Suggests various means by which Brandshagen and his party could save time and money in their investigation

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To the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners of his Majesties Treasury.

May it please your Lordships

For diminishing the expences about Sir John Areskine's Mine & making the greater dispatch in that affair, I most humbly offer to your Lordships consideration whether it may not be advisable that Dr Iustus Brandshagen & the two Hamilton's who are sent down to Scotland to view the Mine be ordered to smelt the Ore which lyes buried in Casks by Sir John Areskines house so soon as they have despatched the Report which by the Warrant of his Royall Highness they are already ordered to make; provided they find the silver produced out of that Ore to be more then sufficient to pay all the charges of smelting it. All three understand the smelting of ores, & can consult & advise one another & therefore may each of them work apart in several furnaces for making the greater dispatch, unless they find it more convenient to work together at one or two great furnaces. I make this Proposal upon presumption that the Ore is worth smelting because it was buried in Casks for that reason, & that they can find a convenient place for setting up one or more furnaces. As fast as the Cakes of silver come from the Test, they may be marked with the Roman numbers I. II. III. IV. V. VI &c stamped on them with a chissel; & a list of the number & weight of every Cake may from time to time be sent up to your Lordships or your Order, that the weight & value of all the silver extracted may be ascertained for preventing imbusselments. And when these Cakes are melted into large Ingots, the Ingots may be numbered & weighed in the same manner. And the number & weight of every Regulus or lump of coarse silver got out of a pot of ore may be entred in books. And while they are preparing furnaces & smelting the Ore aforesaid, the Report which they are going to make may be considered here in relation to the Mine.

All which is most humbly submitted to your Lordships great Wisdome

Isaac Newton

Mint Office. 14 Novem. 1716.