Model letter for Allardes to send to Treasurer Godolphin

Author: Isaac Newton

Source: MINT 19/1/183, 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
  - 20 August 2016
    - Transcribed by Will Scott
  - 18 September 2016
    - Will Scott finished transcription
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<183r>

November 28, 1706

Sir

We desire you to pay M^r John Flamsteed her Majesties Astronomer upon account the summ of fifty pounds towards defraying the charges of preparing his Astronomical papers for the publick & correcting the Press, & the same summ shall be allowed in your account to his Royal Highness the Prince.

May it please your Lordship

It has been found by experience in her Majestys Mint at Edinburg{h} that in melting the silver & lading it out into moulds, the allay fumes away while the silver is lading out so that when the silver first laded out is standard, that which is last laded out proves about three halfpenny weight finer then standard. And the scissel when remelted proves all of it finer then standard & some of it without the remedy. Whence it has been the practise of the said Mint to add a halfpenny weight of copper to every pound weight of silver for supplying the wast of the allay made by its fuming away & to putt this copper into the pot when the silver is half laded off that the silver which remains to be laded off may become of the same standard fineness with that which was laded off before. We use scotch or Pit coale which causes a greater heat then the coale used in the Tower & {so} makes the copper fume away faster, & that coale not being to be had in Scotland & carriage by sea being uncertain & there being at present no time to try experiments for regulating the fire nor any artificer in London who is experienced in melting with Scotch coale, I humbly pray your Lordship that the officers of her Majestys Mint at Edinburgh may be still allowed if her Majesty pleases to use their ancient method of reducing the molten silver to standard untill the present recoinage of the moneys in Scotland shall be finished, it being otherwise impracticable to make the moneys of due standard fineness or to coyn with dispatch, & safety

All which &c.

Allardes Master of her Majesty Mint at Edinburgh

<183v>

We are humbly of opinion that it is reasonable & agreeable to the Indenture of the Mint & at present necessary for the Master of her Majestys Mint in Scotland to allay the silver in such manner & proportion as shall be most effectual & exact for making the moneys of due standard fineness, provided the allay be put in not by conjecture of in an arbitrary manner but according to such rule or rules as shall be grounded upon experience & agreed upon by the Officers of that Mint & allowed by her Majesty. And particualrly that he may be allowed to allay the silver in the middle of its ladling out in such proportion as ha{th} been usual untill the moneys in Scotland shall be recoyned, especially since by many experiment newly made in that Mint the silver is found to refine in the proportion alleged in the memorial & the moneys coyned by their ancient method provided better then standard in the late trial of the pix & there is no time at present for making experiments to bring this matter to an exacter regulation.