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

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My Lord {sic}

The Copper Ore wch I received of yor Lordp to be assayed yeilds only          of silve{illeg}r in the pound weight Averdupois. It is therefore a different sort of Ore from that wch yeilded the silver, wch yor Lordp gave me to be assayed.

A pound weight (Averpois) of theat Ore yielded not fi{illeg}fteen pence but fifteen penny weight & some grains of silver [wch upon the Assay proved not xdwt ob 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, wch made the Assay prove only xdwt ob 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 Rt Honble {illeg} my Lord Viscount Townshend Principal Secretary of State.

My Lord

I understand that The silver wch your Lordship gave me to be assayed, {illeg} 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 ye 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 ob better then standard, becausebecause the Assay wasbeing was spoiled by the dirt wch stuck fast to the assay piece. For bBy two assays cut offwch I caused to be made of clean pieces cut off from itthe silver, it proved xviidwt better then standard. {illeg}Now fifteen penny weight of such fine silver is work four shillings & two pence. And therefore according to ye information given to my Ld 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 wch your Lordp gave me to be assayed seems to be of another sort of Ore yeilded upon the first melting three penny weight of silver wch upon the Assay proved{illeg} two penny weight worse then standard, & therefore was worth 9d$\frac{\mathrm{1}}{\mathrm{4}}$, & after this rate a pound weight averdupois of the Ore produces 22 penny wtweight of silver wch is worth about 5s 7d.

An ounce Troy of the same Ore yeilded upon the first melting 1dwt ob 12gr & this being melted again wth a convenient flux pounder there remained onlyleft 1dwt & 10{illeg}0gr 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 wch is submitted to yor Lordps consideration

Is. Newton

An acct of the ore taken out of Sr Iohn Erskin's mine