Eitem CR9/30/4 - Letter from Shitab Rai

Thank you very much for your letter of 7 Jumada II, reg. yr. 8 received on 16th instant. You have written that the demand for the furnace is small while the demand of the army for rupees is much greater and that I should arrange to have new coins minted at Arcott mint and deposit the newly minted coins in the treasury month by month. I should also make sure that the goldsmiths do not make undue profits out of this affair. Today is Tuesday, 20th Jumada II, reg. yr. 8, I with the approval of Mr Middleton Bahadur Ikhtiyarjang and Mr Thomas Rank Bahadur Dilava Jang, who is the Daorghah of the mint at Azimabad, called all bankers, gold and silver merchants and informed them about the issue of the new coins. But they replied that there was not enough gold and silver available in the city which could allow us to mint four Lac rupees every month. They could mint new coins only after melting old coins. For each one hundred rupees minted there is a charge of five rupees. Date(s) from item: Reg. yr 8, Jumada II 20 sent: December 12 received 1766