'The state of the Mint in relation to the Queens Assay Master'

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The state of the Mint in relation to the Queens AssayMaster.

It has been \ever since I remember/ a received Maxim among the Officers of the Mint that the Mint never stands still. If the Master dies, the rest of the Officers go on to coin \& deliver/ what he has received, & a new Master is appointed\impowered/ w^th convenient speed to go on w^th the receive new bullion. If the Warden or Comptroller dies the M rest go on & the place is supplied w^th convenient speed. |For those Officers are checks     upon the Master.|

The

The Warden & Comptroller are \a/ che{qs}|e| upon the Master in behalf of the Queen & her people & the Master has covenanted w^th her Ma^ty that they shall assist him in seeing that the coynage be well performed. And if either of them dies the Master {illeg} {to} rest \of the Officers/ go on w^th the coynage & a new Officer is {performi} appointed w^th convenient speed. And if the Master dies the rest go on to coin & deliver what he has received {illeg} & a new Master is appointed w^th convenient speed & empoured by a signe mannual to go on w^th the receive new bullion untill an indenture can be prepared. For it has been a Maxim in y^e Mint ever since I remember, that the Mint never stands still.

The Queens Assaymaster is no che upon the Officers of the Mint but they are a che upon him. For he has no Trial piece of his own but performs his assays by the Wardens trial piece i nthe presence of the Warden Master & Comptroller who are to see that his Assays be done w^th skill & fidelity|.| For he is only a manual Operator & ought to be The Warden & Comptroller are present in behalf of the Queen & her people & the Master \in/ his own behalf & the Assaymaster is only a manual Operator & \by Act of Parliam^t/ ought to be an indifferent person between both parties, & to attend weekly for determining all controversies w^ch may arise between the Merchants & the Master about the valuation of the Bullion imported. He is also to assay\try/ y^e new mony before delivery in the presence of the said officers. |And this is all the     duty imposed on him by the Queen. Crown.|

The

The Master receives the \Merchants/ bullion by his own Assays made by his own Trial piece & is allowed 60^l per an for an Assayer. But {illeg} it is long since grown into custome for the Master to trust the Queens Assaymaster. And this seems to have been done partly by b {illeg}|b|ecause 7-^li is too little to maintain a man responsible creditable Assayer, & partly for avoiding dispute w^th the Merchant who may reccon the Assays of the Queens Assayer more satisfactory.

Since the last trial of the {illeg} Pix there has not been any dispute between the Merchant & the Master. They all acquiesce in his Assays, & are allowed & desired to see {th} the Assays as often as they please. But if any Merchant should complain & demand a \{legal}/ trial by the Queens sworn Assaymaster, the {illeg} receipt of Bullion must for feat of undue preference must stop till the assay be performed.

The So then it was \very/ proper for the L^d H. Treasurer {illeg} to refer to the Officers of her Ma^ts Mint the examination of the &\or/ trial of the candidates for the Assaymasters place, & they being Ius\legal/ judges of the truth & fidelity of all his assays & the approbation of both parties being between whom he is to be an indifferent person, being included in their Report.

In M^r Oadhams & the trial between M^r Oadham & M^r Brattell Their|y| silve made each of them eight assays of y^e same piece of Gold & eight of the same piece of silver, two in every four successive fires, two \of each/ in every fire & their silver assays were nearely equal. M^r Oadham's agreed something better with{illeg} one another & M^r Brattles one with another came something nearer to the true standard of the piece of silver. But {illeg} in the Gold assays there was no comparison seven of M^r Brattels Gold assays agreed exactly with one another & the eighth differed from the other seven but about a quarter of a quarter\twelft part of {sic}/ of a grain w^ch is a difference scarce sensible unless to a curious observer. But two of M^r Oadhams assays differed a quarter of a grain from others & one of them was \differed two grains being/ two grains better <91v> better {sic} \w^ch error is three time the remedy/ & this error being in fineness could scarce happen otherwise then by y^e want of skill. {seing}

When M^r Brattel & M^r Oadham had a comparative Trial.

Report of the Officers.

The Warden & Comptroller are cheques upon the Master \& in behalf of the Queen & her people/ & all three are cheques upon the Queens Assaymaster|.| {illeg} And this Assaymaster is only a manual operator who perfor is to perform all his Assays in the presence of the the said three Officers. And The to their sa w^th skill & fidelity, they being judges thereof, the Warden & Comptroller in behalf of the Queen & her people the Merchants & the Master in his own behalf And therefore it was very right in the L^d H. Treasurer to refer the Petitioners for y^e Assaym^rs place to a trial before the said Officers & their report includes the sense of is the joynt report of both parties between whom the Assaymaster is to act as an indifferent person. For by the statute of   Hen VI c    he ought to be an indifferent person betwen the M^r & the Merchants & to attend weekly for dedicing all controversies between them about the valuation of their bullion. But no such controversies have {illeg} arisen since the death of the late Assaymaster, the Merchants being satisfied w^th the Masters Assays, & being allowed & invited to see them \himself/ whenever he pleases. By w^ch means his credit of the Mint at present is very good. |And|\The/And as for M^r Oadham, had he {reccons} for preserving the same & thereby encouraging the coinage {illeg} in coinage & avoying {sic} the controversies the trouble of controversies with Importers its the interest as well as the duty of the Officers of the Mint to give their opinion \faithfully/ in favour of the best best {illeg} Assayers. |[|For towards the end of that of that {sic} Analysis \p. 19/ he puts some {illeg}letters as x & z for fluents & others as y\or v/ for fluxions & others of\ay, or/ the rectangles of these & ther letter o, v i viz^t 07, or for their moments & where the fluxion is uniform he represents it by an unit & the moment by this unit multipled by o|.| that is by {illeg} And a little before where $\frac{\mathrm{aa}}{\mathrm{64x}}$ is the Ordinate of a Curve he puts $\frac{\mathrm{aa}}{\mathrm{64x}}$for the area generated by that Ordinate & the like notation if x is the area of any curve as will be its Ordi whose Ordinate is y & if y be put for any fluent, it fluxion will be represented by y & its moment by oy.

And thus much concerning M^r Newtons method of fluxions & series appears from the papers written by him before M^r Leibnits began to speak of his differential method & published in the Commercium.|]|