to regulate in the Plantations the Value of forreign Silver Coin
with Sterling, however I hope you are long e'er this satisfied on
that account for as that Law of Queen Aim only ascertains the
value of forreign Silver with respect to Sterling Money, & our
Clause in the Inspection Law orders only what shall be the
proportion in discharging publick Debts between the Value of
Guineas, forreign Gold & Silver, & our Currency, I cannot con-
ceive that it can be construed at all repugnant to that Law; if it
be I must observe that every Colony on the Continent who have
paper Money have long since been guilty of a Breach of that
Statute. Before Gold & Silver was ordered by the late Law
to be received at the Rate therein specified as often as it shall
be tendered in payment of publick Levies & Officers fees, every
Person that did not make Tobo (which numbers do not) was
obliged to pay his Levies or Debts of a publick nature in paper
Currency, which many being oftentimes not Masters of (as
there is not £60000 issued & most of that in the hands of the
wealthy) they were obliged to pay their Gold & Silver at any
Rate their Creditors would please to affix or on such Occasions
be obliged to recur to any Person that would advance paper
Cash which the Possessors would not often do but on hard
Terms. By this Clause in the Law that Evil is remedied, there
is Gold & Silver enough in the Province for every one to dis-
charge his publick Debts & scarcely any other Money has
been since on that Account payed; this has given great Ease
to the People, & all the Merchts here seem well satisfied with
the Regulation as they cannot possibly be Loosers while it is
left to their and any other Persons Option in Merchandizing &
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p. 65
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