"Righte honorable, our humble dewties to yo^r good Lordshippe premised, maye it please the same to be advertised, that at the Quarter sessions holden at Newarke within this countie of Nottingham, There was a generall Complaynte made unto us by the Whole Countrie, that one John Ffoxe, saltpeter maker, had charged the Whole Countrie by his precepts for the Caryinge of Cole from Selsonn, in the Countie of Nottingham, unto the towne of Newarke w^{th}in the same countie; beinge sixteene myles distante for the makeinge of saltpeter, some townes w^{th} five Cariages and some w^{th} lesse, or els to geve him foure shillinges for everie Loade, whereof he hath Recyved a great parte. Uppon w^{ch} Complaynte we called the same Ffoxe before some of us at Newarke at the Sessions, there to answere the premisses, and also to make us a propc[=i]on what Loades of Coales would serve to make a thowsand of saltpeter, To thend we might have sett some order for the preparing of the same: But the said Ffoxe will not sett downe anie rate what would serve for the makeinge of a Thowsande. Therefore we have thoughte good to advertise your good Lordshippe of the premisses, and have appoynted the clarke of the peace of this countie of Nottingham to attend yo^r good Lordshippe to know yo^r Lordshippes pleasure about the same, who can further informe yo^r good Lordshippe of the particularities thereof, if it shall please yo^r good Lordshippe to geve him hearings, And so most humblie take our Leaves, Newarke, the viij^{th} of Octob^r, 1589. "Your L^{pp} most humblie to Comaunde, RO. MARKHAM, WILLIAM SUTTON, R[=AU]F BARTON, 1589, N[=IH]S ROOS, BRIAN LASSELS, JOHN THORNHAGH." The document is addressed on the back "To the Right Honorable our verie good Lord the Lord Burghley, Lord Heighe Threasoro^r of England, yeve theis;" and is numbered LXI. 72. among the Lansdowne MSS., B. M. The proposal quoted below has no date attached, but probably belongs to the former part of the seventeenth century: "THE SERVICE. "1. To make 500 Tunne of refined Saltpetre within his Ma^{ties} dominions yearely, and continually, and cheaper. 2. _Without digging of homes or charging of carts, or any other charge to the subject whatsoever._ {226} 3. To performe the whole service at our owne cost. 4. Not to hinder any man in his owne way of makeing saltpetre, nor importation from forreine parts." The following memorandum is underwritten: "Mr. Speaker hath our Bill; Be pleased to-morrow to call for it." The original draft of the above disinterested offer may be seen Harl. CLVIII. fol. 272. FURVUS. St. James's. * * * * * TSAR. (Vol. viii., p. 150.)