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To the Most Honble the Earl of Oxford & Earl Mortimer Lord High Treasurer of great Britain

May it please yor Lordp

Since I attended yor Lordp last I ord caused a new furnace to be built in order to a further trial of what may be done by casting of copper into Barrs & coyning copper money out of those barrs{,}|,| b|B|ut in the mean time upon \assaying/ the half pence of wch I shewed yor Lordp a specimen, I found the copper coarser then it was by the assay before casting. Whereupon I ordered Mr Bagley the founder to supply me with such barrs as would fully endure the assay: but he has not ye{illeg}|t| produced any tho it be \about/ three weeks since I gave him the order. Whence I suspect that in the specimen of half pence wch I shewed {illeg}|yo|r Lordp, he put in some tynn without my knowledge tho I stood by to see him cast the copper.|&| he pretends another cause.

Whether the {illeg}|f|ilets be made by casting or hammering it will be requisite to repair the b{illeg} Mill rooms & other rooms in the Irish Mint for cutting flatting nealing & scouring the money, & the repairs {illeg}|b|y the workmens estimate will come to about 145li. If yor Lordp pleases to let me have an order for repairing them, it may be done in six weeks time.
        All wch is most humbly submitted to yor Lordp grea{illeg}|t| wisdom{illeg}|e|
                        Is Newton
||And if yor Lordp shall think{s} fit that the {illeg} Fillets be made by hammering the|y| Fillet may be \&/ received int{illeg}|o| the Mint by weight & assay & {illeg}|t|he money delivered back by weight & assay, the coynage being paid for \by they {illeg} Importer/. {illeg}|And| a coynage may be set on foot \in this manner/ so soon as the charge of coinage & the number of pieces in a pound wt shall be setled, & the reverse appointed. \be authorized./ And the money made by this method will be of the same fineness wth that of Sweden.||


{but} \{illeg}|&| that he is\He seems to be/ at a stand in casting fine copper \without mixture/ so as to make it run close & fully endure {illeg}|the| assay by the hammer/ as|f|ter casting{.}|;| {illeg} Which makes a further tryal unnes|c|essary. Mr Kemp agrees wth me yt the proper tryal\assay/ of fine copper \worth 1112d per Lwt/ is by the hamm{illeg}|er|. {illeg} If {illeg} the fillets of Copper be made by hammering \{illeg}|&| |be| assayed by the hammer/ the money will be {illeg}|o|f the same fineness wth the copper money of Sweden: {illeg} If they be made by casting {illeg} the m{illeg} & may be If they be cast it will scarce be so fine. in the first case the workmanship \as well as the metall/ will cost mor{illeg}|e| & the work be more beautifull, \& the assay more certain/ & the method {illeg}|o|f coynage {illeg} \more/ easily setled. In then in the second. In the second an assay by refining as well such copper especially if the copper be coarse. but the money will not be much better then that already {illeg} so good as that of K. Charles II In the second an assay {illeg}|b|y the refining as well as by the hammer may be usefull|.| But as there is a power \in the Mint/ of refusing such gold & silver as is not made fit to be received so it should be in Copper.

If the

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Sr. Isaac Newton
Report about Coyning Copper Farthings & halfe pence

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