Minute Book: May 1710 | British History Online

Calendar of Treasury Books, Volume 24, 1710. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1952.

'Minute Book: May 1710', in Calendar of Treasury Books, Volume 24, 1710, (London, 1952) pp. 17-23. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-treasury-books/vol24/pp17-23 [accessed 26 April 2024]

May 1710



May 1.	Present: ut supra.
	The Lord Chief Baron [of the Exchequer being] present, the petition of Knap and Garway, two creditors of the Africa Company, is read. My Lord Chief Baron is of opinion that the issues may be granted and if the Africa Company appears the Court will nevertheless discharge or compound the issues. [Thereupon my Lord Treasurer] ordered that a warrant for a grant be prepared accordingly.
	[Direct the] Excise Commissioners to be here to-morrow afternoon instead of this afternoon.
	[My Lord orders that] the creditors [registered] upon the course of the Transports are to have the Land Tax tallies and orders (not exchanged for Exchequer Bills) for the three months' Course of that Office in like manner as was ordered on the 28th ult. for the Navy and Victualling, supra, pp. 15–16.
	My Lord Treasurer upon hearing Sir Harry Furnese and Mr. Sloper represent that there has been no provision yet made from hence for the Troops in Portugal, and Sir Harry acquainting my Lord that he has this morning received bills from Mr. Morrice for 150,000 milreis which he has taken up at Lisbon by my Lord Galway's direction for the said Troops, and proposing that the said bills may be sent back and taken out of the 200,000l. which on the 7th Feb. last he Furnese agreed to remit to Lisbon for the service of the Forces in Spain, my Lord Treasurer agrees to this in regard there is a large provision already made for those Troops; and directs Mr. Brydges to write to Mr. Morrice accordingly and Sir Henry to write to his correspondent [at Lisbon] accordingly: and the 1 per cent. [commission charged in said bills] for this money is to be refunded.
	[My Lord Treasurer] ordered that 63,803l. 13s. 8½d. in Land Tax tallies and orders in Mr. Brydges' hands be applied towards a month's subsistence to the Forces in the Low Countries and that the remainder of the said month's subsistence be supplied out of the first money to arise on the Annuity Act after the directions already given.
	[My Lord directs the issue out of Civil List funds of] 356l. 13s. 0d. to the Treasurer of the Chamber for Young, a messenger [of the Chamber, on his bills].
	Prepare a letter for my Lord to sign to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to give strict orders to the Revenue Commissioners and other proper officers in Ireland to do their [utmost] diligence in recovering and securing to her Majesty's use such forfeitures as may accrue to the Crown upon the death of Sir Richard Kenedy whose next heir is said to be a priest and by the [forfeitures consequent upon the] murder of Mrs. Eustace by her husband (struck through) committed by Mr. Eustace upon his wife.
	[A letter of direction is by my Lord] ordered for Peter Schuyler for his bill of charges for bringing from Albany the four Indian Sachems, said bill amounting to 298l. and so much more as makes it up to 400l. [the balance to be] for his service relating to her Majesty's affairs at New York.
	[Likewise] for 100l. for Abraham Schuyler for his service as interpreter and for his charges in attending of them [the said Indians] from thence and back again.
	[My Lord orders] a letter to Mr. Ferne [Customs Cashier] to direct the collector of Customs at Portsmouth to furnish money to Col. Nicholson for making the necessary provision for the voyage of the said Sachems home to their own country. Treasury Minute Book XVII, pp. 132–3.
Eodem die, afternoon.	Present: Lord Treasurer, Chancellor of the Exchequer.
	[No entry of any minute.] Ibid., p. 133.
May 2.	Present: Lord Treasurer.
	The Excise Commissioners are called in. They do not advise giving further time for payment of the Excise by the brewers at Portsmouth and Plymouth.
	Mr. Clayton and Mr. Shorditch [two of the Agents for Taxes] are called in. [My Lord directs that] they are to require from Mr. Albert and his sureties a proposition how they intend to discharge Mr. Albert's debt; and after examination thereof they are to lay it before my Lord.
	Geo. Thompson [is called in and] offers to improve a [the Post Office] revenue by 10,000l. or 20,000l. a year. He mentions the Post Office revenue: more mails may go: there be six Roads: he has considered the Northern Road; it may go and return in less time than it does: instead of going out three times they may go out four times a week.
	[Send] to the Postmasters General to be here on Friday morning. Ibid., p. 134.
May 3.	Present: Lord Treasurer, Chancellor of the Exchequer.
	[My Lord Treasurer directs that] Mr. Bridges is to write to Mr. Morris to stop sending away [from Lisbon] to Catalonia any more of the 200,000l. remitted by Sir Henry Furnese, until he receives further order from my Lord Treasurer.
	Mr. Sloper will take care that this letter be sent by to-morrow night's post.
	Mr. Sloper makes a demand of 37,606l. 17s. 11d. which [my Lord Treasurer orders] is to be paid according to the minutes [endorsed or margined now] upon his memorial.
	[My Lord orders that] the warrant for the Duke of Grafton and the Duke of Northumberland for half a year's pension due at Lady day last [on the pension formerly payable to the Duchess of Cleveland] be satisfied by 100l. a week at the Post Office as from April 3 last. Ibid., p. 135.
May 6, forenoon.	Present: ut supra.
	Lord Chief Baron Smith and Baron Scroop [both of the Exchequer Court in Scotland] are called in. The papers concerning Scotland are read and the minutes [made thereupon are margined or endorsed] on them.
	They are to make a report to my Lord Treasurer of what method they think proper to be taken for payment of the charge of Bonefires, Repairs and other incidents which used to be paid in course out of the revenue of Scotland by order of the Lords of the Treasury there before the Union, and for which demands are now made or may be reasonably made for the future.
	[Send] to the Victuallers to be here on Monday morning concerning the salt [in the hands of the Queen's officers] in Scotland.
	Desire my Lord Chief Baron [of Scotland] and the other Barons [of the Exchequer Court there] to prepare the draft of a Commission for settling the [ports or] places for landing and lading of merchandises in Scotland. Ibid., p. 136.
May 8, forenoon.	Present: ut supra.
	[Send] to Mr. Borret to attend my Lord Treasurer to-morrow morning with a paper [list] of his causes [Crown Law suits in hand].
	Send to Mr. How [Paymaster of Guards and Garrisons] to come on Wednesday morning.
	Send to the Agents [for Taxes] to attend here to-morrow morning with a state of the debt of Morgan Whitley.
	Send to the Victuallers [the Victualling Commissioners] to be here to-morrow morning. Ibid., p. 137.
May 9.	Present: Lord Treasurer.
	Mr. Brydges having represented to my Lord Treasurer that the sum of 26,351l. 12s. 6d. is now due to answer bills of exchange drawn on him by Mr. Mead and Mr. Chetwynd for the service of her Majesty's Forces in Spain his Lordship gives Mr. Brydges leave to apply to the Bank of England to desire them to lend the said sum of 26,351l. 12s. 6d. upon the security of a deposit of tallies on the General Mortgage for the year 1710 and at 6 per cent. per an. interest. Ibid., p. 138.
May 10, forenoon.	Present: ut supra.
	His Lordship considers the scheme for disposing the remaining 2,439,276l. 10s. 9¼d. of the Supply for this year.
	Give Mr. Walpole a copy of so much [of the said scheme] as concerns the Navy and Victualling. Also give Mr. Walpole and Mr. Brydges a copy of so much as concerns the Foreign Forces.
	Strike tallies on the Land Tax and Malt for Subsidies [to foreign Princes] according to the [said] scheme, to wit for_on Land Tax and for_on Malt. Give Mr. How a copy of so much as concerns the Guards and Garrisons.
	My Lord will be here this afternoon [for the reading of petitions] and the doors are to be shut.
	Mr. How is called in and his memorial is read. [My Lord Treasurer] ordered thereupon that 40,000l. on the Land Tax be struck in tallies next in course.
	The Trustees for [circulating] old Exchequer Bills are called in. [My Lord orders that] 1,906l. 2s. 0½d. is to be paid to them [as] in full [of all demands for allowance for circulating: and to be paid] by tallies on the Land Tax.
	Mr. Brydges is called in and his memorial for 4,394l. 13s. 10½d. is read and [that sum is] ordered [to be issued to him].
	The Governor, Deputy Governor and other Gentlemen of the Bank are called in with Mr. Clayton [one of the Agents for Taxes] and Mr. Turner, Receiver [General of Taxes] for Essex. Mr. Turner says that on Monday last a demand was made at the Bank door by Mr. Frost of West Ham of 1,600l. (part of the money then carrying by the said Receiver into the Bank) for Exchequer Bills.
	My Lord Treasurer having been advised by the Queen's Counsel that such demand could legally be made only at the certain [or fixed] place for keeping the Receiver's books within the limits of his receipt [as the Act of Parliament appoints] doth resolve in case a suit be commenced against the Receiver upon the said demand that the same shall be defended at her Majesty's charge.
	[My Lord directs] 437l. 10s. 0d. to Mr. Compton to answer bills of exchange from Holland drawn for so much paid to the [Roman Catholic] Palatines there upon their being sent back.
	[My Lord orders that] the remaining 30,325l. 15s. 0d. due to Mr. Medina for advance on his contracts for bread and bread waggons is to be paid viz. by 15,000l. in tallies on the General Mortgage for 1710 and the remainder in money out of the Contributions for Annuities. Treasury Minute Book XVII, p. 139.
Eodem die, afternoon.	Present: Lord Treasurer.
	Several petitions and papers are read and [the Lord Treasurer's decisions and] answers are [minuted or endorsed] on them.
	Desire the Attorney General to be here on Friday morning as he goes to the [Westminster] Hall. Ibid., p. 140.
May 13.	Present: ut supra.
	[Send] to the Gentlemen of the Bank to be here on Tuesday morning.
	My Lord Treasurer approves the letter to Mr. Brydges for application of 50,000l. to the subsistence [of the Forces] in Spain and Portugal.
	And also another letter to him for application of 100,000l. for those Forces and 50,000l. for subsidies to the Duke of Savoy. Ibid., p. 141.
May 15.	Present ut supra.
	Mr. Buscowen (Boscowen) is to have the same allowance for holding the Convocations [of Tinners] in Cornwall and Devon and in the same manner as my Lord Granville had: but [to be paid] by tallies on the Register for the produce of her Majesty's tin.
	Mr. Bridges is called in and his memorial for 72,832l. 2s. 9¾d. is read and [the issue thereof to him is] ordered.
	His memorial for application of 6,000l. is also read and ordered.
	My Lord will furnish the money for the [tin] Coinage Duties [which will be due] to be paid at the two next coinages to the Receiver of the Duchy of Cornwall: [the same shall be paid] in tallies in course upon the Register for the produce of the Queen's tin: which tallies are to be applied by the Receiver of the Duchy for the payment of pensions, salaries &c. [charged on the Duchy revenue]. The [said] next two [coinage] payments will amount to 6,400l. in such tallies: and afterwards the same will amount to 6,400l. per an. Ibid., p. 142.
May 16, forenoon.	Present: ut supra.
	The Gentlemen of the Bank are called in. My Lord Treasurer desires them to advance 60,000l. for the service of Spain and Portugal either upon a deposit of tallies on the General Mortgage to be redeemed at the latter end of the year or by loans on the Duty on candles &c.
	[My Lord directs the issue to the Treasurer of the Navy of] 27,093l. 19s. 11¾d. for wages: to be issued out of loans [to be made] for Mr. Walpole [himself the said Treasurer] on the Duty on candles &c. [the repayment orders for which loans are] to be struck without interest.
	Send to the Postmasters General to be here to-morrow morning.
	[My Lord directs the issue of] 1,500l. to the Cofferer of the Household to pay for the Queen's wine.
	Sir David Dalrimple and Baron Scroop [of the Exchequer Court in Scotland] are called in. My Lord Treasurer discourses with them concerning the passing of [royal] signatures upon which charters are to pass in Scotland. My Lord will move the Privy Council concerning this.
	[My Lord orders] Mr. James Anderson to have 300l. at the Exchequer in further consideration of his pains and charges in a work in which he was employed by the Parliament of Scotland relating to charters, seals, coins and medals.
	[My Lord approves a letter to the Navy Treasurer to authorise] 27,000l. to be raised on the Land Tax tallies [struck] for the Navy anno 1710 [on condition that the said tallies can be disposed of at par]: and is to be applied to wages [of seamen], whereof the flag pay to the Marquess of Carmarthen and Sir Stafford Fairborne is to be part. Ibid., p. 143.
May 19, forenoon.	Present: Lord Treasurer, Chancellor of the Exchequer.
	My Lord Treasurer approves the Resolution of the Bank in the words following:
	at a Court of Directors at the Bank,
	18 May 1710.
	Ordered
	that the 60,000l. ordered by the last Court to be advanced to Mr. Brydges in Exchequer Bills be lent him on a deposit of 70,000l. tallies and orders on this year's General Mortgage issued in his name and by him to be assigned to some persons to be appointed by the Court: to be repaid in money in six months at 4½ per cent.; with some defeazance or agreement to be entered into for securing the said payment by a power to sell the said talleys.
	Mr. Perry is called in. He acquaints my Lord with his agreement made 24 Dec. last for supplying the value of 8,000l. sterling for the subsistence &c. of the 3,000 Palatines sent to New York with Col. Hunter and that there is 4,000l. due to him on that agreement: that he shall not get one farthing by it nor had any such prospect but did it purely for the service and ease of the Government.
	My Lord Treasurer tells him care shall be taken to pay him what is already due as soon as possible and the remaining sums as they grow due.
	[My Lord directs the issue of] 500l. on Mr. Jackson's salary.
	[My Lord orders] 242l. for Col. Spotswood's [charges of] transportation to his Government of Virginia.
	The Postmasters General are called in. [My Lord directs that] Mr. George Tompson is to attend them [concerning his scheme for improving the Post Office revenue].
	Send to Mr. Bridges, Mr. Gosslin, and Mr. Baker to be here on Tuesday morning.
	Mr. Bridges [being present undertakes to my Lord that he] will write to Mr. Stanhope to take care that the value of the corn for which bills are drawn be duly charged [to the Regiments &c. receiving same].
	Upon reading his memorial for 68,299l. 1s. 9d. my Lord orders so much as concerns bills of exchange to be paid out of the above 60,000l. [Bank loan]. Treasury Minute Book XVII, pp. 144–5.
May 22.	Present: Lord Treasurer, Chancellor of the Exchequer.
	Send to Mr. Borret to be here to-morrow.
	[My Lord directs that the] 500l. due to Sir Lambert Blackwell upon his ordinary and 599l. due to him for extraordinaries (within the Regulation as to Ambassadorial Extraordinaries) in the [late] King's time are to be paid (as others have been) by tallies on the [Queen's] tin.
	My Lord orders 20,857l. 12s. 6½d. in tallies on the Malt Act for 1708 to be applied to the Sick and Wounded and Prisoners of War viz. 2,730l. 1s. 4d. for bills of exchange and the remainder towards [such] quarters, tradesmen's bills and other uses [detailed] in their [the Commissioners for Sick and Wounded] memorial of the 11th inst. according as the said Commissioners shall propose to be best for the service of their Office.
	[My Lord directs the issue to the Navy Treasurer] of 9,212l. 7s. 11d. for bills of exchange for the Victualling and 6,000l. for bills of exchange on the head of Wear and Tear: to be paid out of Land Tax tallies in Mr. Walpole's hands for the year 1710.
	[My Lord orders that] 4,000l. part of 10,000l. for uses [as] in the clause relating to the Palatines is to be imprested to Col. Hunter for that service and the bill to be assigned for payment out of the [said Palatines'] Land Tax tallies for 1710 in the [Navy] Treasurer's hands.
	[My Lord directs] the several articles for subsistence [for the Guards and Garrisons] in Mr. How's memorial to be answered out of the 30,000l. in Land Tax tallies in his, How's, hands.
	[Desire] the Commissioners of Transports to be here on Wednesday morning. Ibid., p. 146.
May 24, forenoon.	Present ut supra.
	Write to the Commissioners of Excise to pay in on Saturday next the money of the five-sevenths of the 9d. per barrel [for the Bank's 100,000l, annuity under the Act 5–6 Wm. and Mary, c. 20].
	The Commissioners of Transports [attend and their] report is read concerning the Katherine transport ship. Capt. Atkinson says she disobeyed the order of the Commodore in not coming to anchor when she might have done it. Mr. Diamond says they could not anchor. It is agreed she behaved herself well in the fight and the case is hard.
	There seeming to be some equity my Lord Treasurer orders the papers to be referred [back to the said Commissioners] to report the value of the loss.
	Send to Mr. Clayton and Mr. Shoreditch [two of the Agents for Taxes] to be here in the afternoon. Ibid., p. 147.
Eodem die, afternoon.	Present: ut supra.
	The Customs Commissioners are called in. Their papers are read and the minutes [of my Lord Treasurer's decisions and answers thereon are margined or endorsed] on them.
	The Excise Commissioners are called in. My Lord acquaints them that Mr. Pauncefort is to be Cashier and Mr. Meriton to be Comptroller of Excise. Ibid.
May 26, forenoon.	Present: ut supra.
	Ordered that the present steward of the Honor and Manor of Hampton Court do forthwith deliver to the Auditor of the county the estreats containing the rents, fines for surrenders and admittances, amerciaments and other profits arising within the said manor for [or during] his time [of office].
	Further ordered that Mr. Goodal, who was Deputy Steward there, do deliver in the like estreats for his time [term of office]. Ibid., p. 148.