Holograph draft report on the investigation of the Alva mine, in response to a petition for payment from James Hamilton
1 In December 1714 Sir John Erskin in a Mountain neare his house at Alva in Scotland beyon the frith, met with a vein of Lead Ore holding some silver, & in Iuly & August 1715 the vein began to appear more promising, & in September Sir John left his house & went into the Rebellion, & his LAdy pursuing the vein they melted down part of the Ore & buried the rest in Casks near Sir John's house And in February following they left off working & filled up the Mine with earth. And James Hamilton, who had been imployed in smelting the Ore brought some of it to London in March or April (1716) & made the Lord Maior acquainted with the richness of the Mine, & Mr Haldane the brother in law of Sir John made the matter known at court.
2 It was at first proposed to send down Sir Isaac Newton to examin the Mine, but he represented himself unacquainted with such matters, & declined recommending any body else in point of skill, saying that it would be better to send down somebody of skill from the kings silver Mines in Germany. Whereupon Dr Iustus Brandshagen was proposed by others.
3 And his Royal Highness the Prince (then Regent) signed a Warrant Aug. 20 1716 to the Commissioners of the Treasury directing them to pay or cause to be paid to Iustus Brandshagen 60li & to James Hamilton 30li to enable them to go down to Scotland to work or try the working of this Mine, & further to pay or cause to be payd to I. Brandshagen 20s per diem & to Iam. Hamilton 10 s per diem from the day or says they should respectively arrive at Edinburgh for & during their stay in Scotland upon the said work, or so long as the said Commissioners should see cause to pay the said respective allowances to them or either of them in consideration of their or either of their service & application to the said work, & the testimony they should receive thereof. And Brandshagen & Hamilton by an Order from the Treasury dated Aug 27 received their advance money at the Exchequer Aug. 31.
4 The Prince also signed (3d Sept. 1716) a Paper of Instructions to be observed by them in the survey & tryal of the Mine in the presence & with the assistance of Mr Haldane aforesaid, Mr Drummond Warden of his Majestys Mint at Edinburgh & any other persons whom the Earl of Lauderdale General of the said Mint should send thither, & to make a return in writing of all their proceedings therin to the Commissioners of his Majestys Treasury with the utmost expedition. In this Paper James Hamilton is stiled Assistent to Iustus Brandshagen, & the buisiness of watching the Mine is not among the Instructions.
5 After this, James Hamilton knowing his own insufficiency, was averse from going without his brother Tho. Hamilton, & thereby put the government to the expence of 109li to send his brother Thomas down with him. And without Thomas they could not have gone through the business. See Mr Drummonds Letter to Sir I. N. dated Feb. 17 1717. Thomas therefore was promised the same allowance with his brother. And Sir Is. Newton by Order advanced to him the 30li & by Warrant of the Commissioners of the Treasury dated Sept. 5. 1716 was repaid at the Exchequer.
6 The Hamiltons arrived at Edinburgh Sept. 14 & Brandshagen Octob. 13th. And tho James Hamilton had pretended to know the Mine, yet they loitered still at Edinburgh some weeks till Sir John Erskin came down to shew them the Mine. By the Princes directions they were to make hast, & yet they were above five months in Scotland in executing their Commission tho they might have done it in less then half the time. They loitered so much that the Earl of Lauderdale Mr Haldane & Mr Drummond declared themselves ashamed of the delays, as appears by Mr Drummonds aforesaid Letter to Sir I. N. dated Feb. 16 1717. And all this negligence the Commissioners of the Treasury were impowered by the Prince's Warrant to consider.
7 When they had finished the work of surveying the Mine, & were preparing to draw up the Report, Sir Is. Newton received two Letters dated Ian. 8th & Ian. 24 & signed by the Earl of Lauderdale, Mr Haldane & Mr Drummond in the first of which they described the form, bigness & richness of the vein of Ore, & moved that he should acquaint the Lords of the Treasury that this survey was over & that the Report was preparing: & in the second that every thing was then in readiness & that they intended to have sent up the Report with the Assays & Ore by Express that night (Jan 24,) but were stopt by a sudden resolution of Branshagen & the two Hamiltons (directly contrary to the Princes Order) that the Reports should not come up before them but they would bring it up themselves. And after this they loitered at Edinburgh till Feb. 19 & so put the government to the superfluous charge of 40s per diem for the space of 26 days more, which is as much money as Hamilton now sues for wanting only 10s.
8 In the said second Letter a Question was insinuated whether Brandshagen & the two Hamiltons should all of them leave Edinburgh without order, & Sir I. Newton Jan 31 by Order wrote back that Tho. Hamilton should stay to watch the mine & see that no Ore be carried away till the Kings pleasure should be known. But the said three Commissioners at Edinburgh, having found Thomas much more skilful in the business they were sent upon then his brother James, sent Thomas to London to give an Account of the Report & of the whole affair, & deteined James to watch the Mine. See Mr Drummonds above-mentioned Letter of Feb. 16, 1717. It was not therefore by Sir Isaacs order that James Hamilton staid in Scotland to watch the Mine. And there is no reason that Sir Isaac should pay the wages of a man whom he did not imploy.
After Brandshagen came to London he loitered till April 29 before he gave in the Report & till May 17th before he petitioned for the money due for their services. And there is no reason that Sir I. N. should pay 10s per diem to James Hamilton during the twelve weeks which were spent by Brandshagens loitering
James Hamilton demands 10s per diem for watching the Mine. 145 days. It is not certain that he watched it so long before he had notice to come away. The whole business after Feb. 19 might have been dispatched in a third part of that time. And Sir Isaac Newton was not the occasion of any delays.
The Earl of Lauderdale, Mr Haldane, & Mr Drummond, who were joyned in Commission with Brandshagen & Hamilton to survey the Mine & see the Ore cut of from it & assayed, accounted their Commission by the Princes Warrant at an end when they finished their Report & sent it away to London, as appears by their Letters above mentioned to Sir Is. Newton dated Jan 8 & Jan 24, 1717. Brandshagen delivered the Report & Assays & Ores to the Commissioners for the moneys due to him & the two Hamiltons for that service representing that it ended Apr. 29. On Iune 17 the said Commissioners referred the Petition to Sir Isaac Newton directing him to state the case of Brandshagen & the two Hamiltons, & report his opinion what was fit to be done thereupon for discharging the Princes Warrant & putting an end to all further demands of any of them on this account. On Iune 27 Sir Isaac gave in his Report of what was due to all three till Feb. 19th, the day on which their Commission ended, & left it to the Commissioners of the Treasury to allow to James Hamilton what they should think fit for watching the Mine after Feb. 19. And on Iuly 24 the Commissioners of the Treasury issued their Warrant to the Earl of Halifax to pay to Dr I. Fr. Fauquier, the arrieres due to the said Brandshagen & the two Hamiltons according to the said Report, & further added a round summ of 20li for James Hamilton for watching the Mine after Feb. 19. And The Dr received & paid them their arrieres.
Sir I. Newton neither received nor paid any moneys for or to James Hamilton or on account of the Princes Warrant nor had any benefit by that business. He acted all along by order & had nothing to do in that matter after Iune 27 the day on which he gave in his final Report. The Commissioners in Scotland. Sir Is. Newton, & the Commissioners of the Treasury all agreed that the Execution of the Princes Warrant was finished Feb. 19. Brandshagen petitioned for the allowance of 20s per diem to himself & 10s per diem to the two Hamiltons till Apr. 29 the day on which he delivered the Report to the Commissioners of the Treasury but was over-ruled by the said Commissioners & submitted. For they were appointed Iudges of this matter by the Princes Warrant.
