GEORGE (EARL OF HALIFAX I, SECOND CREATION) MONTAGU - MANUSCRIPT DOCUMENT SIGNED 08/25/1716 CO-SIGNED BY: RICHARD "1ST BARON EDGCUMBE" EDGCUMBE, THOMAS (BARON TORRINGTON) NEWPORT - HFSID 26898

LORDS OF THE TREASURY: GEORGE MONTAGU (THE EARL OF HALIFAX I, SECOND CREATION), RICHARD EDGCUMBE (BARON EDGCUMBE) and THOMAS NEWPORT (BARON TORRINGTON)
All three sign a disbursement of 361 pounds sterling to Christian Cole as His Majesty's Resident with the Republick of Venice
Manuscript Document signed: "Examiner Halifax" as Auditor of the Exchequer, and "Torrington", "R Edgcumbe" as Lords of the Treasury, 1 page, 7x12. No place, 1716 August 25. By order of his Majesty's Lord Privy Seal, the signatories authorize payment "from His Majesty's Treasure" to Christian Cole for his "Ordinary Entertainment and Allowance" as "His Majesty's Resident with the Republick of Venice" at a per diem rate of three pounds, plus other incidental expenses. GEORGE MONTAGU (1689-1789), confusingly, was the second First Earl of Halifax; the noble title was extinguished upon the death of his uncle, Charles Montagu, the First Earl of Halifax (First Creation) and revived within the year 1715 for George, styled First Earl of Halifax (Second Creation). George Montagu, a member of the House of Commons until his elevation to the peerage, was Auditor of the Exchequer from 1714 to 1739. It was a very powerful post, with oversight over all financial transactions of the British Government. He also was a member of the Privy Council from 1717. Despite these heavy duties, Montague found time to be a successful breeder of racehorses. THOMAS NEWPORT (1655-1719), a lawyer and Whig politician, served in the House of Commons until honored as Baron Torrington in 1716, the year of this document. He served as a Lord of the Treasury (1715-1718) and then as a Teller of the Exchequer from 1718 until his death. Torrington, Connecticut is named for him. RICHARD EDGCUMBE (1680-1758), another Lord of the Treasury, had been a member of the House of Commons until made First Baron Edgcumbe in 1714. Edgecombe County, North Carolina is named for him, despite the different spelling. Christian Cole's diplomatic mission to the Venetian Republic was not an entirely friendly one. He was charged with gaining redress for maritime offenses allegedly committed by Venice - still a naval power in the Mediterranean - against British shipping. In 1715, His Majesty was King George I, recently invited to the kingship by the British Parliament. His throne was by no means secure, being contested by the Stuarts, who were in exile in France and strongly supported in unsuccessful Scottish uprisings in 1715 and 1745. Edges and corners creased and chipped. Multiple notches at edges. Multiple mailing folds. Lightly soiled. Paper tape on verso at left edge. Encapsulated. Otherwise, fine condition.