon the Excise to be paid with interest out of the surplus thereof according to their covenants (erased) ; and in case no surplus shall happen to be in their hands at the end or sooner determination of the three years' [farm] granted to them or [if the said surplus be] not enough to repay the said 30,000l. and the interest thereof (erased) then whatever the same shall fall short with the interest thereof [is agreed] to be paid out of the growing revenue of the Excise in course according to the dates of the tallies. And Treasurer Danby did agree for their further security his lordship would act according as the king's and their [the said Excise Managers'] counsel should jointly advise.
Treasurer Danby refers these minutes abovesaid to Sir John James and Major Huntington to consider of and to certify under their hands their approbation of this agreement.
(Signed.) Cha. Bertie. Treasury Chambers, 21 Nov., 1678.
Excise office, 21 Nov., 1678. We do hereby certify that we have nothing to object against the minutes within [above] written.
(Signed.) Jon. James.
Robt. Huntington.
[The above agreement is] referred to the Attorney General, Nov. 22.
[Treasury Minute Book, p. 53.]
Oct. 31. Mr. Kent's undertaking.
Agreed to by Treasurer Danby with Richard Kent as follows, viz. :—
(1) That the charge upon the Customs by warrants and tallies shall not exceed 430,000l. per an. over and beside the East India Company's Customs and the charge of management, or 530,000l. if the Wine Duty be restored.
(2) That the [money or] receipt of the Customs shall be paid over towards the discharge of tallies already struck in course according to the dates of the tallies.
(3) That Mr. Kent shall from the 31st of Oct., 1678, and so forward pay weekly upon tallies 2,500l. to the Treasurer of the Navy, 2,000l. to the Paymaster of the Forces, 600l. to the Privy Purse or 5,100l. per week in all whether the receipt of the Customs bring in so much money or not.
(4) That Mr. Kent shall pay on tallies in course such further sums as shall be struck for the uses and in the proportions following, viz. :—
Per an.
£ s. d.
To the Paymaster of the Ordnance not exceeding 40,000 0 0
For fees and salaries of the Lord Treasurer, Gentlemen, Grooms and other officers of the King's and Queen's Bedchamber, etc., Judges, Masters in Chancery and the like, not exceeding 40,000 0 0
For ambassadors, envoys, etc. 40,000 0 0
For the Jewel House 5,000 0 0
For the Robes 5,000 0 0
For Healing medals 2,000 0 0
To the Secretaries of State for intelligence 5,000 0 0
For impost bills 3,675 0 0
For New Year's gifts 3,660 0 0
For pensions 20,000 0 0
£164,335 0 0
(5) That Mr. Kent shall receive interest also out of the receipt of the Customs for the moneys by him lent on the credit thereof after the rate of 8 per cent, per an. according to accompts to be made thereof by some auditor of his Majesty's revenue every three months.
(6) That Mr. Kent shall have letters patent under the great seal of England to secure the repayment of all moneys lent and to be lent upon the Customs and the interest thereof out of the Additional duties granted to the King for three
years from Aug. 1 last and to continue him in his office of Receiver of the Customs until such repayment.
(Signed.) Ri. Kent.
(Witness.) Phi. Lloyd.
In the margin (but crossed through).
Treasury Chambers, the 10th day of Jan., 1678-9.
I have perused this agreement and am satisfied therewith and doe hereby promise and engage myself to perform my part thereof on the penalty of forfeiting the privileges granted me by the letters patent desired. (No signature.)
[Treasury Minute Book VI. p. 55.]