Letter from Newton to the Lord High Treasurer concerning the proposal of Charles Hore to be given a 30-year copper coining monopoly

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To the most Hon^ble the Earl of Oxford & Earl Mortimer, Lord High Treasurer of great Britain.

May it please yo^r Lord^p

In obedience to yo^r Lord^p Order of Reference of |y^e| 12^th |of| Feb |last| upon the Petition & Memorial of Charles Hore for coyning\the sole making & vending, of in about 30 years, the quantity of/ 700 Tunns of half pence & farthings in \about/ 30 years, of |such|/such\ fine copper worth 2^s 6^d per pound weigh as /as\ when wrought into \w^ch when wrought into vessels would according to a sample {illeg} w^ch/ \of such fine copper as when wrought into/ vessels would be worth 2^s 6^d p^r pound weight, & to cut a pound weight |of such| \copper/ into no more then 28 pence, & that an affidavit shall be made \by his workman/ of the fineness of the Copper according\suitable/ to the a Sample given in: We have considered the same, & are humbly of opinion that it may be dangerous to have any Sort of coynage or coining tools out of the Mint; that the cheaper the copper is the less temptation there will be to counterfeit the mone copper money, & that \very/ good copper for this purpose may be had for about 11 {illeg}^d pence \halfpenny/ per pound weight; [That the coinage of seven hundred Tunns in 30 years, w^ch is after the rate of 23 $\frac{1}{2}$|$\frac{1}{3}$| Tunns per an̄, would in a Short few years create clamours];|That an affidavit of y^e goodness \of the copper made/ by the servant of the Petitioner be not relied upon, but the copper be assayed in the Mint whenever there shall be a coinage| That it is safer to value the examin the value of the Copper by an experimental trial made in the Mint then to trust to an affidavit made of the value by his\a/ workman|;| of his. That whatever a Patentee get by the coinage, the adds to y^e temptation \coining the money ill &/ of counterfeiting the it copper money\when coined/, & therefore the coinage should be perfermed upon account, That a Patentee who coins y^e money without account may make great profit by coining it light \& of bad metal/, & therefore it should be coined upon account; That whatever a Patentee gets by the coinage increases the temptation to counterfeit the money when coined. |&| Therefore it should be coined to y^e just value of the copper workmanship & incident charges as nearly as may be; And that the coinage of 700 Tunns in about 30 years, ( w^ch is after y^e rate of 23$\frac{1}{3}$ Tunns per an̄, would in a few years create clamours, the people having twice peti complained in Parliament against too many\much copper money/, & not yet begun to move for a greater quantity.

All w^ch is most humbly submitted