Minute Book: October 1704

Calendar of Treasury Books, Volume 19, 1704-1705. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1938.

This free content was digitised by double rekeying. All rights reserved.

'Minute Book: October 1704', in Calendar of Treasury Books, Volume 19, 1704-1705, (London, 1938) pp. 52-56. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-treasury-books/vol19/pp52-56 [accessed 20 April 2024]

October 1704

Oct. 16 afternoon.
Whitehall, Treasury Chambers. 		Present : Lord Treasurer ; Chancellor of the Exchequer.
[The draft of a] letter [of direction to the Auditor of the Receipt] for issuing 25,000l. for the Victuallers for Short Allowance money is read and approved.
[My Lord] ordered that the Treasurer of the Prizes do pay in [to the Exchequer] 3000l. of the Queen's part ; to be issued to the Navy for an imprest to Mr. Gold and Mr. Hall for pitch and tar : and 5000l. more [out of same] for bills of exchange and imprests : [to be charged] on the head of Wear and Tear.
[My Lord directed the issue of] 13,700l. out of Civil List money : [to be for purchase money] for the tin of the last [tinners'] coinage :
likewise 2000l. for secret service.
Mr. Nicholas [his memorial is read and my Lord ordered the] last quarter for his Office [of Paymaster of the Queen's private pensions] to be paid.
Ordered that the Clerk of the Pells do take care with all expedition to have all the rolls [both Issue Rolls and Imprest Rolls] of Mr. Wardour's time [as Clerk of the Pells] engrossed and carefully examined. My Lord will cause the charge [of this work], not exceeding 1000l., to be borne at her Majesty's cost and ordered that the rolls for Mr. Pelham's time be forthwith completed at his own charge according to the duty of his office and that they be kept accordingly for the future.
[My Lord directed] 800l. to the [Paymaster of the] Works : to be for Mr. Stacy [as] in part for the Greenhouse [at Kensington].
Likewise 182l. 10s. 0d. out of any public money unappropriated (where there is any) to be issued to the Earl of Ranelagh to satisfy the warrant to Abington and Aldcroft.
[Write] to the Commissioners for Prizes to know what prizes are brought home with the fleet by Sir Geo. Rooke and what care is taken of them and particularly the Genoese ship.
A paper [as follows is] presented to my Lord Treasurer by Mr. Drummond.
Calculation of the first cost and neat proceed of 30 blocks of tin as bought in London and sold in Amsterdam.
The cost of 30 blocks weighing 90 hundredweights 2 quarters at 3l. 16s. 0d. per hundredweight is 343l. 18s. 0d. which at 10¾ guilders per £ Sterling is guilders 3735 [guilders]. 18 [stivers[.
If sold at 45 guilders per hundredweight as 9016 pounds Dutch weight they produce guilders 4057 : from which 1 per cent. rebate (if paid in two months) 40 guilders 11 stivers ; and charges of freight and average 10 guilders 7 stivers ; customs impost and valuation 125 guilders 4 stivers ; landing and housing 9 stivers ; City impost at the weigh house 28 guilders 8 stivers ; brokerage 16 guilders 16 stivers ; and warehouse room 6 guilders and commission of 2 per cent. 76 guilders 8 stivers ; [make in all 312 guilders 14 stivers thus leaving a profit of guilder — stivers] which makes 3l. 16s. 0d. [sic] "reckoning the exchange at 10½ guilders 44½ per cent. [sic]." (fn. 1) Ibid., p. 4.
Oct. 17 afternoon. Present : Lord Treasurer ; Chancellor of the Exchequer.
[The draft of a] letter [of direction to the Exchequer] for 5285l. 5s. 4d. for last quarter to the Treasurer of the Chamber is read and approved.
[My Lord orders] Mr. Killigrew 50l. Treasury Minute Book XV, p. 5.
Oct. 18 forenoon. Present : ut supra.
[Send word] to the Auditors of Imprests to attend on Friday morning with the state of the accounts depending before them.
See what my Lord Nottingham's disbursements for the house in the Privy Garden amount to.
The Duke of Ormond comes in.
Order the Surveyor General of Crown Lands and the Surveyor General of Works to view the Mews and to make a valuation thereof for the sale of the inheritance [thereof] and an estimate of the yearly rents which might be had in case the same should be granted in fee farm ; and to make such a perfect description thereof by the buttals, boundaries and contents as may be proper to be inserted in an Act for enabling her Majesty to sell same or grant it in fee farm. Ibid., p. 6.
Oct. 20 forenoon. Present : ut supra.
[My Lord directs] 17,328l. 17s. 10¼d. to Mr. How on his memorial of this day : [to be issued] out of the Land Tax tallies in his hands.
[My Lord orders] Mr. [Roger] Painter to be a tidesman at Bristol on the next vacancy : recommended by Mr. Smith. Ibid., p. 7.
Eodem die afternoon. Present : ut supra.
Edw. Hopkins [is called in and] says Mr. Townsend and Samuel Potts are in possession of the Queen's ground at Albemarle Buildings. [Send word] to Mr. Townsend to be here on Monday afternoon about this.
[My Lord directs] 10,000l. to the Cofferer of the Household.
The Customs Commissioners are called in. Their papers are read and [my Lord's decisions and] answers [are endorsed] on them. Ibid.
Oct. 24 forenoon. Present : ut supra.
Prepare a [royal] warrant for 500l. to Sir David Mitchel for his journey to Holland last year. Ibid., p. 8.
Oct. 25 forenoon. Present : ut supra.
The [Principal] Officers of the Ordnance [are called in]. Their estimates for the year 1705 are read.
Send to the Officers of the Ordnance and the Commissioners of Prizes to attend on Monday afternoon at 4 o'clock to adjust the value of the prize guns delivered to the Ordnance.
The Auditors of Imprests are to attend on Friday morning.
My Lord will hear on Friday morning the matter about the lease at Tintagel. Ibid., p. 9.
Eodem die afternoon. Present : ut supra.
Sir Humphry Edwyn and Mr. Pelham attend with Sir Christopher Wren.
[My Lord directs the issue to the Paymaster of Sick and Wounded of] 2000l. for two months for the French prisoners : to be issued out of the money in the Exchequer of Contributions for Annuities. Ibid.
Oct. 27 forenoon. Present : ut supra.
All persons appointed for [to attend] this day are to attend on Monday morning.
Sir Henry Furnese will furnish upon Malt tallies 25,000l. [in bills of exchange on Amsterdam] for the 40,000 men : and [in bills of exchange on Lisbon] 25,000l. for Portugal.
Issue to the Treasurer of the Navy 25,000l. for the Victualling : to be issued out of loans to be made by said Treasurer on the Malt Duties and to be applied as follows :
l.
for bills of exchange 17000
for Necessary Money and Extra Necessary Money due to pursers 4000
for Contingent charges of the [Victualling] Office 4000
[Send a] letter to the Treasurer of the Navy to strike this 25,000l. in 500l. tallies [tallies of 500l. each on Malt].
[My Lord directs 25,000l. as an] issue to Mr. Fox out of loans to be made by [Mr. Fox] himself or by Sir Henry Furnese on the Malt Act, anno 1704 : and to be applied as follows viz. :
to complete the subsistence pay of the General and Staff Officers and for Contingencies on the Establishment of 8000 men in Portugal 7489 17 4¾
more in part of 19,452l. 18s. 1d. to complete the Queen's part of the pay of 13,000 men in Portugal to the end of December next 17510 2 7¼
£25000 0 0
Ibid., p. 10.
Oct. 30 forenoon. Present : ut supra.
[Send word] to Mr. Gostlyn to come to me [Secretary Lowndes].
This day sevennight in the afternoon my Lord will hear all the matters about which Mr. Smith was to be here last week viz. selling timber standing in New Forest and about arrears due to a corporation. Give notice to all parties.
Upon hearing Counsel for the Earl of Radnor and hearing William Hooker Esq. and Mr. Samborow for Mrs. Mitchel for a lease of Tintagel Castle my Lord determines.
The Auditors of Imprests will attend to-morrow afternoon.
The persons who were to attend this afternoon are to attend to-morrow morning. Ibid., p. 11.
Oct. 31. Present : ut supra.
Sir Thomas Littleton, Treasurer of the Navy, having delivered to Mr. Fox, Paymaster of the Forces, tallies of 25,000l. on the Malt Duties de anno 1704, and having received from the said Mr. Fox in exchange tallies for the like sum of 25,000l. on the Land Tax de anno 1704, my Lord is pleased [to order] that Sir Thomas Littleton do procure 25,000l. in money to be advanced on the said Land Tax tallies at an interest of 5 per cent. : which sum is to be applied to the Victualling according to the former direction of Oct. 27 [supra].
Issue to Mr. Fox, on the order [in his name] on the Subsidies anno 1704, the sum of 9375l. out of loans to be made by himself on the Malt Duties of this year : this sum to be applied for satisfaction of 37,500 Rix Dollars bank money [of Hamburg] due to the King of Denmark at Michaelmas last, which Mr. Stratford [has engaged that he] will remit to Hamburg at 5s. for each dollar.
Direct Mr. Fox out of the 25,000l. lately issued to Sir Thomas Littleton out of loans on the Malt Act (the tallies for which are by him exchanged with Mr. Fox for tallies on the Land Tax) to apply the sum of 16,575l. 12s. 8½d. for the following uses viz. :
for the pay of the General Officers on the Holland Establishment to Dec. 23 next 4075 12 8½
to complete the sum for Contingencies to the same time 2500
for recruits, waggon money, &c., for the foreigners in the 40,000 men, as in part of 20,000l. 10000
for ditto for the foreigners in the Augmentation Troops as in part of 9260l. [this item is struck through] 5000
£16575 12 8½
This sum of 16,575l. 12s. 8½d. will be remitted by Sir Henry Furnese [by bills of exchange on Amsterdam in return] for the like sum in the said Malt Tallies [to wit at the same rate of exchange and as] upon the foot of his [Furnese's] last contract [for exchange remittances supra p. 49]. Treasury Minute Book XV, p. 12.
Oct. 31 afternoon. Present : Lord Treasurer, Chancellor of the Exchequer.
The [Principal] Officers of the Ordnance and the Commissioners of Prizes are called in. My Lord Treasurer thinks that such of the guns as were taken at Rota and Port St. Marys (computed by the officers of the Ordnance at 1467l. 4s. 0d. and to be twelve in number) are not to be reckoned amongst those which are to be paid for [by the Ordnance and the produce to be distributed by] the Prizes Commissioners : but proof must be made that they were not taken at Vigo but at Rota or Port St. Marys. They will belong [to] wholly to the Queen and no part of these will belong to captors. His Lordship further determines that the serviceable brass ordnance be computed at 60l. per ton.
Order the Commissioners of Prizes to make a demand in writing accordingly and to bring the same hither [to the Treasury].
[My Lord directs the issue to William Lowndes of] 500l. for Secret Service. Ibid., p. 13.

Footnotes

  • 1. It is difficult to restore the original figures of this pro forma transaction. A profit of 3l. 16s. 0d. would mean 39 guilders 18 stivers, at the rate of exchange adopted. The various items of charges make 312 guilders 14 stivers. The prime cost is given as 3735 guilders 18 stivers. The sale product therefore should be :
    Guilders. Stivers.
    39 18
    312 14
    3735 18
    4088 10
    The figures given in the text would only show a profit of 8 guilders 18 stivers.
PreviousTable of contentsNext