Holograph draft of MINT00173 (Mint 19/1/109)
Of the assaying of Gold & Silver, the making of indented Triall-pieces, & trying the moneys in the Pix.
1. Of the Assay
Assaying & refining are operations of the same kind. The Assayer refines a small piece of any mass of Gold or Silver, & by the decrease of its weight makes his report. And if there be no decrease, that is, if the mass be of the same fineness with the refined Assay-piece, he reports (or ought to report) the gold 24 carats fine & the silver 12 ounces fine. And this is fine gold & fine silver in the sense of the law. And all gold & silver of the same fineness with the Assay piece is fine gold & fine silver in the sense of the law. And because the Assayer works more exactly to a rule then the Refiner & makes better dispatch, the Assay is made the standing universal Rule of valuing gold & silver in all nations in point of fineness, & the Law in ordeining that standard gold shall be 22 carats fine & standard silver 11 ounces two penny weight fine, means by the Assay.
The assays of gold ought to be made with two waters & no more, this being the constant practise of assaying, & the waters ought to be of the usual strength (the second water stronger then the first) & to work the usual time & in the usual heat, & the Assay piece ought to be hammered to the usuall thinness that the Assays may be uniform. And the Assays of silver ought to be made with a due proportion of Lead in a due & eaven heat, & as soon as the lead is blown off & the silver looks bright & glittering, the silver must begin to cool without roasting it, & it must cool slowly that it do not spring. But in refining gold & silver in great quantities these niceties are not observed
Assays are liable to errors, but the errors are generally very small & seldome exceed a quarter of a grain in gold & an halfpenny weight in silver. And by reason of these little errors the Assayer in single Assays makes his report to no less then a quarter of a grain in gold & an half penny weight in silver. But if two or more assays be made of the same piece of gold or of the same piece of silver, & the assays agree wthout any considerable difference & a medium be taken between them, the fineness of the Gold may be determined to less then half a quarter of a grain & the fineness of the silver to less an half penny weight. And this is the exactest way of assaying hitherto in use
2. Of making the Indented Trial-pieces.
The standard Trial pieces are made by th{illeg}|e| Assay. First a Iury of workmen summoned & sworn by Order of Council procures gold & silver refined by the Refiner, & assays them to see if they be of a just degree of fineness, that is, the gold just 24 carats fine & the silver just 12 ounces fine. Then they melt this gold & silver severally wth allay in due proportion & stir them well together in fusion several times to mix them very well with the Allay, & pour them off before the Allay evaporates, & then assay them several times to see if they be standard, taking assays from several places to see if the mixture be uniform. It must agree therefore with the assay as exactly as is possible least there be two standards, one by the Assay-weights, the other by ye Trial-piece
Refiners find it difficult to refine gold to the degree of 24 carats. They seldome make it above 23car 3gr 3qters fine, & by fine gold generally understand gold of this {degree} of fineness. And if gold at any time prove finer then by\upon/ {the Assay} {Assayers} out of prejudice do not report it finer. And thence it {comes to pass that} Goldsmiths are generally of opinion that Gold cannot be {above 24 carats fine,} not knowing that there are ways of making it finer {then by the assay.} Thence also it may have sometimes happened that at {the making of new} Trial pieces the Assayer may have reported the fine gold {not so fine as} it was, & by that means the Trial piece may have been {made too fine. And if} the fine gold was by 23car. 3gr. 3qters fine, the Trial-piece may have been made too fine coarse. And there are other ways of erring, as by assaying with waters too strong or too weak or after any other unusuall manner, or by scattering any part of the allay \or/ of the fine gold or suffering a sensible part of the Allay to evaporate or not mixing the gold with the allay very well, or using a faulty crucible, or roasting the fine silver or suffering it to spring in the assay And for avoyding these errors the Iury ought to consist of workmen very well skilled & exercised in assaying refining & allaying of gold & silver.
3 Of trying the Pix.
The trial of the moneys in the Pix is to be performed by a Iury of Assayers in the presence of the Warden Master & Comptroller of the Mint after the most just manner that can be made by fire by water by touch or by weight or by all or by any of them, as is described in the Indenture of the Indenture of the Mint. The Pix a|i|s if|op|ened & the Iury sworn before the Queen or such of her Council as her Majty shall appoint. If the triall pieces be exactly made the trial thereby is the most expedite & the least liable to errors or fallacy. But a Trial piece may happen to be erroneous, & then the other ways of assaying, as they are lawfull so also they may be usefull. For the assay by the assay weights exactly performed will discover the error of the Trial piece if there be any & how great that error is, & the assay by the Touch may be also used to see how it agrees with the other assays, tho it be less exact & not to be depended upon alone.
If at any time the Trial piece doth not agree with the Assay, either the error must be reported by the Iury or it must not be reported. If it be reported, either the Master of the Mint must be authorized to allow for the error in coining the money by that Trial piece for the future or a new Trial piece must be made. If it must not be reported, the Mint Master must go on to coin the money by an erroneous trial piece, & the Goldsmiths will have it in their power to alter the standard without controll as often as they are to make a new Trial-piece, & to make a new standard instead of making a new standard Trial piece agreable to the standard established by law.
At the last trial of the Pix the gold money was standard full by the Assay, & the Trial piece a quarter of a grain better then standard the money & the Iury in their Veredict represented the money a quarter of a grain worse then standard by the Trial piece. This Trial piece was made upon the Vnion A. C. 1707. It was made (I think) without an Order of Council, & by m{illeg}y assays very carefully made is five twelfts of a grain better then standard, that of 1688 made by order of K. Iames II is a sixt part of a {illeg} grain better then standard & that of 1660 made by order of K. Charles II is standard.
Quære 1. If upon trying the Pix, the Trial-piece at any t{i}me doth not agree with the Assay, are not the Iury to report the error?
Quære 2. If any doubt arise about the manner of the R{ep}ort or Veredict are not the Iury to make a special Report of the matter of fact & {lea}ve it to the Queen & council to make a judgment thereupon?
Quæ{illeg}|r|e 3. If any doubt arise about the truth of the tale, w{e}ight or assay, ar{e} not the Iury ( {sic}especially at the motion of the Officers of the Mint to repeat ye operati{on?}
<244r>Of the assaying of Gold & Silver, the making indented Tryal pieces, & trying the moneys in the Pix.
1 Of the assay.
|1| Assaying & refining are operations of ye same kind. The Assayer refines a small piece of any mass of gold {illeg}|or| silver, & by the decrease of its weight makes his report. And if there be no decrease, that is, if the mass be of the same fineness with the refined Assay-piece, he reports (or ought to report) it two carats better then standard or twenty & four carats fine if it be gold, or twelve ounces fine if it be silver. And this is fine gold or fine silver in the sense of the law. And all gold & silver in the sense of the law is fine gold & fine silver if it be of the same fineness with the Assay-piece And because the Assayer works more exactly to a rule then the Refiner & makes better dispatch, the Assay is made the standing universal Rule of valuing gold & silver in all nations in point of fineness, & the law in ordei{illeg}|n|ing that standard Gold shall be 22 carats fine & standard silver 11 ounces two penny weight fine, means by the assay.
|2.| The assays of Gold ought to be made wth two waters & no more, this being the constant practise of assaying, & the waters ought to be of the usual strength t|(|the second water stronger then the first,) & to work the usual time, & in the usual heat, & the Assay-piece ought to be hammered to the usual thinness that the Assays may be uniform. And the assays of silver ought to be made wth a due proportion of Lead in a due & eaven heat, & as soon as the Lead is blown off & the silver looks bright & glittering, the silver must begin to cool without ro{illeg}|a|sting it, & it must cool slowly it do not spring. But in refining gold & silver in great quantities these niceties are not observed.
|4|5|| Refiners find it difficult to refine gold to the degree of 24 carats. They seldome make it above 23 carats 3 grains & 3 quarters of a grain fine, & by fine gold generally understand gold of this degree of fineness. And if gold at any time prove finer upon the Assay, Assayers \out of prejudice/ do not report it finer. And thence it comes to pass that Goldsmiths are gerally {sic} of opinion that gold cannot be above 24 carats fine, not knowing that there are ways of making it finer then by the assay. † Thence &c † Thence also it may have sometimes happened that at the making of new Trial pieces, the Assayer {h}|m|ay have reported the {Tria} fine gold not so fine as it really was, & by that means the Trial piece may have been made too fine. And if the fine gold was but 23car 3gr 3qters fine, the Trial piece may have been made two {sic} coarse. And there are other ways of erring, as by assaying after any unusual manner, or by scattering any part of the allay or of ye gold or suffering a sensible quantity of the allay to evaporate, or not mixing the allay with the gold very well.
< text from f 244r resumes >|3.| Assays are liable to errors, but the errors are generally very small & seldome exceed a quarter of a grain in gold or an halfpenny eight in silver. And by reason of these little errors the Assayer in single assays makes his reports to no less parts then a quarter of a grain in gold & an half penny \weight/ in silver. But if two or more assays be made of the same piece of gold or of the same piece of silver, & the assays agree without any considerable difference & a medium be taken between them: the fineness of the gold may be determined to less then half a quarter of a grain, & the fineness of the silver to less then \half/ an half penny weight. And this is the exactest way of assaying hitherto in use
|2 Of making the Trial pieces.|
|4.| The standard Trial pieces are made by the assay. First the Iury procures gold & silver refined by the Refiner & assays then to see if they be of a just degree of fineness, that is, the gold just 24 carats fine & the silver just 12 ounces fine. Then they melt this gold & silver severally with allay in due proportion, & sti{l}|r| them well together in fusion several times to mix them very well, & pour them off before \the/ allay evaporates, & then assay them several times to see if they be standard, taking assays from several places to see if the mixture be uniform? They must agree therefore with the assay as exactly as is possible least there be two standards, one by the Assay-weights the other by the Trial-pieces.
|3 Of trying the Pix.|
|6.| The trial of the moneys in the Pix is to be performed after the most just manner that can be made by fire by water, by touch or by weight or by all or by any of them, as is exprest in the Indenture of the Mint. If the Trial piece be exactly made, the trial theref|b|y is the most expedite & the least liable to errors. But a trial piece may happen to be erroneous, & then the other ways of assaying, as they are lawfull, so also they may be usefull. For the assay by the Assay-weights exactly made will discover the error of the Trial piece if there be any, & how great that error is; & the Assay by th{illeg}|e| touch ebing very easy may be also used to see how it agrees wth the other assays, but it is less exact & not to be depended upon alone.
|7.| If at any time the Trial-piece doth not agree wth the assay either the error must be reported by the Iury or it m{illeg}|u|st not be reported. If it be reported, either the Master of the Mint must be authorised to allow for the error in coining the money by that Triall piece for the future, or a new Trial-piece must not be made. If it is must not be reported, the Master must go on to coin the money by an errone{illeg}|o|us Trial piece, & the Goldsmiths must have it in their power to alter the standard without controll as {a}|o|ften as they are to make a new Trial piece & \to make a new standard/ instead of making a new Trial piece agreable to \the/ standard, to make a new standard. |established by law.|
Quære 1 Whether are the Iury to report the error of the Trial piece, if there be any?
Quære 1. If upon trying the Pix the Trial-piece at any time doth not agree with the Assay, whether are \not/ the Iury to report the error?
Quære 2. If any other doubt arise, whether are not the Iury to make a special r|R|eport of the matter of fact, & leave it to ye {illeg}|Q|u{illeg}|e|en & Council to make a judgment thereupon?
<245r>When new moneys are coined two pieces are taken out of every 15 pound weight of gold moneys & {illeg}\two/ out of every 15|6|0 pound weight of silver moneys, & {illeg} one for the assay before delivery \of the moneys/ the other for the assay after delivery|.| & the The first are assayed |pre|\sently in the Mint/ by the {illeg} Queens Assay{illeg}|mast||er| in before the t in the presence of the Warden {illeg} Master & Comptroller|,| of the Mint the later are put into a Pix or Box to be opened by the\upon reasonable warning/ before the Queen or such of her Council as her Maty shall think fit & tried by a Iury of \sworn/ Assayers then \to be/ swor{illeg} in the presence of the Warden Master & Controller. But trials are of the {illeg} same kind with
<246>Of the Assaying of Gold & Silver, the making of indented Triall-pieces, & trying the moneys in the Pix.
1 Of the Assay.
Assaying & refining are operations of the same kind. The Assayer refines a small piece of any mass of Gold or Silver, & by the decrease of its weight makes his report. And if there be no decrease, that is if the mass be of the same fineness with the refined Assay-piece, he reports (or ought to report) it \the gold/ 24 carats fine if it be gold, or\& the silver/ 12 ounces fine|.| if it be silver. And this is fine gold & fine silver in the sense of the sense of the law. And all gold & silver is fine gold & fine silver in the sense of the law if it be of the same fineness with the Assay piece. And because the Assayer works more exactly to a rule \then the Refiner/ & makes better dispatch, the Assay is made the standing universal rule of valuing gold & silver in all nations in point of fineness, & the Law in ordeining that standard gold shall be 22 carats fine & standard silver 11 ounces \two penny weight/ fine, means by the Assay.
The assays of gold ought to be made wth two waters & no more, this being the constant practise of assaying; & the waters ought to be of the usuall strength (the second water stronger then the first) & to work the usual time & in the usual heat, & the Assay-piece ought to be hammered to the usual thinness that the Assays may be uniform. And the Assays of silver ought to be made with a due proportion of Lead in a due & eaven heat; & as soon as the Lead is blown off & the silver looks bright & glittering, the silver must begin to cool without roasting it, & it must cool slowly that it do not spring. But in refining go{illeg}|ld| & silver in great quantities, these niceties are not observed.
Assays are liable to errors, but the errors are generally very small & seldome exceed a quarter of a grain in gold or an half penny weight in silver. And by reason of these little errors the Assayer in single Assays makes his report to no less then a quarter of a grain in gold & an half penny weight in silver. But if two or more Assays be made of the same piece of gold or of the same piece of silver, & the Assays agree without any considerable difference & a medium be taken between them, the fineness of the Gold may be determined to less then half a quarter of a grain & the fineness of the silver to less then half an half penny weight. And this is the exactest way of assaying hitherto in use
2. Of making the Indented Trial-pieces.
The standard Triall-pieces are made by the Assay. First the a Iury of \Assays & other/ workmen summoned & sworn by order of Coun{illeg}|c|il procures gold & silver refined by the Refiner & Assays them to see if they be of a just degree of fineness, that is, the gold just 24 carats fine & the silver just 12 ounces fine. Then they melt this gold & silver severally with allay in due proportion & stir them well together in fusion several times to mix them very well \with the allay/, & pour them off before the Allay evaporates, & then assay them several times to see if {illeg}|t|hey be standard, taking assays from several places to see if the mixture be uniform. It must agree therefore with the assay as exactly as is possible least there be two standards, one by the assay-weights the other by the Trial-piece.
Refiners find it difficult to refine gold to the degree of 24 carats. They seldome make it above 23car. 3gr. 3qters fine, & by fine gold generally understand gold of this degree of fineness. And if gold at any time prove finer upon the assay, Assayers out of prejudice do not report it finer. And thence it comes to pass that Goldsmiths are generally of opinion that gold cannot be above 24 carats fine, not knowing that there are ways of making it finer then by the assay. Thence also it may have sometimes happened that at the making of new Trial pieces the Assayer may have reported the fine gold not so fine as it really was and by that means the Trial piece may h{illeg}|av|e been made too fine. And if the fine gold was by 23car. 3gr. 3qters fine, the Trial-piece may have been made too coarse. And there are other ways of erring as by assaying after any unusual manner, or by scattering any part of the allay or of the gold or suffering a sensible part of the Allay to evaporate, or not mixing the gold with the Allay very well, or using a faulty crucible. |And for avoiding these errors the Iury ought to consist of workmen very well skilled in assaying of gold & silver.|
3 Of trying the Pix.
The trial of the moneys in the Pix is to be performed by a Iury of Assayers in the presence of the Warden Master & Comptroller of the Mint after the most just manner that can be made by fire by water by touch or by weight or by all or by any of them, as is expressed in the Indenture of the Mint. The Pix is opened & the Iury sworn before her Majty or such of her Council as her Majty shall appoint. If the Triall pieces be exactly made the triall thereby is the most expedite & the least liable to errors \or fallacy/. But a Trial-piece may happen to be erroneous & then the other ways of assaying, as they are lawfull, so also they may be usefull. For the assay by the Assay-weights exactly performed will discover the error of the Triall piece if there be any, & how g{illeg}|r|eat that error is, & the assay by the Touch may be also used to see how it agrees wth the other assays, tho it be less exact & not to be depended upon alone.
If at any time the Trial-piece doth not agree with the Assay, either the error must be reported by the Iury or it must not be reported. If it be reported, either the Master of the Mint must be authorized to allow for the error in coining the money by that Trial piece for the future or a new Trial piece must be made. If it must not be reported the Mint master must go on to coin the money by an erroneous Trial piece, & the Goldsmiths will have it in their power to alter the standard without controll as often as they are to make a new Trial piece, & to make a new standard instead of making a new Trial piece agreeable to ye standard established by law.
At the last trial of the Pix the gold money was standard full by the Assay, & the Trial-piece a quarter of a grain better then the money, & the Iury in their Veredict represented the money a quarter of a grain wors then standard by the Trial piece. This Trial piece was made upon the Vnion A. C. 1707. It was made (I think) without an order of Council, & by my Assays very carefully made, is five twelfts of a grain better then standard; that of 1688 made by order of K. Iames II is a sixt part of a grain better then standard, & that of 1660 made by Order of K. Charles II is standard.
Quære 1. If upon trying the Pix, the Triall-piece at any time doth not agree wth the Assay, Whether are not the Iury to report the error?
Quære 2. If any doubt arise about the manner of the Report or Veredict, whether are not the Iury to make a special Report of the matter of fact & leave it to the Queen & Council to make a judgment thereupon?
Quære 3. If any doubt arise about the goodness of the first\truth of the tale weight/ |or assay of ye moneys| are not the Iury |(|\especially/ at the motion of the Officers of the Mint|)| to repeat the assay. operation.
<248r>For avoyding these errors the jury ought to consist of workmen \very well/ skilled \& exercised/ in refining assayi{ng} & allaying of gold & silver, & not to abound wth shopkeepers, wiredrawers, Gilder & other persons not \very well/ skilled in the \manual/ arts requisite to make the Trial pieces.
If any doubt arise about the goodness of the {illeg} first assay, are not the Iury {illeg} (at ye motion of the Officers of the Mint) to repeat the assay.
Assaying & Refining are operations of the same kind. The Assayer refines a small piece of the any mass of gold or silver & by the decrease of weight makes his report; & if there be no decrease, that is, if the mass be of the same fineness with the Assay piece, he reports it better then two carats better then standard, or twenty & four carats fine, & this is fine gold in the sense of the law. And The Assay piece therefore, when the Assayer works exactly, becomes fine gold or fine silver in the sense of the law. And because the Assayer works more exactly to a rule then the Refiner, & makes better dispatch, the Assay is made the standing rule of universal rule of valuing gold & silver in point of fineness, & the Law in ordeining that standard Gold shall be 24|2| carats fine & standard silver eleven ounces two penny weight fine, means by the assay.
The standard Trial pieces are made by the Assay. First the Iury procures fine gold & fine silver refined by the Refiner, & then assays the same to see if they be of a just degree of fineness, that is, the gold just two carats better then standard & the silver just 18 penny weight better. And when the Trial pieces are made, the Iury assays them several times to see if they be standard.
The assays of gold ought to be made with two waters & no more this being the constant practise of assaying, & the waters ought to be of the usual strength & to work the usual time & in the usual heat, & the Assay piece ought to be hammered to the usual thinness that the assays may be uniform.
Refiners find it difficult to refine gold to the degree of 24 carats. They seldome make it above 23 carats 3g grains & three quarters of a grain fine \And by fine gold understand gold of this degree of fineness/ And thence it comes to pass that the Goldsmiths are generally of opinion that there can be {no} gold cannot be above 24 carats fine. But if when they have watered their granulated Gold one|c|e or twice with Aqua fortis, they should dulcify it & grind it very fine as painters do their colours & then water it once or twice more with double Aqua fortis in the same degree of heat as before, & keep it longer in the water then before, stirring it now & then with a \wooden/ stick to make the gold mix with fresh water the Gold will become finer then by the Assay, & by consequence finer then four & twenty carats. Chymists also tell us that Go{d}|l|d may be made finer by Antimony then by Aqua fortis, & by consequence then by the Assay; but the Goldsmiths know not how to refine Gold by Antimony.
If Refiners should work perfectly in the same manner with Assayers, that is, if they should mix gold with silver in the same proportion & drive it off the Test wth the same proportion of lead & hammer it to the very same thinness & water it with {illeg}|w|aters of the very same strength in the same degree of heat during the same length of time, their gold would become just 24 carats fine. But they work not after all these curcumstances so exactly |wth so much curiosity & eaveness.|
The tryal of the moneys in the Pix is to be performed after the most just manner that can be made by fire by water by touch or by weight or by all or by any of them. If the Trial pieces be made exactly the trial thereby is the most expedite & the least liable to errors. But a Trial piece may happen to be erronus, & then other ways of Assaying, & then other ways of Assaying may be also usefull. For the assay by the Assay weights will disc exactly made will discover the error of the tryal piece, if there be any & how great that error is.
Th At the last trial of the Pix the Iury \by the Assay/ found the money standard & the Trial piece \{illeg}/ a quarter of a grain better then standard\the money/ full by the Assay. {illeg}|&| reported only \in their Veredict/ that the money was a quarter of a grain wors then standard by the Trial piece. The Report or Veredict supposed\represented |imported| that the Trial piece wa{illeg}|s|{illeg} standard & the {sic}/ the Trial piece to be\was/ standard\money {illeg} standard & the be worse then standard & the {illeg}/, tho the Iury by the Assay found it\the money standard \full/ & the trial piece/ a quar of a grain better then standard|.| full. |The Iury made this report (I think) not out of corruption, but for want of a precedent to report the Trial otherwise then by the Trial piece.|
Where the Importers I came f{illeg}|ir|st to the Mint & \When I came first to the Mint & for some years before,/ the Importers were allowed the advantage of almost all the remedy, \& then/ the Gold imported made about four pounds & two pence per ounce \standard/. The Goldsmiths now complain that their Gold doth not make 4li per ounce. It should make only three pounds nineteen shillings & eight pence three farthings, & so much it hath made ever{illeg} since the last triall of the Pix.
While the Importers were allowed the advantage of almost all the Remedy, the|re| Gold imported made wanted about 30 gr{illeg}|a|ins of fine gold in four & forty Guineas & an half, & as much \or more/ fine silver in sixty & two shillings. There is now the just quantity of gold & silver in the moneys & there wants only {illeg}|a|bout the third part of a grain\the third part of a grain/ of copppy in a Guinea wch want is of no value or\value or/ consequence \being less then the thousandth part of a Guinea penny in a Guinea/ & is occasioned by the too great fineness want of so much allay in the \gold/ Trial piece:
They must agree therefore wth the Assay as exactly as \is/ possible least there be two standards. And therefore whenever an the assay of the money by the Assay weights differs from that by the Triall piece, the difference ought to be reported
And The Assays of Silver ought to be made wth a due proportion of lead in a due & eaven heat & as soon as the lead is block off the silver must begin to cool & not stay without roasting it, |&| {f}it must cool slowly that it do not spring. |[|But in refining of gold & silver in great quantities, these niceties are not observed.|]| But Then it becomes Then the Assay piece becomes 12 oz fine: And if {the} after the first parcel of {illeg} lead is blown off, fresh lead be added, & the two or three times & the assay piece be \well/ roasted after all the lead is blown off, the silver will become still finer \but not a half penny weight finer then 12 ounces/. In refining Gold & silver in great quantities, the niceties above described in making assays, are not observed, & therefore the Refiners fine Gold & {fin}\& fine silver/ must be assayed to know how fine they are.
And if the Refiner in refining silver should in all circumstances imitate\observe/ the Assayers \rules & proportions/, his silver would become 24 carats 12 ounces fine. But Refiners are not so curious work not with so much curiosity & eavenness. Their fine gold & fine silver must be assayed to know the just degree of fineness.
The Trial piece is made by mixing\melting/ 11 ounces of fine gold wth one ounce of \copper/ allay & 11 ounces 2dwt of fine silver wth 18 penny weight of copper allay & keeping the mixture in fusion 20 or 30 minutes & \in the mean time/ stirring \it/ severall times to mix the metalls very well & then pouring {illeg}|i|t off
And assay taken from them in several places must agree with one another to see if the \fine/ gold {illeg}|&| \fine/ silver be eavenly mixed with the allay.
<249r>This Trial piece was made in the year 1707.
The Trial piece of 1660 agrees wth the Assay, that of 1688 is (by my assays) the sixth part of a grain better then standard by the {sic} assay. & that of 169 1707 five twelft parts of a grain better. That of 1688 is established upon the {illeg} present Indenture of the Mint; that of 16|7|07 is not yet established {nor} nor can I find that it was made by the Queens Order \as it ought to have been/. In the \entry/ books of the Treasury I meet wth no \no mention of any/ such Order |[|nor is any such Order mentioned in the Letters of my|the| Lord Treasurer Godolphin summoning the Iury wch made to the Wardens & company of Goldsmiths for returning the name{illeg}|s|{illeg} of a Iury & those for summoning them.|]| The Iury who |[|made\When/ that \Trial/ piece \was made the Goldsmiths/ {illeg}|r|efused to give a receip{t} of their T pieces for making their plate & contended that they were Pix was to be tried by th{illeg}|e||m| & not by the Trial pieces kept in the Excheqr|]| When the next Trial pieces are ma{k}|d|e they {illeg}\the/ goldsmiths ought to give a Receipt of them pieces \delivered to them for {sic}/ for trying {illeg} making their plate. For tho the Gold plate be 23 carats fine & the Trial piece \but/ 22 carats fine {yet} yet they may \{illeg}/ make their \gold/ plate by the \gold/ Trial piece by putting into the Assay scales a weight answering to the difference.
{illeg}
Th {sic}
Are not the Iury to try the survey the fabrication of the moneys & make a special report of ye matter of fact \where my \judicial/ doubt arises/ & leave it to the Queen & Council to make a judgment thereupon wthout \{presing|i|ng {sic}} to/ preventing them by interposing their own judgment|s| {illeg}
By my assays the Trial piece of 1660 is standard without any sensible error {worth} of moment, that of 1688 is the sixt parts of a carat\grain/ better then standard, that of 16 1707 five twelft parts of a grain better then standard. |[|That of 1688 is established upon the present Indenture of the Mint that of 1707 is ye not yet established now can I find that either this Trial piece or another \trial piece/ made in the beginning of the years 1697 little before Lady day 1697 \for plate of the new standard/ was|er||e| made (as they ought to have been) by the Royal authority. Nor did] The Iury \also/ at the last trial of thi|e| Pix finding this last {illeg} qu\Trial/ piece a quarter of a grain better then standard full & therefore it is not a standard Triall piece.
Quære whether if a Iury \find/ f|h|ow much the error is of any Trial \piece/ the Master of the Mint may not be an Order of Council allow for the error in coyning the money by that Trial piece.
If upon any trial of the Pix the money {illeg} triall piece {prove} be \prove/ not standard, whether are not the Iury to ascertain\satisfy the {illeg}//ascertain\ the error & to report it? And whether may not the Master of the Mint by an Order of Council allow for that error in coining the money by that Trial piece for the future
There he m{illeg}|elts| the gold & silver with allay in a just proportion, stirs them well together in fusion several times to mix them well & pours them off before the allay evaporate.
If at any time the Trial piece doth not agree wth the assays either the error must be reported by the Iury or it must not be reported. If it be reported, either a new Trial piece must be made, or the Master of the Mint must be authorized to allow for the error in coining the money by yt Trial piece \for the future/ or a new Trial piece must be made. If it must not be reported, the Mast|r| must go on to coin the money by an erroneus Trial piece & the goldsmiths will\must/ have \it/ in their power to alter the standard without controll {illeg} as often as they are to make a new Trial piece.
<249v>When a jury are\is/ to make a new standard trial piece they are not to make a new standard but a \new/ Triall piece agreable to the standa{rd} appointed \established/ by Law. They may err in making a new Trial piece, but they {ca} They may err in making a new Trial pie{illeg}|c|e but it is not in their power to alter the standard. And then if \they err &/ the error amount to a quarter of a grain \in gold/ or an half-penny weight \in silver/, the Trial piece is \not standard & by consequence/ not a standard trial piece.
The \standard/ Trial pieces |a|is|re| made by the Assay & the will always agree with the assay if {illeg}\they be/ rightly made. Assays are liable to \little/ error, but if the two or three\consistent number more of/ assays \of the Trial piece/ argree {sic} wth one another & disagree with the trial piece, there great reas{illeg}|o|n to {illeg} question the {trial} truth of yt trial piece. without any material difference & at a medium are standard, the Trial piece is standard. And the more assays of it are made the more wch at a medium wch agree wth one another without any errors of moment & at a medium are standard, the more surely th{e} trial piece is standard. \{illeg}/ First the Iury – – – just 18 penny weight better. Then the Iury melts the fine gold or fine silver with a just proportion of allay & stirrs them well together \several times/ to mix them very well & w|t|hen they are well mixed poures of them of {illeg} without keeping them longer on the fire then is necessary to mix them very well.|,| And when & assays them again several times to see if they be standard. They must agree therefore with the assay as exactly as is possible least there be two standards \one by the Assay, another by the Trial piece/. An error of half a quarter of a grain in yt gold Trial piece or of half a halfpenny weight in the silver trial piece is sensible by the assay & should not be committed.
The assays of Gold &c – – uniform.
Refiners find it – –
If Refiners – – – made fine by the Assay.
The surest way to make gold \just/ 24 \just/ carats fine is to refine grai{n} gold once wth Antimony, {&}|t|hen mixt it wth \said {illeg}/ fine silver to bring it to the degree of 2\is such a proportion/ as by experice {sic} shall be found to bring it to the degree of 24 carats fine. This proportion being once found is foun{d} for ever.
Assays are liable to errors, but the errors are generally very small, & seldome exceed a quarter of a grain in gold or an half penny weight in silver. And if two or more Assays of the same piece of gold or silver agree wth one another wthout any considerable difference, {illeg}|t|he Report is to be made by taking a medium. And if By wch means the fineness of any piece of Gold may be always determined to less then half a quarter of a grain & the fineness of any piece of silver to less then half a half penny weight And that |is| the exactest way of valuing gold {illeg}|&| {illeg} silv{er} in point of fineness hitherto in use.
And by {illeg}\reason/ of these little errors, the Assayer generally in single assay make his reports to no less parts then a quarter of a grain in gold & a halfpenny weight in silver. But if two or more Assays be made of the same piece of gold or of the same piece of silver, & the assays agree without any considerable difference & a medium be taken between the{illeg}|m|{illeg}, the finess of the gold may be determined to less then half a quarter of a grain in gold & half a halfpenny weight in silver, & even to less the{n} half that quantity {of} by a competent number of Assays made by a good hand skilfull Assayer. And this is the exactest way of valuing gold & silver in point of fineness hitherto in use amongst Assayers.
<250r>When I come
|7.| When I came first to the Mint & for many years before, Importers were allowed almost all the Remedy, & the money was coyned unequally some pieces being two or thee {sic} grains too heavy & others as much too light, & the heavy Guines were called c|C|ome-again-Guineas because they were culled {illeg} out is|&| brought back to ye Mint to be recoined (as was the the {sic} common ope|i|nion) & thereby the Mint was {not} publi public Moneys called the Coynage Duty were squandred away th to the p{illeg}|r|ofit of the Master & Moneyers & Goldsmiths & the new moneys wch remained after the heavy pieces were culled out, & wa{illeg}|s| put away \by the Goldsmiths/ among{illeg} the people, was {illeg} to without the Remedy. The money is now coined equally so that the culling trade is at an end. And the Importers are not allowed the advantage of the Remedy, but the money is coined to the just value.
|8.| The When the {illeg}|I|mporters were allowed the advantage of almost all the Remedy, the Gold imported made {illeg} about four pounds & two pence per ounce. The{illeg} Goldsmiths now complain that their money Gold doth not make {illeg}|4|li per ounce. It doth should make only 3li 19s 8d by the Law, & so much it hath made ever since the last trial of the Pix. And {to}
|9.| T|W|hile the Importers were allowed the advantage of the Remedy there wanted about 30 grains of fine gold in 44 Guineas & about 34 grain{s} of fine silver {illeg} \sixty two shillings/. {And} There wants is \not/ the just quantity of gold & silver in the moneys, & there wants only about 15 {illeg} grains of fine copper in 44 {&} Guineas, & {illeg} & if the trial pieces were exact being faulty or the third part of a grain of Copper in a Guinea wch want is if no value or conquence {sic} & is occasioned by the too great fineness of ye trial pieces.
If the Iury pleases to ex
|10.| The end of the Indenture of the Mint & of \all/ the Rules of coynage is that the moneys for ye sake of commerce h{illeg}|a|ve its just intrinsic value {&}|And| if the Iury pleases to examin the moneys in the Pix by the weight & assay together they will find those of {illeg} th{illeg}|a|t they are \as/ justly coined to this value as every they were.
|11| \The moneys cnnot be coined by the Trial piece wthut knowing the {grain} fineness of ye {true}/ By my Assays the Trial piece of 1688 is a sixt part of a carat better then standard & the Trial piece of 1707 is five 12th parts of a carat better, or thereabouts. If the {illeg} At the last trial of the Pix the gold moneys were found standard by the assay & the t{illeg} a quarter of a grain wors then standard by the trial piece \{o}f 1707/ & the Iury reported only the latter. If the moneys be tried again by the same trial piece I humbly pray that they both the moneys & the trial piece may be tried also {illeg}|by| the Assay & the event reported by the Iury. If For \the Indenture of the Mint doth not restrain the trial to the trial piece alone, &/ a trial by an erroneous trial p{illeg}|iec|e is no fair trial without allowing for the errors of the trial piece, nor is \it/ for the advantage {illeg}|of| commerce to admit of such a trial.
<250v>||1| Assaying & Refining have ye \{illeg}/ same foundation. The Assayer refines a small piece of the mass, & by the decrease of weight \{illeg}/ Reports the fineness of the mass & if there be no decrease, that is, if the mass be of the same fineness with the Assay-piece, he reports it 2 carats better then {illeg} standard, or 24 carats fine & is the fine Gold in the sence of the law. And because the Assayer works more exactly to a rule then the Refiner, the|
The Assay {illeg}|is| \made/ |t|{illeg}|he| standing universal rule of valuing Gold & silver in point of fineness, & when the Law \in/ ordeins|i||ng| that standard Gold \shall/ be 22 carats fine & standard silver 11 oz twodwt fine, {illeg} means by the Assay.
|2| The standard Trial pieces is|ar||e| made by the Assay. First {illeg}|the| Iury |{procures}| assays the fine gold & fine silver & then assays them to see if they be of a just degree of fineness, that is, the gold just two carats better then standard & then {th} silver |1wt| bette 18dwt better. And when the Trial piece is made the Iury assay it again several times to see if it be standard.
The trial of the moenys in the Pix
|3| The assays of gold ought to be made wth two waters & no more this being the constant practise of assaying & the Assay waters ought to be of |t|a|h||e| ordinary\usual/ strength, the second water & to work ye usual time & in the usual heat, & the Assay piece \ought/ to be hammered to the usual thinness that ye Assays may be exact. uniform.
|{illeg}|6|| The end of the Trial of the Pix is to see that\it/ the moneys be of a just value for the sake of commerce, & the value is computed by the weight & assay together, & the assay
|6| The trial of the moneys in the Pix are\is/ to be made\performed/ after the most just manner that can be thought of to be made by fire {illeg}|by| water by touch or by weight or by all or by any of them: & because they The are to \may/ be tried not only by the triall pieces but also by any o the tou any other just way if if any doubt shall arise ab for clearing any doubt wch may arise A & by consequence the if the Triall piece piece the moneys may be tried by the single assay as well as by the trial piece to see if ye trialls agree. If the tryal piece be made exactly by the Assay, the tryal thereby is the most expedite & least liable to errors. If the trial piece disagrees wth the Assay the difference should be mnoted may be noted & the moneys tried as well by the single Assay \& by the to {illeg}/ as by the trial pieces & {illeg} But a trial piece may happen to be erroneus & then other ways of Assaying may be also used, & & \usefull {illeg} For/ the assay by the Assay weights will discover the error of the tryall piece .|\if there by any/| |& how great that error is, {illeg} & therefore whenever the Trial-piece agrees \not/ wth the Assay, the Report should not be made by the Trial piece alone.|
A pound weight of standard gold should be cut into 44 Guineas & an half & therefore is worth 4{2} 47li 16s 9d & an ounce of standard gold is worth 3li 19s 8d. A pound eight of standard silver should be cut into 62s & therefore an ounce of standard silver is worth 5s. 2d &
The
|4| {illeg} Refiners find it difficult to refine {illeg}|G|old to ye degree of 24 carats,|.| but if & Their fine gold is\They/ seldome \make it/ above 24|3| carats 3gr fine. And But if |And| thence it comes to pass that the fine Goldsmiths are generally of opinion that there can be Gold cannot be made above 24 carats fine. But if \when/ they should {if} have watered their granulated gold once or twice with Aqua fortis they should \dulcify it &/ grind it very fine as painters do their colours & \then/ water it once or twice more with double Aqua fortis in the same degree of heat as before & keep it longer in the water then before stirring it {now &} now & then wth a wooden stick to make the water {illeg} do its work\gold mix wth fresh water/: the gold will become finer then by the Assay & by consequence finer then 24 carats. Chymists also tell us that gold may be made finer by Antimony then by Aqua fortis \& by consequence then by the Assay/; by|u||t| the Goldsmiths know not how to refine Gold by Antim{illeg}|ony|.
|5| If Refiners should work perfectly in the same manner with Assayers, that is, if they should mix Gold with {illeg} silver in the same proportion & drive it off the test with the same proportion of Lead & hammer it to ye \very/ same thinness & water it with two waters of like \the same/ strength in ye same heat during the same \lengh {sic} of/ times, their gold {illeg}|w|ould be{illeg}|c|ome \just/ 24 carats fine. But they do not use to be at all this pains & charge \& scupulputy/ in their common practise of Refining.
Money being the rule of commerse ought to be coyned of a just intrinsic value This value is known by weight & assay compared\fineness/ together. A pound weight of gold is to b standard gold is to be cut into 44 Guineas &
<251r>Observations upon\Queres upon/ the proceedings of the Iury in trying the Pix.
|1.| The Iury being to try \the monies in/ the Pix by the rules set down in the Indenture of the Mint \Quære whether/ they should \not first/ read so much of the Indenture as relates to ye trial|, so that they may have all those rules fresh in memory.|
|2| T
|2| That Iury being to try the Pix by the rule\said moneys/ in the presence of the Officers of the Mint, \Quere whether/ they are \not/ to suffer the said Officers to see the whole triall from the beginning to the end, & for that reason \whether/ they are to go on with but\more then/ one operation at once.
|3| The Iury being to try the said moneys after the most just manner as can be thought of to be made by fire by water by touch {illeg}|or| by weight or by all or by any of them, & to use the standards in her Mats Excheqr{illeg}: \Quere whether/ if any do{illeg}|u|bt shall arise about the triall by the Indented Trial pieces they are \not/ to satisfy themselves about the doubt by any other way of triall & particulary|l|y by the single Assay, that Assay being the Rule by wch the Triall Assay being the Rule by wch the Trial piece is made & examined by the Iury who makes it. And if any difference appear between the single Assay & the Assay by the Trial piece, \whether/ the Iury are \not/ to report the diffe{illeg}|r|ence.
|4.| \Quere whether/ The Iury are \not/ to make their Assays in the manner commonly in use wthout varying in the heat \or government/ of the fire, or in the strength \or quantity/ of the water or in the quality there{illeg} number of waters, poured on the Assay-pieces or in the thinness to wch the Assay pieces are hammered, \or in the quantity or quality of the Lead,/ or in any other circumstance wch may influence the Assay.
{illeg}Observation{illeg}|s| upon the proceeding of the Iury in making a Tryal piece|s|.
The Iury ar
|1.| If the Trial pieces are too fine they occasion a discouragement of so much to ye merchant & others wch import gold & silver as answers to the excess of fineness.|,| And & therefore the triall pieces should rather err in defect of fineness then in excess, & forreign nations chuse rather to err in defect.
|2.| If the {illeg} \By/ fine gold \& fine silver/ is to be understood such gold as is 24 carats fine by the Assay, & f|b|y fine silver is to be understood such silver as is 12 ounces fine by the Assay. And by standard gold & silver is to be understood such gold as is 22 carats fine by the Assay & such standard silver as is 11oz 2dwt fine by the Assay. And in making judging of the fineness of the gold or silver there{illeg} ought to be several Assays made as well successively as at the sa at once & if to see if the errors of the Assays wch happen in exce{illeg}|ss| be equal to the errors wch happen in deffect|.| & that For such errors will happen, & a medium between them is to be taken.
|3.| If the fine gold \or silver/ be not fully fine by the assay, it may be roasted to make it finer & if the Refiner hath made it too fine, it may be allayed to brin{illeg} {B} make it coarser, to the end that the standard pieces by the Trial pieces may be the same wth the standard by the Assay. For otherwise there will be two standards, one by the Assay & another by the Trial pieces. The French & Spaniards seem to take such fine gold as is \commonly/ made f|b|y the Refiners Art without roasting it. For their moneys are a little coarser then the just standard. |Its saf{illeg}|e|r to err a little in coarsness then in fineness because the metal will refine a lttle in the fire in melting t{illeg}|h|e gold & allay together|
|4.| To every eleven ounces of fine gold {illeg} must be added one ounce of fine copper & to every eleven ounces two penny weight of fine silver must be added two \18/ penny weight of fine copper, & when the gold or silver is well melted the copper must be put into the pot & soon as that is also well melted, both|e| mixture\metalls/ much be well\nimbly/ stirred together \on{illeg}|c|e & again/ to mixt them well & when they have stood in little on the fire to mix \{illeg}/ them sufficiently they must be poured to let without letting them stay longer i|o|n the fire then is necessary to mix them well least the allay should evaporate in too great a quantity.
|5| After the metal is {illeg} poured off it must be {of} {illeg}|a|ssayed again severall times, & if the Iury think fit they may cause it to be assayed by several hands for their greater satisfaction And for greater security \& satisfaction to her Maty & people/ they may cause it to be assayed also by {t}
Quære whether fine gold be not gol in the sense of the law be not such gold as is made fine by the Refiners art exercised in the same manner in the same manner {sic} & with the same skill in {illeg} & diligence in refining a great quantity of metal gold by Aqua fortis, as in refining a small quantity by the Assay. And by consequence whether fine gold be not such gold as is 24 carats fine by the Assay, & as is \skilfully/ refined by two waters without roasting the gold or using more then two waters
Fine gold refined by t is gold refined by the Refiners art after the very same manner {illeg} in a great quantity that it is refined is|b||y| the Assayers Art in a small quantity; the gold being mixed with silver in the same proportion & {illeg} & in both cases \& laminated to the same degree of {thick}nes in both cases/ & watered \& with the same heat & length of operation/ in both cases, that it may become of the same d{illeg}|e|gree of fineness in both cases, & by consequence 24 carats fine. If it be made fo the Refiner make the gold thinner or use stronger water or pour upon the gold oftener them the Assayer doth the {illeg} he will make gold finer then the Assayer doth that is finer then the {illeg} 24 carats \And if he refine it by ♁ it will become still finer./ But if the Refiner {illeg} make|s| the gold not so then \as the Assayer doth/ or pour on water but once or use weaker water or a less quantity, thereof, the gold will be less then 24 carats fine \not be fully become/ so fine as by the Assay that is not fully 24 carats fine. And thus the reason why the REfiners gold is seldome made so fine, as the Assayers, {illeg} \And because the Refiner uses not to be of the paing {sic} & charges of making his gold so fine as it should be in/ \great quantity as it is made by the Assayer in small quantity thence it comes to pass that gold 24 carats usually fine is scarce to be met with {or} Ref & that/ the Iury \who/ makes the tryal piece \usually/ roasts the Refiners gold to make it 24 carats fine by the Assay. And because {illeg} The Assay The Tryal piece is therefore made by the Assay And hence it follows that And wth And when the {g} \fine/ gold is mixed wth Allay in due proportion to make the Trial piece, the Iury assay it again several times to see if it be standard. The Assay therefore is the fundamental as well as the universal rule of valuing gold & silver in point of fineness, |[|& the Trial-piece is only an expedient to assist the Master \& the Queens Assayer/ in in judging of the fineness of bullion & the & money & the \Assaymr {illeg}|&|/ they in truing the money & therefore it ought to be made \as/ exactly \as may be/ by the Assay, & if upon trying the Pix if differs manifestly from the Assay the difference ought to be reported that the Triall piece may be mended.|]| And because Assayers by constant practise are better be skilled in refining gold to a certain degree by the Assay then Refiners are in refining it to a certain degree by the Art of Refining, therefore the Assay \Refiners Art/ is not trusted alone in making fine gold, but the gold is examined by the Assay before it be {concerned}\adjudged/ to b{illeg}|e| {illeg} just 24 exactly 24 carats fine.
