Defence of the present coinage and of the tender accepted against the printed complaint of the disappointed tenderers and three letters of Richard Jones. Newton has accepted not the cheapest tender but the most reliable one

Author: Isaac Newton

Source: MINT 19/2/452, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK

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- Revision History
  - 1 January 2001
    - Catalogue information compiled by Rob Iliffe, Peter Spargo & John Young
  - 29 September 2011
    - Catalogue exported to teiHeader by Michael Hawkins
  - 30 August 2016
    - Transcribed by Will Scott
  - 23 September 2016
    - Will Scott finished transcription
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<452r>

Whereas a printed paper has been delivered at the door of the Hon^ble House of Commons on behalf of [{those} whose Proposals\{illeg}the Petitioners/ for coyning of copper {coin}{illeg} furnishing the Mint with manufactured copper were rejected {illeg} some of w^ch were] M^r Tho. Chambers, M^r Geo Clark, M^r Iohn Essington, M^r Henry Robinson, Collonel Parker, M^r Rich Iones, M^r Wood, M^r Holloway, & M^r Pye [& others whose Petitions for furnishing the] complaining \coarseness/ of the copper money now coy|i|ned, in order to {Those} as if {these} in respect of the fineness of the Copper & these are to certify that the copper imported {illeg} in the reign of King Charles II the {the} Copper was manufactured into in swedeland excepting the stamping; that the Copper now coined {{illeg}|b|}eares the assay \required/ & that this is the best assay w^ch can be had in the Mint: that M^r Chambers, M^r Clark, M^r Essington, M^r Robinson &c are {p}artners & one of them {illeg} insisted upon assaying his own Copper, {illeg} another made a Proposal by w^ch they would have had 2{illeg}|2| $\frac{3}{4}$ per po{ound} weight for {t}hat w^ch is now done for {illeg}

Two Letters \written {by} M^r Richard Iones/ to Members of Parliament being published last Sessions at the door of the House of Commons, relating to y^e coinage of copper money, & a third Letter to a member of Parliament {illeg} being published on Saturday {las}t in the same manner in w^ch relation is had to the two formers Letters are cited as written by an author of note, |whose advice the House of Commons should have followed| |&| complaint being made in this Letter |y^t| as of the new copper coin was\is/ very defective, & the metal very base {illeg}|&| inferior to the copper money coined, \the {trial} being less {illeg}value by two pence in each pound weight/ & that his Ma^ts Officers have made a contract w^ch has hitherto been performed scandalously, & that the abuses have complained\all w^ch will be made/ of will be made {sic} appear if the Hon^ble House of Commons shall send {I} please to appoint Committee who shall send for & examin the P{eo|er|}sons who delived \in/ Proposals {illeg}to y^e Treasury some of w^ch are M^r Tho Chambers, M^r Geo. Clark, M^r Iohn Essington, Mr Henry Robinson, Collonel Par{{illeg}|k|}er M^r Richard Iones \above mentioned/, M^r Wood, M^r Holloway & M^r Pye, several of whom proposed that the farthings & Halfe pence coined in King Charles time should be the standard of the metal |& that in six months time there has been but three tons of copper delivered into the Mint tho|| the people are in great want of Copper money: in answer to {sic}|: in answ{illeg}|e|r to all this {{illeg}|it|} is represented that [{There is no} {contract} made {with} the persons who supply the Mint with copper but they {cant}{cast} upon their good behaviour that the first four {sent}] the Copper money coined in the reign of King Charles was of Swedish Copper manufactured into blanks in Swedeland where {illeg} the copper & workmanship is cheaper then in England, that no finer Copper was proposed by any of the persons above mentioned \then/ that w^ch which {sic} will spread \{illeg}red hot/ under the great hammers of the battering mills till it be as thin as the half pence & farthings{,}{.} & that such copper is accounted as fine as King Charles's money, that the copper of w^ch the copper money is to be now brought into the Mint is assayed by {tryin} battering it both red hot & cold till it be as thin as paper, & no better assay can be had in the Mint. that Copper w^ch beares this assay is not inferior to the Copper w^ch beares the assay of the battering Mill |or not| above a farthing in the {{illeg}|pou|}nd weight, that {illeg} inferior to it, that [when the {Offic}ers of the Mint gave the Proposers a meeting to heare them upon their {Propo}sals that M^r Wood who] the working of Copper into barrs of due size & fineness for making of money is manufacture <352v> not yet practised in England & therefor it therefore not \yet/ ripe for a contract before the trial that M^r Chambers, M^r Essington & M^r Robinson & (I think) M^r Clark are partners & some of them proposed to do it by the battering mills \first/ at 22^{illeg} $\frac{3}{4}$ ^d & afterwards at 19^d per L^wt, M^r Iones\Holloway/ proposed to do it by the battering mill at 1{6} $\frac{1}{2}$ ^d a rate amounting {illeg} also to about 19^d \per Lw^t/ & M^r Jones at 18 $\frac{1}{2}$ ^d. per Lw^t Those that now supply the Mint with copper do it at 18^d per Lw^t. & {illeg} {It} {illeg} four months before the Gravers of the Mint had finished their M^r Pye {illeg} proposed in the name of M^r Neale Me|a|rchant & Company proposed to deliver copper in barrs w^ch would stand the assay at {both ends} at 17 $\frac{1}{2}$ ^d, but could not under take the flatting & drawing \thru/ the mill to a proper size|,| at that rate & nealing & scouring at that rate. M^r Wood was then in the Country & his so proposed to deliver Plates of fine rolled Copper fit for the Mint at {{illeg}|17|}^d $\frac{1}{2}$ per Lw^t but being absent in the country his son appeared for him {illeg} at the Mint & went away \again/ without speaking with the officers of the Mint about his fathers Proposal. M^r Parker is partnered with M^r Wood & these two {illeg} have {since} not since offered to be imployed without \entring into/ a contrac{t.} {illeg} The persons now imploying do not act upon a contract. They are only upon tryal, & if they do not {perform}\make good/ their Proposals, they may be laid aside at any time. {illeg} To make the Embosments & Puncheons & take off some Dyes from them was a work of four months or above. {illeg} Since that time they have begun to bring Copper into the Mint & have made trials of several methods of manufacturing it, & are still making further trials, & if it had not been for the importunity of the people, no money would have been delivered till these trials had been over & the best method fixed upon. And \now/ if any of the Petitioners or any other worker in Copper will \for a trial/ furnish the Mint with a Ton or two of Copper monthly w^ch {illeg} well sized & scoured & which shall beare the assay {and of} now used in the Mint {illeg} it sha at 18^d per Lw^t or under, he shall meet with encouragement suitable to the goodness of the workmanship & the lowness of the price. But it is not reasonable that the persons whose Proposals have been rejected should be {be} witnesses in their own cause.

that the Proposers here mentioned {illeg} cannot be {illeg} witnesses in their own cause but recourse must be had to the assays themselves of the copper — that within these five years copper is risen 3^d in the pound weight \& the manufacture is now dearer in England then 40 years ago in Swedeland/ & {illeg}/yet\a pound weight is cut into no more w^ch in the reign of King Charles was cut into 20^d is now cut into no more then 23^d tho the workmans {by}\{illeg} be dearer in England then in Swedeland./.