Report on samples of ore sent to the Mint by Townshend for testing: it is rich in silver, but Newton does not know where it comes from Isaac Newton c. 550 words The Newton Project Oxford 2016 Newton Project, University of Oxford

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 c. April 1716, c. 550 words. Lord Charles Townshend (Secretary of State for the Northern Department)

Printed in NC, 6: 316-17. See Craig, NATM, 104.

 MINT 19/3/268, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK UKSurreyKew, RichmondNational Archives MINT 19/3/268 c. April 1716 England English Holograph Unknown Hand Unknown Hand (1) MintThe Mine at Alva MintCorrespondence Catalogue information compiled by Rob Iliffe, Peter Spargo & John Young Catalogue exported to teiHeader by Michael Hawkins Transcribed by Will Scott Will Scott finished transcription

My LordMy Lord

The Copper Ore wchwhich I received of yoryour LordpLordship to be assayed yeilds only of silver in the pound weight Averdupois. It is therefore a different sort of Ore from that wchwhich yeilded the silver, wchwhich yoryour LordpLordship gave me to be assayed.

A pound weight (Averpois) of theat Ore yielded not fifteen pence but fifteen penny weight & some grains of silver [wchwhich upon the Assay proved not xdwt obobolus but xviidwt better then standard & therefore is worth four shillings & two pence.]

And A piece cut off from the silver & flatted & carried sent to the Mint by my Lord Mayor to be assayed had some black dirt sticking fast to it, wchwhich made the Assay prove only xdwt obobolus better, but by two assays of cleaner pieces since made by my order sithe silver proves xviidwt better; Aand fifteen penny weight of such silver is worth 4s 2d four shillings & two pence. And therefore a pound weight of the true Ore yields 4s 2d in silver.

To the RtRight HonbleHonourable my Lord Viscount Townshend Principal Secretary of State.

My Lord

I understand that The silver wchwhich your Lordship gave me to be assayed, was produced out of a pound weight Averdupois of Ore & weighed f not fifteen pence but fifteen penny weight & some grains when it first came out of the Ore. It had some dirt sticking to yethe bottom of it & a piece cutt off & flatted with the dirt & sent by my Lord Mayor to the Mint to be assayed, proved only xdwt obobolus better then standard, becausebecause the Assay wasbeing was spoiled by the dirt wchwhich stuck fast to the assay piece. For bBy two assays cut offwchwhich I caused to be made of clean pieces cut off from itthe silver, it proved xviidwt better then standard. Now fifteen penny weight of such fine silver is work four shillings & two pence. And therefore according to yethe information given to my LdLord Mayor of London the Ore is exceedingly rich, a pound weight averdupois holding 4s 2d in silver.This silver holds no gold

But the CopperTwo ounces of the Troy of the of theTroy of the oOre wchwhich your LordpLordship gave me to be assayed seems to be of another sort of Ore yeilded upon the first melting three penny weight of silver wchwhich upon the Assay proved two penny weight worse then standard, & therefore was worth 9d14, & after this rate a pound weight averdupois of the Ore produces 22 penny wtweight of silver wchwhich is worth about 5s 7d.

An ounce Troy of the same Ore yeilded upon the first melting 1dwt obobolus 12gr & this being melted again wthwith a convenient flux pounder there remained onlyleft 1dwt & 100gr of fine silver, & after a third melting there remained 1dwt wanting 4gr, some of the silver being lost among the scorias. This last silver upon the Assay proved xiijdwt better then standard. This silver holds no goldThe Ore holds little or no copper. It is silver Ore, but where it grows doth not yet appear to me. All wchwhich is submitted to yoryour LordpsLordships consideration472 Is. Newton An acctaccount of the ore taken out of SrSir IJohn Erskin's mine 268