THE CASE OF THE CONTRACTORS, For Making and Vending Copper Half-Pence and Farthings.  
UPON the general Complaint made of the Inconvenience and Badness of the Tin Farthings, and Half-Pence, His present Majesty, for Remedy thereof, and to Encourage the Manufactory of English Copper, did( on the 27th. of June, 1694.) grant licence, to the said Contractors, to make and Coin( by the Officers of and in His Majesty's Mint, in the Tower) Copper Half-Pence and Farthings, for Seven Years, not exceeding 700 tons in the whole, at One and Twenty Pence half-penny, in tale, to the Pound weight; the same to be made of fine English Copper. And thereupon the Contractors, did Covenant with His Majesty, to exchange 200 l. per Week of true Tin Farthings, by tale, for Copper half Pence and Farthings, and to melt down such Tin Farthings every fourteen days.  
PURSUANT whereunto, the said Contractors have made use of no other than fine English Copper, and made, and cut the Copper half Pence and Farthings within the value of 21 d. ½ to the pound weight, and have exchanged true Tin Farthings and half Pence, brought to their Office, at the rate of 200 l. per Week, and melted them down according to their Contract.  
NOTWITHSTANDING which, Complaint was made to the Honourable House of Commons, the 13th. day of January last, of the scarcity of Copper half Pence and Farthings; that the same were made of base Copper, and were refused to be delivered but for milled and Unclipt Money, and at 10 l. or 15 l. per cent. and that the Contractors refused to exchange the Tin Farthings.  
WHEREAS it hath been made appear by the Books kept in the Mint, and the comptrollers Account, that to the end of September last, the Contractors have Coined, and issued 141 tons and 6 hundred weight of Copper half Pence and Farthings; and from thence in the Months of October, November, and December last, when they are said to have kept up all their Copper half Pence and Farthings, under pretence of Copper being dear, 22 tons more; and tho' the price of Copper did then still increase, they farther Coined, and issued in the Months of January and February last, 24 tons and 15 Hundred weight of Copper Farthings and half Pence.  
ALL which Copper half Pence and Farthings were made of fine English Copper, according to the Standard remaining in the Tower, as is required by the Contract, and was worth, from September to December last, 120 l. per Tun, and from thence 130 l. per Tun.  
And the Copper half Pence and Farthings were sold for the then Currant Money, without any Fee Reward, or other Advantage whatsoever; and the Contractors were so far from refusing any but milled and Unclipp'd Money, that they have lost by the price of Guineas, taken for them since September, above 200 l.  
NOR did the Contractors ever Refuse to Exchange, to the Value of 200 l. per Week, in Tin Farthings and half Pence. But considering the Tin Farthings, were above Eight Years in Coining; and in them, there was, in that time, Coined to the Value of 70000 l. and upwards; 'tis impossible in this Case to avoid the Clamours of some Persons, tho' all imaginable Care hath been taken to prevent them: But this Clamour is only from such who have bought up the Tin Farthings, for 10 s. in the Pound. And by an Order of the Contractors, for taking into their Office all the Tin half Pence and Farthings, and making to every Person an Equal, and Regular Exchange, being hindered of that Gain, and from making( for the future) an Advantage upon the People; for whose ease, and benefit, this Method was taken by the Contractors, without any Profit to themselves, or their Servants, who are all obliged, by Bonds, in great Penalties, neither directly, nor indirectly to intermeddle therein, do prosecute this Groundless Complaint.  
AND whereas it is said, That the Copper Money is lighter than it ought to be: It has been made appear by the Officers of the Mint, and the controller, that though some of the Farthings, and half Pence, have been Unequal; yet, in the whole, they have been 504 l. 10 s. 10 d. ½ in Money, above the weight allowed by the Contract, by which over-weight, the Contractors have lost the said Sum of 504 l. 10 s. 10 d. ½.  
UPON the whole matter, the Contractors, instead of making great Advantages to themselves, as is falsely suggested, besides the loss by the under weight, and Interest of their Stock, have lost to the 24th. of November last, 2469 l. 9 s. 1 d. ½ by this Contract; And are very doubtful, whether the Profit will ever Answer the Charge, they have, and must be at; much less recompense them for their Time and Trouble.   

THE CAS●… OF THE CONTRACT●… FOR Making and Vending●… Half-Pence and Farthi●….