Holograph draft of MINT00780 (Mint 19/3/231-2)

<253r>

To the Rt Honble the Lords Commers of his Matt{illeg}ies Treasury.

May it please yor Lordps

The two persons who are ordered down to Scotland being sent as I presume with an intent only to survey the Mine with the ground about it wch belongs or lately did belong to Sr Iohn Ereskin & is said to be acontein silver, mine, & to exai{illeg}min the Ore & {illeg} under Mr Haldane send t{illeg}he brother in law of the said Sr Iohn Ereskin & Mr Haldane living neare the mine & having expressed himself willing to encourage & supervise the said two men & forward their deisgne: I humbly propose (pursuant to your Lordps directions,) t{illeg}hes following instructions as proper for the designe of the said two persons.this purpose.

1 That in the presence of substantial witnesses, they the said two men break off from each of the two veins of Ore which are in the said mine, about six or eight pounds of Ore & seale up the same in two papers with inscriptions upon them denoting what veins they are each of them is parcel is taken from; the inscriptions to be signed by the witnesses, & the two parcells to be packed up together & sent to London to the Lords Commers of his Mats Treasury to be assayed in London by their Order. The Witnesses may be Mr Hadldane & one or two of his Sons who are Parliamt Men, & Mr Drummond the Warden of the Mint at Edinburgh or any other Gentleman of credit whom my Lord Lauderdale General of the said Mint shall please to send thither for his own satisfaction & the satisfaction of the Government, & any other person or persons whom your Lordships (or the perhaps the Commissioners for the forfeited estates) shall {illeg}order to be present.

2 That th in the presence of the same witnesses other pieces of Ore be broken off from each of the said two veins & assayed. {illeg}twice or oftener & the assays reported by the said two men, & signed by the said Witnesses in testimony of their being made before them, & sealed up & sent also to the Lords Commers of his Mats Treasury. And that a description of the breadth & depth & distance of the said two veins be also sent & which way they run, & how deep is the Mine

3 That the Casks (or {illeg} old Hogsheads & Barrells) which were filled with about 40 Tunns of Ore dugg of out of the said Mine by order of the Lady Ereskin in the time of the late rebelli{illeg}on & buried on the north west side of her house just by the Gate thereof be enquired {illeg}after, & a report made thereof & of what that Ore holds by the Assay. [And if the same appear to be silver Ore that an Order be (such as the Kings Councsel shall advise) be sent down to secure the same.]

4. That the Burn or Channel made in the south side of the mountain by the floods running down about theree or four furlongs westward from <253v> the said mine within Sr Iohn Ereskins part of the mountain, be well viewed to see what sparrs & other signes of minerals are found therein, & if any Ores {illeg}of Minerals or Metalls be found there to {illeg}assay them & report the produce.

5 About two miles westward from thies silver mine there is a Copper mine said to be very rich in Copper & Silver, so as to in a pound of Ore to hold about half a pound of Copper & twelve penny weight of Silver in a pound of Ore.& to belong to one who went into ye rebellion. If atwo or three pieces {sic} pie{illeg}ces or two of that Ore can be procured, let it be assayed to See how much Copper & how much silver it holds. And if there be any other mines within two or three or four miles of the place silver mine, to let them examin what silver the Ore may contein.

6. To Let them view all Sr Iohn Ereskines part of the mountain & observe what signes of Mineralls may appeare any where above ground, & report them what they find., & give the best account they can of the any other metallic Mines which they can heare of in that mountain.

7 I humbly propose also that Mr Haldane senior be desired by a Letter from yor Lordps to see that the two Gentlemen sent down do put these things in execution, & to give them Directions from time to time to do what he may think further proper for giving his Majty & {illeg}his R{illeg}oyal Highness & yor Lordships Satisfaction in this Matter. And that the two Gentlemen sent down be ordered to observe the directions of Mr Haldane in making these enquiries & observations And that the Earl of Lauderdale General of his Mats Mint at Edinb{illeg}urgh be also desired by a Letter to give the two Gentlemen sent down his protection & encouragement & to send either Mr Drummond the Warden of that Mint or some other fit intelligent & credible person to the Mine, who may there see the silver Ore dug out of the Rock & assayed, & may give his Lordp & the Government an account thereof.

If this Mine shall prove a true silver {illeg}Mine, the Kings Council may learned in {illeg}them Law may be consulted about the ri{illeg}ght wch either the king may have to it as a Royall mine or the Commrs for the forfeited estates may have to it as a forfeited estate, [& about the right which either of them may have to the 40 Tunns of the Silver Ore, the right which either of them may have to the 40 Tunns of Silver Ore already dug up & about the {sic} {illeg} the authority requisite to seize them &them in order {illeg}to work the Mine & smelt the Ore;] and also about the Kings right in the Copper Mine two miles westward, as a Royal Mine rich in Silver, tho not belonging to Sr Iohn Erskine. And when the Fact & the Law is known, the Mine Silver Mine & the Ore may be sized {sic} as the Law shall directin order to be wrought, & the Kings right in the other mine may be demanded or demoalso asserted.