“In 1855 21·49 per cent.
” 1856 18·51 ”
” 1859 13·78 ” Under present officers.
” 1860 4·11 ” ” ”
“The last small proportion of 4·11 per cent. of rejected blanks was
further reduced to 2·07 per cent. by submitting the heavy portion of
the blanks to the action of a new filing machine. I may be allowed to
recall to your recollection that a Parliamentary grant of £1,100 was
obtained by the Mint in 1856 for the purchase of two automaton filing
and adjusting machines, which it was proposed to have constructed by
Messrs. Napier and Sons, the eminent engineers. No part of this grant
has been appropriated.
“The rapid amendment in the blanks which took place immediately
afterwards led me to suspend the order for those machines, and
ultimately to abandon the idea of any great expenditure for the object
contemplated. In the meantime also a machine of a much more simple
construction was contrived by Mr. Richard Pilcher, of the Weighing
Room, and was constructed in the Mint with no assistance from without.
Pilcher’s adjusting machine has proved sufficiently effective, costs
nothing for labour, and has now been in constant operation for two
years. The cost of making a pair of machines such as we now possess
is estimated at £60, a sum which was saved to the public by the mode
in which the work was executed. Trusting that the Lords Commissioners
of her Majesty’s Treasury will be disposed to consider favourably the
merit and practical value of such an invention, I venture to solicit
their Lordship’s sanction to the application of £60, the sum just
stated, to the benefit of the inventor, jointly with an ingenious
mechanic on the establishment who gave material assistance in the
construction of the machine. I would propose the following awards, if
agreeable to their Lordships:—
“To Mr. R. Pilcher £40.
“To Meredith Jones £20.
“Their Lordships have afforded encouragement on previous occasions to
voluntary efforts made within the Department in improving the machinery.
“On one additional point I would take the opportunity to offer
information, and also submit a proposition for their Lordships’
consideration. A correspondence between the Governor of the Bank of
England and myself, on the property of the gold occasionally imported
into the Mint to be coined, was formerly brought under your notice
in my letter of the 21st of March, 1857. The evidence of the evil in
question was not confined to the Royal Mint, but has, I believe, been
felt at all other Mints, and also by goldsmiths generally, since the
recent gold discoveries. It was, however, traced to the presence
in the gold of a minute portion of antimony or arsenic (often not
greater in quantity than one-tenth of a per cent.), which escapes the
observation of the assayers. But no remedy in dealing with such gold
presented itself, except the expensive one of having the brittle gold
refined.
“An unusually large proportion of the gold received for coinage
last year was of this defective character; but the whole of it was
successfully coined, notwithstanding, and no part returned to the Bank
to be refined, as on former occasions.
“This improvement in the practice of the Mint is the result of a
laborious investigation made in the coining department, of which I am
happy to assign the chief merit to Mr. Ansell. It now appears that the
antimony or arsenic acts injuriously when the gold blanks are allowed
to cool gradually, but not when cooled suddenly after annealing; the
gold appearing to have time to crystallise and become granular under
the influence of the antimony particles in the one case, but not in the
other. The improvement may be justly represented as one of considerable
value. It saves entirely much extra labour hitherto applied to brittle
gold without any beneficial result. It will also lead to the diminution
of waste, of which indeed brittle gold was always a fruitful source.
“The services of Mr. Ansell in effecting this improvement appear to me
well deserving of recognition; and I would strongly recommend the award
to that gentleman of a moderate grant of such amount as their Lordships
may be pleased to accord, on account of these services. Mr. Ansell is
a valuable officer, and no one has contributed more to the reduction
in other ways of the expenditure of the establishment. Both he and Mr.
——, another junior officer of the Coining Department, are also engaged
at salaries (...) which are certainly very moderate, considering the
responsible duties these gentlemen are called upon to perform.
(Signed) “THO. GRAHAM.
“To GEORGE A. HAMILTON, ESQ., Treasury.”
I quote thus much of this letter to prove to your Lordship that THE
MASTER ADOPTED MY RECOMMENDATIONS; indeed, he specifically stated to
me that the recommendations for Mr. Pilcher and myself were made with
a view to support a future application. I would also observe that the
actual money saving effected by the coining of the brittle gold here
alluded to was £1,562 7_s._ 11¾_d._, and I desire to be very clear in
stating that I copied this letter from Mr. Graham’s own writing. That a
copy of it was sent to the Treasury would seem to be certain, for the
following reply was received and handed to me by the Master:—