"since the Year 1700, with the Amount of the Value "in money of Great Britain, of such Bills at the re"spective times of their creating and issuing, and "what Provision was made thereby for the sinking or "discharging of any such Paper Bills or Bills of "Credit, together with an Account of the Amount of "the Bills that have been sunk or discharged in pur"suance thereof, and also of the Bills subsisting or "passing in Payment at this time in any of the said "Colonies and Plantations, with the Amount of the "Value in money of Great Britain of such Bills, dis"tinguishing each Species or Kind of Paper Bills or "Credit and each Colony and Plantation;" and likewise an Account, "What Rates all Gold and Silver Coins were ac"counted, received, taken or paid, and Gold and Silver were purchased at & sold for p' ounce, in any of "the British Colonies & Plantations in America, in "the Years 1700, 1710, 1720, 1730; and at what Rates "Gold and Silver Coins are accounted, received, taken "or paid, and Gold and Silver are purchased at or sold "for p' ounce at this time in the said Colonies and "Plantations, distinguishing each Colony and Plantation:" We take leave to represent, That not having sufficient Vouchers in Our Office, to make out an Authentick Acc! of Matters of so long a Retrospect, We immediately wrote, in Obedience to the said Order, Circular Letters to the several Governors of his Majesty's Plantations in America, inclosing your Lordships said Addresses, & directing the said Governors forthwith to prepare & transmit to Us the several Accounts therein required. In Answer to which Letters, We have received the Returns hereunto annexed from the Governors of his Majesty's Provinces of New York, New Jersey, the Massachusetts Bay, & New Hampshire, and from the Deputy Governor of Pennsylvania, & the three Coun ties of Newcastle, Kent and Sussex upon Delawar River, and the Lord Proprietor of Maryland; and also from the Governors of the Islands of Antigua, S Xtophers, and Montserrat, Barbados and the Bermuda Islands; and crave Leave to lay the same, as they were transmitted to Us, before your Lordships, as We shall do the remaining Answers upon the same Subject, as soon as We shall receive them. All which is most humbly submitted, Whitehall March 27th 1740. MONSON JA: BRUDENELL. R. HERBERT M BLADEN EDW ASHE. N. B. This & the Papers therein mention'd with a List of them, were presented to the House of Lords by Lord Monson, on Friday 28th March, 1740. List of Papers relating to the Paper Currency & Value of Gold and Silver Coin in America, presented by the Commisss for Trade & Plantations to the House of Lords & Commons, pursuant to their Addresses to his Majesty of 13th day of June 1739. 1. An Account of what Bills of Credit have from time to time been emitted in this his Majesty's Colony of New York, &c. March 27th. 2. An Account of the Value of Money in New York from the Year 1700 to the Year 1739. 3. Report from the Comm'ee of the Council of New Jersey concerning the Paper Currency & the Value of Gold and Silver Coin. 4. An Account of Bills of Credit issued in the Province of Massachuset's Bay &c. 5. Account of Province Bills made by Order of the Gen! Court &c. for the Massachuset's Bay in New England. 6. Account of the Paper Currency in New Hampshire in New England. 7. Account of the sev! Acts passed in the Province of Pennsylvania for creating or issuing Papers Bills or Bills of Credit &c 8. Account of the sev! Acts of Assembly passed in the Governm of the Counties of Newcastle, Kent & Sussex on Delaware for creating or issuing Paper Bills of Credit &c. March 27th 9. Report from two Members of the Council of Antigua to W Mathew Esq Gov! of the Leeward Islands, concerning the Value of Gold & Silver in that Island, dated Jan'ry 29 1739-40 10. Report from the President of the Council of St Christophers, concerning the Value of Gold & Silver in that Island dated Dec! 12, 1739. 11. Letter from M: Wyke, President of the Council of Montserrat to Gov: Mathew, concerning the State of the Coin in that Island, dated Decem! 14th 1739. 12. Account of Paper Currency in the Province of Maryland. 13. Letter from M Dottin, Com'ander in chief of Barbados concerning the Rates of Gold & Silver Coins, & the Paper Currency in that Island, Dated Nov 9th 1739. 14. Extract of a Letter from M: Popple Gov! of Bermuda, concerning the Rates of Gold & Silver Coins in those Islands, dated Dec 20th 1739. N. B. The Return from S Carolina was not reced till after these Papers were laid before the Houses of Parliam & therefore was not presented till 15 & 16 April by La Monson & Mr Plumer. Vide Journal of those days. State of the Paper Currency in the British Plantations. [From P. R. O. B. T. Plantations General, Vol. X, N 40.] Abstract from the Several Accounts [of the Paper Currency] returned by the Gov's of the said Plantations to the Lords Commiss for Trade & Plantations, and by their Lordsps laid before both Houses of Parliament in March and April 1740. NEW JERSEY. We do not find that any Paper Mony was Issued in New Jersey, before 1709 in which Year An Act passed for Issuing the Sum of Another Act in 1711 for 1716 1723 1730 1733 £3,000 5,000 4,670 40,000 20,000 40,000 The best Information We can obtain in regard to the real Value of these Bills, at or near the times of their being Emitted, is by a Letter from M Morris the Present Gov! of that Province dated May y 26 1739 inclosing An Address from a Committee of the Council of that Province on this Subject wherein it is asserted that from the Year 1709, to 1714 the Exchange was £150 Paper Mony for £100 Sterling and rose gradually from 1714 to 1739 to £165 Paper Money for £100 Sterl: and that when the said Gov's Letter came away the Exchange was risen to £170 Paper Money for £100 Sterling All the said Paper Mony Issued by the first four Acts of 1709, 1711, 1716 and 1723 has been called in and Sunk as was directed by the said Acts and all the Paper Mony now Current in that Province is £60,000 Issued pursuant to the Acts of 1730 & 1733 and is now worth about £35,300 Sterl: This was laid before the Parliament Report of Robert Dinwiddie to the Lords of Tradeon the Trade of the British Empire in America. [From P. R. O. B. T. Plantations General, Vol. X, N 45.] A Computation of the Value and Trade of the British Empire of America; As also, An Account of the Number of Fighting Men in each Colony or Plantation. By Rob Dinwiddie Esq and by him presented to the Board April 29th 1740 To the Right hon'ble the LORDS COMMISSES for TRADE and PLANTATIONS. MY LORDS' I have been at a great deal of Trouble and Expence to inform Myself of the Trade of his Majesty's American Empire, and the annuall amount of the National Produce of each Colony or Plantation: I give You the following Thoughts, Observations and Calculations, which is partly from my own knowledge and from the best informations I possibly could get; If it's thought worthy your Notice, it will fully ans' my hopes. I shall therefore, to make it Somewhat regular, first, First-Give You an Account of the number of Vessells belonging to his Majesty's Subjects in America, |