Complaint about trial plates

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To the Rt Honble the Lords Commrs of her Majesties Treasury.

May it please yor Lordps

Finding reason to suspect that the present indented trial piece is too fine; I have nicely examined it & find that it is toofiner then the last trial piece by about a quarter of a grain & that the last trial piece is also something too fine by the assay. Which excesses of fineness being of great consequence, I have further endeavoured to find out the reason thereof that the like accidents in making new triall pieces hereafter may be avoided. And by the assay I am satisfied that there are various degrees of fine gold, some being 24 carats fine by the assay, some a quarter of a grain fin coarser or finer or above, & that gold may be refined so high as to be almost half a grain finer then 24 carats. And accordingly as the fine gold of wch the standard pieces are made is finer or coarser the standard pieces will be finer or coarser in proportion. By wch means the standard of gold is rendred uncertain. notwithstanding the fidelity of juries. And the like for silver.

I humbly offer therefore to your Lordps consideration, whether for ascertaining the value of gold & silver there should not be one common standard of gold & one of the silver for the money plate & MerchanMerchantable Ingots of merchants in all great Britain, setled by the assay which is the rule of the market; & whether the standard once setled should not be preserved in the Exchequer for a rule to Iuries in makeing trial pieces for the future & whether new trial pieces should be also now made according to this standard without varying the standard. {sic} or the present trial piece remain.