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[Page 28]
the Great Press during the time it usd for multiplying dies & to take Care, as he has a Key of it, that it is not usd improperly, he is to keep an account of all Dies issued & to Receive them back & when worn out to see that they are destroyd in the Presence of the proper officers, to him also the Custody of the matrixes & Punchions Either does or ought to belong, they Should not be Left in the hands of the Engraver who is not answerable for their misuse, after they have been Finishd & deliverd *
N0 5 Surveyor of Meltings
is an office that Requires more Patience than Skill, The officer is to attend in the melting house whenever Bullion is melted, to see in the first place that nothing is chargd into the melting Pots but but what is assignd for that Purpose in the office of Receipt, he is to Remain in the room during the Whole Process to see that none of the Pots are uncoverd till they are Pourd out, & when they are Pourd, to take Samples of Each Bar for the Kings Assay Master, & to Lock up the Bars till they have been Passd at the assay office the Superintendance of this officer during the melting is useless, it is not the interest of the melter to add an overdose of alloy, if he does so the Assay Master could discover the Fraud & Return the bars to be remelted and made Standard at the melters charge.
Whenever Mr Mathews Can be otherwise disposd of the office may be abolishd & the duty of taking Samples & Locking up the bars Transferrd to some one at the office whose duty requires their Constant Residence
* it appeard to the Commee of the house of Commons in 1698 that Dies had been taken from the mint for use of Counterfeiters when in the Custody of the Engraver