Very rough holograph draft of MINT00388 (Mint 19/1/187), also dated (in another hand) 14 November 1707

<184r>

May it please your Lordship

In obedience to your Lordships order of reference of the 12t instant upon the memorial hereunto annexed, we have considered the said Memorial & are humbly of opinion that it is reasonable & agreable to the Indenture of the Mints & at present necessary for the Master of her Majestys Mint at Edinborough to allay the silver molten with scotch coal in such manner & proportion as by experience is found most effectual & exact for making the moneys Duly standard without erring in fineness unless by accirdent. For an error in fineness otherwise then by accident makes the moneys undeliverable And since by experiments made in that Mint the silver in melting & lading out refines about three half penny weight in the pound weight Troy W or {illeg} as is alleged in the memorial & the moneys coyned by their ancient method have abided the trial of the Pix & the last trial proved standard full, & there is no time at present for making experiments to bring this matter to an exacter regulation, we are humbly of opinion that the Officers of the said Mint may still be allowed to use their ancient method of allaying the Pot for making the moneys standard in fineness untill the present recoynage of the moneys in Scotland shall be finished.

<text in Unknown Hand begins>Mint Office
14. Nov. 1707.

<text in Isaac Newton’s hand begins>For the Assaymasters duty is to be as exact as he can

For if the moneys