Minute Book: April 1708 | British History Online

Calendar of Treasury Books, Volume 22, 1708. Originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1952.

Citation:

'Minute Book: April 1708', in Calendar of Treasury Books, Volume 22, 1708, ed. William A Shaw( London, 1952), British History Online https://prod.british-history.ac.uk/cal-treasury-books/vol22/pp15-18 [accessed 24 November 2024].

April 1708



April 12, forenoon.	Present: Lord Treasurer.
	The [Principal] Officers of the Ordnance are called in. They present a report concerning fortifications at Gibraltar, upon which my Lord gave a direction that they advise [together as to] a better method [of presenting such reports & estimates]: and they are to present an estimate of the fortifications to secure the docks [there] for so much as can be done this year & to propose the times & proportions for each payment and to present the same to the Privy Council to receive directions thereupon.
	Lieut. Gen. Earle, Mr. Secretary [at War, Robert] Walpool & Mr. Bridges are called in & a memorial of the colonels of the seven Regiments broken at Almanza is read. My Lord Treasurer's directions are [endorsed] upon it.
	A memorial of General Hervey is read & [is ordered by my Lord] to be sent to the General [or Staff] Officers.
	Mr. How's memorial [for money for the Guards & Garrisons] is read, & my Lord's directions are [endorsed] upon it: to be served when there is money.
	Mr. Bridges' memorial [for money for the Forces abroad] is read & my Lord's directions are [endorsed] upon it.
	The Navy Commissioners & the hemp merchants are to attend on Wednesday afternoon. Ibid., p. 186.
Eodem die, afternoon.	Present: Lord Treasurer.
	[Send word] to the Agents [for Taxes] to be here tomorrow morning about the debts of Mr. Mason et al.
	The Excise Commissioners & Mr. Richardson are called in. The Commissioners' report of April 12 inst is read. He [Richardson] desires a copy, which is granted, & he promises to make an answer in writing. Ibid.
April 14, forenoon.	Present: Lord Treasurer.
	Mr. Walpool, Mr. Bridges & Col. Wade are called in. Their papers are read, & Mr. Walpool has [the said papers away with him with] my Lord's directions [minuted] upon them.
	[Send] to the Bank to desire some of their Directors to be here on Friday morning. Ibid., p. 187.
Eodem die, afternoon.	Present: Lord Treasurer.
	The Queen will advance 500l. more to the Earl of Clarendon upon his pension but will admit of no application for any further advance.
	The Navy Commissioners are called in with the hemp merchants. My Lord [upon hearing them says that he] will represent to the Queen the pretension of these merchants concerning the loss of their ships sent last year to Russia. Treasury Minute Book XVI, p. 187.
April 16, forenoon.	Present: Lord Treasurer.
April 16, forenoon.	The Gentlemen of the Bank are called in [and my Lord discourses them] about remitting 50000l., the remainder of 100000l., for Holland for the Forces. They will return answer on Monday or Tuesday. Ibid., p. 188.
April 19, forenoon.	Present: Lord Treasurer, Chancellor of the Exchequer.
	Lord Halifax [the Auditor of the Receipt] comes in & acquaints my Lord Treasurer that there is not yet sufficient [money] lent on the General Mortgage for the service of last year to pay the quarter's interest due on the 820000l. lent in that year but there is about 9000l. of the interest for the last quarter not yet called for.
	My Lord Treasurer desires my Lord Halifax to go on directing the interest as far as the money will extend and if there be not sufficient lent before all the money be paid away my Lord will supply the same out of the Civil List money.
	The Clerks of the Treasury are to take care that no orders be offered to Mr. Boyle, Chancellor of the Exchequer, for his signing that bear date after the receipt of the bill for granting that office [of Chancellor of the Exchequer] to John Smith Esq nor any orders to the said Smith that bear date before the said receipt.
	[My Lord directs] 24166l. 13. 4 to Mr. Brydges out of loans to be made by Sir Theodore Janssen on the Half Subsidies [by 6 Anne c. 48] anno 1708: & is for the value of 100000 Crowns [of 82 sols each, money of Piedmont] credit furnished to the Duke of Savoy for extraordinaries of the war anno 1707 (on the order for 100000l. for the extraordinary subsidy to the Duke of Savoy for especial service in prosecuting the war against France in the year 1707 same having been paid to Mr. Chetwynd her Majesty's Envoy to the said Duke on the 9th March last by virtue of a credit given by Sir Theodore on the 13th June 1707 for the use of said Duke towards the charge of the war in Italy anno 1707): at the exchange rate of 58 pence sterling per Crown: and likewise 483l. 6. 8 for said Sir Theodore: out of the like loans: for interest on the said credit at 6 per cent per an from 30 Nov 1707 (the time the letter of credit expired) to 1 April 1708, Sir Theodore having made and continued his provision for that time accordingly.
	Likewise 8028l. to said Brydges out of loans to be made on the said Half Subsidies by Viscount Ryalton: & is for extraordinary services of the war not provided for by Parliament & is intended to complete the sum of 17828l. for levy money at the rate of 4l. a man for 4457 men to recruit the 7 Regiments that were made prisoners at Almanza to their full complement excluding Officers and servants. Ibid., p. 189. Disposition Book XIX, p. 136.
April 21, forenoon.	Present: ut supra.
	Mr. Eyles & several others of the Committee for the East India Company are called in. Mr. Eyles represents that they find it very difficult to raise money to comply with their payments & that they have had under consideration the allowing a premium of 1 per cent upon their bonds which are standing out, which they think will keep them from being paid in upon their next sales and so help them to ready money to make their first payment [towards their 1,200,000l. under the Act 6 Anne, c. 71]; but would come to no resolution till they had acquainted his Lordship therewith. My Lord desires time to consider of it till next Friday morning.
	[My Lord directs] 600l. to be issued to Mr. Tailer for [buildings at] Woodstock.
	[Write] Mr. Howe to be here next Friday morning.
	Sir Thomas Littleton is called in: & a letter from the Navy Commissioners is read desiring 6000l. for bills of exchange on the head of Wear and Tear. My Lord orders Sir Thomas to borrow that sum from the Bank of England or any others that will lend the same on a deposit of Land Tax tallies till such time as the East India Company shall make their first payment. Treasury Minute Book XVI, p. 190.
April 23, forenoon.	Present: Lord Treasurer.
	The gentlemen of the East India Company are called in. My Lord acquaints them that he has been considering how to ease them in the making their first payment and if they will come again next Tuesday morning he hopes by that time to effect it. They thank my Lord & will attend accordingly.
	Sir Theodore Janssen's proposal for remittances to Turin is read & approved as follows: viz to give his bill for Turin for 106666²/3 Crowns payable at 30 days' date (it being for the ordinary subsidy [to the Duke of Savoy] which is due the 23rd of next month) after the rate of 59 pence per Crown of 82 sols each, money of Piedmont, “& I humbly offer to take tallies on the General Mortgage [Deficiencies Act of 1 Anne, c. 7] in payment for the same.”
	Sir Henry Furnese's proposal for remittances for the supply of her Majesty's Forces in Flanders was read & agreed to by the Lord Treasurer as follows viz to give bills to Mr. Brydges on Amsterdam & Antwerp for the sum of 205358l. 19. 11 & to take his [re]payment on the several funds as they come in or by loans which he should procure, as to one third, on the General Mortgage, as to another third, on the East India Company & as the remaining third on the second payment of [Contributions on] Annuities. Ibid., p. 191.
April 26, forenoon.	Present: Lord Treasurer, Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Smith Esq.
	Memorandum. The Right Hon^ble John Smith Esq by letters patent dated the 22nd of this instant April is appointed Chancellor & Under Treasurer of the Exchequer.
	The [Principal] Officers of the Ordnance are called in with Capt. Webb and their report which they made to the Duke of Marlborough is read relating to the said Webb's accounts for fortifications at Gibraltar. My Lord Treasurer desires the Officers of the Ordnance to send to Mr. Bennet to return home in order to make up the accounts of those fortifications; and they are to appoint some other person to take care thereof with proper instructions to examine into the accounts & vouchers of the said Webb. They say they have thought of appointing one of the engineers in Spain to this service who they believe is well qualified & will save charges of sending one from hence. My Lord Treasurer approves thereof.
	[My Lord orders] 30000l. of the Land Tax tallies in the Navy Treasurer's hands (issued to him on the head of Wear & Tear) to be 2—(29) assigned over to the Treasurer of the Ordnance, to be applied towards the fortifications at Portsmouth & Chatham.
	[My Lord directs the issue of] 1886. 9. 8 to Mr. Brydges: to be [by him] paid over to the Treasurer of the Ordnance for cannon ball & the freight thereof to Barcelona: which sum is to be taken as part of the 150000l. for the King of Spain. Treasury Minute Book XVI, p. 192.
April 27, forenoon.	Present: Lord Treasurer, [Mr. Smith] Chancellor of the Exchequer.
	The Victualling Commissioners are called in.
	[Write to] the East India Company & Sir Henry Furnese to be here tomorrow morning. Ibid., p. 193.
April 28, forenoon.	Present: ut supra.
	Sir Henry Furnese and several members of the East India Company are called in and Sir Henry proposes to take 100000l. notes of the Treasurer of the East India Companies with collateral security from some of the members to repay the same as they shall be issued by him to persons that buy their goods: so [or provided] that the whole shall be satisfied by the 30th of June next: and he will take 50000l. more in bills of exchange from several members of the said Companies and 50000l. more in money from the English Company: in all 200000l.
	There must be a [letter of] direction to issue this 200000l. for the Forces &c [the issue to be upon or] out of the first 200000l. part of 1,200,000l. payable by the English Company [trading to the East Indies on United Stock] by the late Act [6 Anne, c. 71] upon account of the United Stock; & Sir Henry will take from the [Company's] Treasurers or Paymasters the said 200000l. in notes, bills & specie as aforesaid for [or in payment of] his remittances [of exchange for the Troops in Flanders ut supra].
	And as to the bills of exchange which he proposes to recover from the said members he is content to take the same payable at 3 [months] usance at 34 schellings & 4 pence.
	[The gentlemen of the Company say] they will call a Court & bring an answer hither on Saturday next at one in the afternoon. Ibid., p. 194.
Eodem die, afternoon.	Present: ut supra.
	The Customs Commissioners are called in. They are to present a good officer to be Collector of Milford port loco David Morris who is to be removed to as good an employment in another port.
	This day week in the afternoon my Lord will consider the report of the Customs Commissioners concerning the passing of [drawback] debentures & the said Commissioners are to attend then with the patent officers of London port & the merchants who have petitioned against that report.
	Other of the papers of the Customs Commissioners are read & the [minutes of my Lord's decisions &] answers are [margined or endorsed] on them. Ibid.
April 30, forenoon.	Present: ut supra.
April 30, forenoon.	[My Lord directs the issue to Mr. Lowndes out of Civil List money of] 1000l. for secret service. Ibid., p. 195. Disposition Book XIX, p. 142.