Partial holograph draft of MINT00883 (Mint 19/1/10-11)

<106r>

The Assaymrs weights are 1, 2, 3, 6, 11, 12 & represent so many ounces. The weight 12 is about 20gr more or less as he pleases to have his weights made. The With this he weights the silver into ye fire. A{illeg}nd recconning a wast answering to 2 penny weight he weighs it out of ye fire by {illeg}ye weight 11 to see if it be standard & if it be he{illeg}avier or lighter he adds {illeg} in ye lighter scale penny weight & halfpenny wt to see how much it is better or wors. His scales when cleane turn wth ye 128th part of a grain, that is wth ye 2560th part of ye weight 12 that is wth the {illeg} wch answers to less than ye 10th part of a penny weight.

+ < insertion from lower down f 106r > He cutts off from every Ingot {illeg} a piece of about a drachm for two assays beats it out into a thin plate, cuts it into ye scrapes it clean & cuts its {sic} into ye ballance &c. In assaying the money he clips a little off from sevel pieces of money & assays them together. He makes The Assay-drops of ye money & of ye Pot assay (but not of ye ingots) are his fee. He makes + < text from f 106r resumes > He makes two assays of every Ingot, puts 13 coppeles at once into the furnace uses {illeg}lead separated from its ☾: {illeg} {illeg} of this & ☾ an equal quantity He lets ye fire cool gradually till the silvers set least by cooling too quickly th{illeg}e silver spring & ye assay be thereby make ye silver seem wors then it is When ye lead is blown off the ☾ looks very bright. The dimensions of the Assay furnace are these

<106v>

The melter runns from 600 to 800llwt of ☾ in a pot. When ye ☾ is molten he puts in ye allay. For ye 1st melting including coales & wages of servants melters & mouldmakers & pots Ladles Ingot molds he is allowed $\frac{\mathrm{3}}{\mathrm{4}}$ per lbwt. For melting potts ladles tongues {illeg}         For wast 1$\frac{\mathrm{1}}{\mathrm{4}}$d & as much for remelting, the scissel & its wast that is in all 4d per lbwt. The sweep he has into the bargain & at his own charge & makes it up for himself. There is more wast in ye scissel & expence in ye scissel then in ye ingots in proportion of 4 to 3 or 4 5 to 4 or thereabouts provided the quantity thofe silver melted be equal [so yt {illeg}melting ingots is $\frac{\mathrm{18}}{\mathrm{28}}$d = $\frac{\mathrm{2}}{\mathrm{3}}$ scissel $\frac{\mathrm{24}}{\mathrm{28}}$d = $\frac{\mathrm{5}}{\mathrm{6}}$ per ℔ & wast is $\frac{\mathrm{30}}{\mathrm{28}}$ & $\frac{\mathrm{40}}{\mathrm{28}}$ = $\frac{\mathrm{50,\; 40}}{\mathrm{36}}$ Total ut 3$\frac{\mathrm{1}}{\mathrm{2}}$d ad 4$\frac{\mathrm{1}}{\mathrm{2}}$d] The scissel is to ye money made out of it as {illeg}7 to 9 or thereabouts & all ye ingots melted in ye first melting to all the scissel melted afterward as the {illeg} money made at every melting to the scissel out of that money that is as 8 to 7+. There is more wast in money, plate & scissel then in Ingots & more in lincel & sweep then in scissel. For The wast is of the allay evaporating {illeg} & this evaporation is most when ye metal is ready to melt. Hence standard lincel or sweep by melting becomes better 2 or 3 grai penny wehight, & scissel better perhaps $\frac{\mathrm{1}}{\mathrm{3}}$ penny weight A blast makes carrys away ye fumes of the metall & thereby makes increases the wast. Therefore ye melting pot should be covered close with an iron cover under the flames & as well as the fire with a cover over them. The {illeg} metal once molten fumes less & therefore scissel, & perhaps the lincel shou & sweep should be put into Ingots first molten. The For they wast least, when put into molten metal. The

Hastings To the

May it pl. yor Lops

The petition annexed of the Clerks of the Officers atof the Mint in the {sic} Tower of Lond. we have