Draft of MINT00617 (Mint 19/2/311)

Author: Newton, Isaac

Normalised TextCatalogue Entry

<309r>

To the Most Honble the Earl of Oxford & Earl Mortimer Lord High Treasurer of great Britain

May it please yor Lordp

Since I attended yor Lordp last I ord caused a new furnace to be built in order to a further trial of what may be done by casting of copper into Barrs & coyning copper money out of those barrs,, bBut in the mean time upon assaying the half pence of wch I shewed yor Lordp a specimen, I found the copper coarser then it was by the assay before casting. Whereupon I ordered Mr Bagley the founder to supply me with such barrs as would fully endure the assay: but he has not ye{illeg}t produced any tho it be about three weeks since I gave him the order. Whence I suspect that in the specimen of half pence wch I shewed {illeg}yor Lordp, he put in some tynn without my knowledge tho I stood by to see him cast the copper.& he pretends another cause.

Whether the {illeg}filets be made by casting or hammering it will be requisite to repair the b{illeg} Mill rooms & other rooms in the Irish Mint for cutting flatting nealing & scouring the money, & the repairs {illeg}by the workmens estimate will come to about 145li. If yor Lordp pleases to let me have an order for repairing them, it may be done in six weeks time.
        All wch is most humbly submitted to yor Lordp grea{illeg}t wisdom{illeg}e
                        Is NewtonAnd if yor Lordp shall thinks fit that the {illeg} Fillets be made by hammering they Fillet may be & received int{illeg}o the Mint by weight & assay & {illeg}the money delivered back by weight & assay, the coynage being paid for by they {illeg} Importer. {illeg}And a coynage may be set on foot in this manner so soon as the charge of coinage & the number of pieces in a pound wt shall be setled, & the reverse appointed. be authorized. And the money made by this method will be of the same fineness wth that of Sweden.

but {illeg}& that he isHe seems to be at a stand in casting fine copper without mixture so as to make it run close & fully endure {illeg}the assay by the hammer asfter casting.; {illeg} Which makes a further tryal unnescessary. Mr Kemp agrees wth me yt the proper tryalassay of fine copper worth 1112d per Lwt is by the hamm{illeg}er. {illeg} If {illeg} the fillets of Copper be made by hammering {illeg}& be assayed by the hammer the money will be {illeg}of the same fineness wth the copper money of Sweden: {illeg} If they be made by casting {illeg} the m{illeg} & may be If they be cast it will scarce be so fine. in the first case the workmanship as well as the metall will cost mor{illeg}e & the work be more beautifull, & the assay more certain & the method {illeg}of coynage {illeg} more easily setled. In then in the second. In the second an assay by refining as well such copper especially if the copper be coarse. but the money will not be much better then that already {illeg} so good as that of K. Charles II In the second an assay {illeg}by the refining as well as by the hammer may be usefull. But as there is a power in the Mint of refusing such gold & silver as is not made fit to be received so it should be in Copper.

If the

<310v>

Sr. Isaac Newton
Report about Coyning Copper Farthings & halfe pence