“_Royal Mint, January 6th, 1860._
“SIR,
“I trust you will accord to me the regret with which I bring
to your notice affairs relating to myself. Circumstances
have placed me in a position which is very anomalous, while
my salary is such that I find it quite impossible to manage
my payments so as to keep free from debt, and I now most
unwillingly approach you upon the subject, hoping that
you will permit me to place in your hands the grounds on
which I rest my hope, that my application will receive your
favourable and early consideration. On the 12th of November,
1856, I entered the service of the Mint as a Supernumerary
Clerk, and subsequently passed the examination which was
enforced by the Civil Service Commissioners, as that process
was thought by you to be to my ultimate advantage.
“In my first interview with you I expressed surprise at the
large losses which you said were occurring, notwithstanding
the weight of oil which was added to the precious metals in
the processes of coining. My conviction of the impossibility
of this loss arising if proper supervision were exerted was
so great that I at once stated to you, in the presence of
Mr. Barton, that there should be no loss at all upon either
gold or silver; but that if oil were used there should be an
increase of weight.
“You, sir, gave me such authority in the Coining Department
as would enable me to establish my proposition, which you
then said was contrary to the facts as found in the Royal
Mint, as well as in the Paris Mint.
“By your orders I commenced my duties in the Rolling Room,
and was soon satisfied that the irregularities which
existed would quite explain the losses which had taken
place. I reported to you faithfully from day to day all
irregularities, but upon none did I dwell so earnestly as
upon the errors in, and differences of, weighing, attended
by circumstances of which I feel it unnecessary to remind
you, unless I say that they were reduced and overcome by no
ordinary perseverance and at great personal risk.
“While the balances were in error it was impossible to
determine how great the losses were, for they were stated
to be more differences of weighing than anything else; but
I felt it incumbent on me to experiment carefully on the
gold which we were then coining, that I might thus satisfy
myself and you of the truths of my proposition. The average
of five preceding year’s gave a loss of 597·55 ounces on
each million ounces coined; and the result of my first
years experimenting was an average loss of 31·06 ounces on
the million ounces coined. While the second year gave an
absolute increase of weight of 9·22 ounces on the million
ounces coined.
“Your mind will picture the interests which I disturbed, and
give me credit for the moral courage which became necessary
to support the violent enmity which my course drew down on
me, for you are aware of the vigour with which I was met by
adverse opinions from Messrs. ——, ——, ——, and ——;
these gentlemen, as well as the Junior Clerks, who were
supposed to be my colleagues in the Coining Department,
openly maintaining that there were, and had been, no
unnecessary losses. Threats of personal violence did not
deter me from my duty; but the men being well plied with
arguments by the Messrs. ——, ——, who were supported by
Mr. ——, rendered my course extremely difficult.
“Mr. —— accused me of adding more oil than he used to
permit, and so explained the—as he called it—“apparent
stoppage of the losses;” but the fact of my using less
oil than had ever been known was so notorious that he
subsequently admitted it; nevertheless, the accusation
induced me to experiment, and these experiments resulted
in the total abolition of the use of oil in the Rolling
Room, and on the Cutters; while the minute amount which was
necessary at the Draw-Bench was carefully wiped off before
the blanks were cut out.
“Now that the use of oil is abolished gain is impossible,
but the loss is invariably covered by the amount for which
the sweep is sold, so that my proposition is now more
satisfactorily proved than ever. Contemporaneously with
these facts I had to encounter equally serious difficulties
in the subject of rejected blanks, which reached 70 per
cent. on the whole number of blanks cut; but the common
average was from 30 to 35 per cent. By rigid experiments,
conducted by my own hands, I reduced these abominations to
1·00 per cent. on silver, and to 4·00 per cent. on gold,
without the aid of Mr. Pilcher’s excellent filing machine.
“In the year 1857-58, I coined by my own
arrangements—although my plans were strongly combated at
the time—the largest amount of gold coin ever yet produced
in a given time, conducting the coinage without loss, and
with a total of 4·50 per cent. of rejected blanks. A large
quantity of this gold contained osmium-iridium, but I coined
it without its being first refined.
“In 1859 I coined about £250,000 (64,790·224 ounces) of a
peculiarly brittle gold, which was delivered to the Bank
of England in June and July, 1859. I believe this to be
the first time that brittle gold has been coined so as to
produce perfectly good and tough coins.
“Permit me to remind you that all the elements of wrong
still remain in the Mint, and would be re-exerted in the
absence of your Mastership; for not one of those officers
who permitted these things has been removed.
“As a consequence of the abolition of the use of oil in the
Coining Department, the losses in the Melting-House are
greatly reduced.
“In addition to my works in the Coining Department, I beg to
state that I have, by my own hands, reduced the losses in
the Melting-House (this was done during the time of using
oil in the Coining Department) 33 per cent.; and my figures
were not only admitted by Mr. Mushet, but absolutely proved
by him to be below the truth.
“It would be wrong in me to lead you to suppose that I
have performed these works without active co-operation; I
therefore freely acknowledge the services of Mr. —— during
these past two years, and I beg to be permitted to say that
he is now rendering you most efficient services.
“If I have to acknowledge the services of Mr. —— I feel
myself bound in justice to say more of Mr. Richard Pilcher,
who has, under peculiar circumstances, rendered you through
me most valuable services; he has done many things greatly
to the advantage of the Mint. In times past, Mr. Pilcher
has borne a life best described as that of ‘a toad under
a harrow,’ and his position remaining the same, although
his present circumstances are altered, he would be again
thrust back into the trouble he has just escaped from. I
therefore, trusting that you will not think me presumptuous,
beg of you to recommend to the Lords of the Treasury, as a
temporary measure, that Mr. Pilcher be recognised as holding
a position equal to that of a Junior Clerk, and that he may
have sole charge of the Weighing Room, with a salary of £200
a year, which would be an addition of only £8 18_s._ a
year to his present pay. I assure you, most honestly, that
Mr. Pilcher is thoroughly competent to conduct the duties
of the Weighing Room, for he has conducted them without a
single fault for three years.
“As regards myself, I feel that if you will give me your
consideration, you will determine that my works are worthy
a special application to the Lords of the Treasury; that my
position and salary may be commensurate with my services,
which have been rendered in profound confidence in your
sense of justice towards those who do their duty to you.
“You are aware, sir, that of necessity, I have placed myself
in direct antagonism with those by whom you are surrounded,
and that I can therefore hope for reward at your hands only.
“With unmeasured hope and confidence,
“I am, Sir,
“Your most faithful servant,
“GEORGE F. ANSELL.
“TO THE MASTER OF THE MINT.”
After the “receipt of that letter” the Master told me he would at
once establish me, but could not make a fresh appointment, because
the Treasury looked with such distaste on new appointments; but
he promised me “the first place:” “you shall be first—above them
all.” That he admitted my claims is proved by the fact that he told
a mutual friend—whom I had consulted, and by whose advice I wrote
that letter—that “Mr. Ansell’s claims were stronger than he had
represented;” but that this was his real opinion is clearly proved, not
only by his former letters to the Treasury, but by the written orders
and notes addressed to me, now in my possession, and by the letter
which he wrote to the Treasury on the 7th June, 1860.
(EXTRACT.) LETTER FROM THE MASTER OF THE MINT TO THE
LORDS COMMISSIONERS OF HER MAJESTY’S TREASURY.
_Royal Mint, 7th June, 1860._
“SIR,
“In continuation of the account of the waste or loss of
bullion sustained in coining gold during the periods from
1851 to 1858 which was submitted to the Lords Commissioners
of Her Majesty’s Treasury, in my letter of the 22nd May,
1858, I beg now to add a return of the waste upon the gold
coinage of another year, 1858-9.
“The waste in the Melting and Coining Departments will be
stated separately.