“_Royal Mint, August 28th, 1868._
“SIR,
“I most respectfully request your attention to the following statement
of my claim for promotion consequent on the death of the Deputy
Master of the Mint, Mr. Barton. By a letter dated 29th October,
1856, addressed to the Treasury, I was recommended by Mr. Thomas
Graham, F.R.S., the Master of the Mint, as fit to be appointed to a
Supernumerary Clerkship in the Royal Mint.
“On the 12th of November, 1856, I was appointed to that office at
a salary of £120 per annum, having previously passed the necessary
examination before the Civil Service Commissioners. The internal
management of the Mint then was, and had for some time previously,
been in great confusion; the workmen were disorderly and dishonest,
peculation was of daily occurrence, and it was universally believed
that the processes of coining could not be carried on without
considerable loss. Moreover, in consequence of the various modes by
which bullion was then weighed, it was almost impossible to detect
dishonesty. Nor was this all, for the blank coins were so imperfectly
executed that it was always necessary to reject and return to the
melting-pot from 15 to 35 per cent.
“From 1851 to 1856 the average ‘loss by coining,’ as it was then
called, was
In gold, £581·42 per million pounds sterling.
In silver, £271·00 per million ounces coined.
“During the same years the average number of blank coins rejected was
In gold, 17·92 per cent.
In silver, 25·00 ”
“At this period, owing to the use of oil on the metal in the processes
of coining, an additional loss was incurred in the melting. The average
loss by melting during the same period being,
In gold, £356·33 per million pounds sterling.
In silver, £210·75 per million ounces coined.
“Soon after I entered the Mint I was taken into the confidence of the
Master.
“I satisfied him that by proper management and vigilance no loss
ought to be incurred by the processes of coining; that if due care
were taken, scarcely any of the blank coins, when completed, would be
rejected, and that a further saving to the Government would be effected
by abolishing the use of oil in the processes of coining.
“Mr. Graham entrusted to me the sole task of carrying out these
reformations, at the same time promising that if I were successful I
should be amply rewarded by promotion.
“You, Sir, will be able to judge of my success by the following
results:—
“Instead of any ‘loss by coining’ since 1856 to the present date, there
has been, on the average, a positive gain:—
In gold, £20 per million pounds sterling coined;
While for silver, £55·75 per million ounces coined is the total average loss.
“During the same time the average number of blank coins rejected has
been
In gold, 2·07 per cent.
In silver, 1·00 ”
“During the same period the average loss by melting has been reduced to,
In gold, £271·90 per million pounds sterling.
In silver, £57·90 per million ounces coined.
“In 1857, as you, Sir, will doubtless perfectly remember, there arose
a very great pressure on the Bank of England for coined gold; any
endeavour to supply this unusual demand necessitated great exertion
on the part of the Mint, and the Master of the Mint placed the matter
entirely in my hands. I produced, without a single instance of loss by
peculation, and with an average of only 6 per cent. rejected blank
coins, 1,100 journey weights of sovereigns per week, being more by 200
journey weights than had ever before been obtained. I thus was the
humble means of saving the country from experiencing the disastrous
effects consequent on the Bank of England being unable to meet the
demand for gold—a state of things almost universally expected at the
time as the unavoidable result of the then monetary crisis.
“In 1858, during the temporary absence on leave of the Master Melter,
the Master of the Mint, by a written order, directed me to conduct the
melting department. This I did with such success as to reduce the then
ordinary loss by melting by no less than 33 per cent.
“By a letter to the Treasury, dated 17th August, 1858, Mr. Graham
recommended my salary to be increased to £220 per annum. This was done
soon afterwards.
“In 1859 I endeavoured to coin a large quantity of brittle gold, which
had up to that time, not only in the Royal Mint, but also in the mints
of other countries, been invariably rejected, under the impression that
it was totally unfit for coining purposes in consequence of its extreme
brittleness. I coined and sent to the Bank of England upwards of a
quarter of a million pounds sterling of this brittle gold, the coins
having proved to be so tough that they could not be broken by ordinary
means. For this service I received from Mr. Graham a letter, dated 20th
October, 1860, conveying to me ‘his most grateful thanks,’ and from
the Lords of the Treasury a small gratuity of £100, awarded to me in
consequence of a letter to the Treasury from the Master of the Mint,
dated 13th October, 1860, recommending that such a donation should be
made.
“By a subsequent letter, dated September 6th, 1861, Mr. Graham
recommended the Lords of the Treasury to raise my salary to £250 per
annum. His recommendation was at once acceded to on the part of the
Treasury.
“In 1862, at the request of the Master of the Mint, I undertook the
destruction of the old copper money, and destroyed from 10 to 16 tons
per diem, at the comparatively small cost of 8_s._ 4_d._ per ton.
Before this work was put under my charge 2 tons per diem had never
been destroyed; and in the Paris Mint, where a similar process of
demonetising had been in operation, the cost had never been less than
£10 per ton.
“On several occasions offers were made to me of situations (unconnected
with the Royal Mint) in which I should have earned a much greater
salary than that which I now receive, but I have always been induced to
refuse them by the express promises made to me from time to time by the
Master of the Mint, Mr. Graham, that he would ensure my being placed in
a safe position in the Mint.
“In the month of November, 1863, the office of Assistant Coiner became
vacant. No one, so far as I am aware, had performed so many or so
important services as to give him such a claim to that appointment as
I possessed; but, much to my surprise, Mr. Graham ignored my claims,
and appointed to the vacant office his brother, Mr. John Graham,
a gentleman considerably junior to me in the service of the Mint.
Smarting under what I conceived the injustice I had experienced from
the Master of the Mint, I wrote perhaps too strongly, but for this
I have apologised, and he has accepted my apology, but I feel that
it is probable that the Master of the Mint will, consequently on the
estrangement between us, not recommend me for the appointment, and I
can only rely on my services (into which I hope you will kindly cause
inquiry to be made), as giving me a claim, and therefore venture to
address you by the advice of Lord Kinnaird.
“The unwillingness which I have cause to fear on the part of the Master
of the Mint to recommend me will not, I am sure, arise from a belief of
my unfitness—as in 1864 he offered to secure to me the appointment of
Chief Coiner and Melter to the Hong Kong Mint, at a salary of £1,000
a year—an appointment which, being the father of a family, I was
compelled to decline.
“I have to apologise for thus venturing to address you, which I could
only think of doing under the belief that you will take into your
favourable consideration the application of one who has endeavoured
faithfully and zealously to fulfil his duty, and not without some
success, as I have endeavoured to point out.
“I have the honour to be, Sir,
“Your most obedient servant,
(Signed) “GEORGE P. ANSELL.
“THE RIGHT HONOURABLE B. DISRAELI,
“Hughendon Manor, Buckinghamshire.”
This application, I would remind your Lordship, was made while Mr.
Disraeli was First Minister of the Crown, and was acknowledged as
follows:—
“_10, Downing Street, Whitehall, August 31st, 1868._
“MY LORD,
“I am directed by Mr. Disraeli to acknowledge the receipt of
your Lordship’s letter of the 28th inst., and to acquaint
you that he has made a note of its contents.
“I have the honour to be, my Lord,
“Your obedient servant,
(Signed) “MONTAGU CORRY.
“THE LORD KINNAIRD.”
On the 3rd September, 1868, Mr. Montagu Corry called on the Master of
the Mint and remained with him some considerable time.
On the 28th September I received by a messenger, without any further
intimation, the following note:—
THE MASTER OF THE MINT TO G. F. ANSELL, ESQ.
“_Royal Mint, 28th September, 1868._
“DEAR SIR,
“I regret to have to inform you that it is not in my power
to continue your present engagement as an extra officer in
the coining department while the Mint is only so partially
occupied as it has been for some time past.
“Your assistance will not, therefore, be required beyond the
31st December next.
“I remain, faithfully yours,
(Signed) “THO. GRAHAM.
“G. F. ANSELL, ESQ.”
Which I immediately forwarded to your Lordship, asking advice, when you
were so good as to write as follows:—
THE RT. HON. LORD KINNAIRD, K.T., TO THE RT. HON. B. DISRAELI.
“_Rossie Priory, Inchture, N.B., September 30th, 1868._
“DEAR SIR,
“I venture to trouble you on behalf of Mr. Ansell, of the
Royal Mint, who I had advised to apply to you for the
appointment of Deputy Master of the Mint, as from his
long experience in the Department, and great ability as a
chemist, I felt he deserved promotion, and was in every
way fitted for the office. It seems however, that his
application has drawn down the ire of the Master of the
Mint, who, I suppose, wished to have some friend of his own,
consequently Mr. Ansell has received a very curt dismissal
(copy enclosed).
“It is very hard on a public servant who has done his duty
for so many years to be thus summarily dismissed, and I
therefore venture again to trouble you on the subject,
feeling confident that your sense of justice will dispose
you to view the matter favourably.
“Yours faithfully,
(Signed) “KINNAIRD.
“THE RIGHT HON. B. DISRAELI, GROSVENOR GATE.”
Your Lordship also wrote letters to the noblemen and gentlemen who had
supported my application.
On the 2nd December, 1868, Mr. Disraeli, on the eve of his resignation,
appointed Mr. C. W. Fremantle—his private secretary—to the vacant
office of Deputy-Master of the Mint.
THE RT. HON. LORD KINNAIRD, K.T., TO THE RT. HON. W. E. GLADSTONE.
“_Rossie Priory, Inchture, N.B., December 25th, 1868._
“DEAR MR. GLADSTONE,
“I should not have troubled you at present, as you still
must have much to occupy your time and attention; but the
case I have to bring before you is _pressing_, as, if
anything is to be done in the matter, initiatory steps must
be taken before the 31st.
“During the time I was engaged on the Mines Commission, I
became acquainted with Mr. G. F. Ansell, of the Mint, who
has invented a most ingenious instrument for detecting
fire-damp in mines, which, if generally adopted in working
coal pits, would, I am perfectly satisfied, be the means
of saving life to a very great extent. I have, therefore,
taken great interest in Mr. Ansell, and on the occasion of
the death of the Deputy Master of the Mint, I and other
friends of his applied to the late Government to appoint him
to the vacant office, and we believed that he would get the
appointment for which he is so well qualified. Some delay,
however, took place, which, we were led to believe, was
owing to the Master of the Mint, Mr. Graham, being opposed
to it, and he at the same time, on the plea that Mr. Ansell
was a supernumerary clerk, though _he had been twelve
years_ in the service, gave him notice to quit on the
31st of this month, and the office of Deputy has been filled
up.
“Now Mr. Ansell, who is a very able chemist, and has got
the very highest testimonials, gave up his profession under
a promise that he was to get a permanent appointment in
order to undertake a most difficult task—that of detecting
peculations which were taking place in the Mint. In this he
succeeded, and was highly complimented by the Master of the
Mint in letters to the Treasury which can be seen.
“The fact is, he saved the country, as the tables will
show, upwards of £27,000, to say nothing of the advantage
of putting a stop to peculations, and introducing order and
economy in the working of the Mint.
“Mr. Graham, though having borne, and still bearing, witness
to Mr. Ansell’s high qualifications to the office, has
conceived a strong dislike to Mr. Ansell, because, as I
understand, Mr. Ansell remonstrated with him, and has spoken
to the Master in strong terms, on the appointment of his
brother, Mr. John Graham, to an office in the Mint.
“In consequence of this ill-will, and of Mr. Ansell having
applied to the late Government for the appointment of Deputy
Master, Mr. Ansell has been dismissed, _after twelve
years’_ service, on the _plea_ that there is no work
for him. Although a fresh coinage is about to take place
immediately, and I think there is every probability of these
peculations being again carried on if inefficient men are
appointed, and there is no one to check them as Mr. Ansell
did, I think I am justified, for the sake of the public
service, independent of the hardship of the case, in asking
you to _cause an inquiry_ to be made into the reason
of a public servant being dismissed after twelve years of
service, and, in the mean time, to order the dismissal to be
suspended till the inquiry is made.
“If you would get one of the Junior Lords of the Treasury to
hear Mr. Ansell’s statement, he will, I am sure, be able to
satisfy himself as to the truth of what I have stated, and
be able to enlighten you as to what has taken place in the
office of the Mint. With many apologies for troubling you,
“I remain, yours faithfully,
(Signed) “KINNAIRD.
“THE RT. HON. W. E. GLADSTONE, &c., &c.”
On the 30th December your Lordship wrote me a letter, in which you
said:—
“Mr. Gladstone writes me, ‘I have at once transmitted your letter to
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to whose cognisance it belongs.’ I
have written to Mr. Lowe.”