ness of such half-crown to be 9248, of such florin to be 923-8, of such shilling to be 924-2, and of such sixpence to be 924.9.

(Signed)

G. SMITH HAYTER, Foreman.
JOHN GRAY.

H. S. THORNTON.

G. MATTHEY.

FRANCIS B. THOMAS.

W. F. POLLOCK,

Queen's Remembrancer.

STEPHEN SMITH,
GEORGE LAMBERT.
HENRY JOHN LIAS.
WM. ROBINSON.
HY. PIZEY.

SIR,

No. XI.

REPORT of the Deputy Master of the Sydney Branch of the Royal Mint for the year 1878.

Royal Mint, Sydney, 21st January 1879.

I HAVE the honour to submit, for the consideration of the Master of the Mint, my Report on the Sydney Branch for 1878.

The production of gold in New South Wales and the imports from Queensland having considerably decreased during the past year, the receipts of gold for coinage have reached only 365,174 ounces, of the value of 1,308,898l., of which 107,348 ounces, of the value of 382,7417., were raised in this Colony.

The issues have been 1,322,000l. in coin, and 6,2767. in bullion, making a total of 1,328,2761., against 1,596,6577. issued in 1877. During the year 10,0007. in light gold coin was received for re-coinage.

Worn British silver coin of the nominal value of 3,9771. 3s. 6d. has been withdrawn from circulation in New South Wales, and the loss thereon made good in the usual manner by drafts on the Master of the Mint.

The bronze coin sold to the public amounted to 7351., of which 5601. was in pence and 1757. in halfpence.

In the Melting-house and Refinery 365,174 ounces of rough gold were melted into bullion, of which 347,328 ounces were afterwards refined by chlorine gas, producing 295,965 ounces of refined gold and 45,942 ounces of silver, the average assay of the gold being 996 5 and that of the silver 940.6. The refined gold was subsequently alloyed with copper, and cast into ingot hars weighing 336,490 ounces, which, together with 528,186 ounces of scissel bars, making a total of 864,676 ounces of standard bars, were passed in for coining.

The average assay of the ingot bars was 916.76, and of the scissel bars 916.77. The highest and lowest individual reports being respectively, ingot, 917 15 and 916 32, and scissel 917 20 and 916·37.

Since the middle of the year, the bars for coinage have been cast in moulds of the form recommended in the Roport of the Deputy Master on European Mints,* one part only of the mould being recessed, and the cover plain. These have been substituted for the T section reversing moulds previously in use, and the bars have been more uniform in width, while the expense of preparing the moulds has been considerably lessened.

From the 1st October the alloy for standard bars has been poured under a jet of coal gas, on the recommendation of Mr. Miller, of the Melbourne Mint, and although the toughness of the metal does not appear to have been sensibly affected, the surface of the bars has been so much improved that it has been considered advisable to continue the use of the process.

* Parliamentary Paper, No. 466, Session 1870, p. 32.

In the Assay Department the number of assays made has been as follows:

making a total of 8,224 assays in each of the two Offices, besides checks, and 32 mineral analyses reported in duplicate. Fifteen samples of quartz were

also crushed and amalgamated under the superintendence of the Senior Assayer.

The process of refining gold by means of chlorine gas having now been in use for the last ten years, a few particulars respecting the results obtained may be interesting. The chlorine process was discovered in 1868 by Mr. F. Bowyer Miller, then one of the Assayers to this Branch, and now Superintendent of the Bullion Office in the Melbourne Mint. It was introduced here on a practical scale in 1869, when over 200,000 ounces of gold were treated; since then it has been applied to the whole of the gold brought to the Mint for coinage, with the exception of such small quantities as had been previously refined. The total weight of gold operated on has amounted to more than 44 million ounces, and the value of the silver extracted and sold to 103,000l., of which 21,5447. has been paid over as revenue, and the remainder to the owners of the gold.

The average assay of the refined gold, which in 1869 was 9931, is now 996 5, at which point it has been for the last three years. These results have been obtained with comparatively little expense, while the introduction of the process has been in many ways of the greatest advantage to the successful working of the Mint.

1,259,000 sovereigns, and 126,000 half-sovereigns, were coined and issued during the year. Double assays are made on all coin in the proportion of one to every 2,500 issued. The average assay report was 916 74, the highest being 917 20, and the lowest 916·30.

The average weight of the sovereigns issued was 123 269 grains, and of the half-sovereigns 61 638 grains, while out of 234 pieces carefully sampled from sovereigns issued between the 1st July and the 31st December, the heaviest weighed 123 45 grains, and the lightest 123 09 grains, the standard weight being 123 27 grains, and the remedy ths of a grain.

Early in the year the working remedy was slightly increased. The method of weighing adopted is as follows: four of the six automaton weighing machines are set to a remedy of ths of a grain, and are used for the mixed blanks as they come from the cutters; the rejected work from these four machines is weighed over again, the heavy blanks in No. 5 machine set to throw out pieces ths of a grain heavy, and the light blanks in No. 6 machine set to throw out pieces 15ths of a grain light. This arrangement appears to have worked very well, as shown by the weight of the samples before alluded to.

100

Since the introduction in the Melting-house of the new moulds for standard gold, the process of annealing fillets has been entirely discontinued. The bars as received from the Melter are about 24 ins. long by 13 ins. wide, and ins. thick. They are "broken down" to a width of 1 ins. by seven successive pinches, the subsequent rolling being comparatively easy and progressive. The practice of pouring through coal gas appears to have considerably improved the surface of the fillets, which are now perfectly free from stains.

Some modifications in the process of cleaning and annealing the blanks have been introduced since the middle of the year. The cut and greasy blanks are placed in a perforated brass cylinder, which is revolved successively in a bath of strong caustic soda solution and two baths of hot water. The water is then run off from the last bath, and the rotary motion continued until the blanks are perfectly dry. They are then cooled on a bright iron table, when they are ready for the automaton machines. The standard blanks are marked, and then annealed in wrought-iron tubes closed with a plumbago plug well fitted to the inside of the tube, and with an iron cover outside. The

sawdust for drying the blanks, and the clay for luting the tubes, have been entirely dispensed with, and the finished blanks are perfectly clean, and entirely free from any particles of dirt likely to interfere with the impression of the die in the final process of coining.

In obedience to the request of the Master of the Mint, conveyed in your letter of the 23rd November 1877, I took charge of this Branch of the Royal Mint on the 14th January 1878, relieving Mr. Elouis, who sailed for England on the 16th of the same month.

It is with great regret that I have to record the death of three officers of this Department during the past year—Mr. Joseph Trickett, formerly Superintendent of the Coining Department, and lately in the receipt of a retired allowance; Mr. W. F. Gibson, late Senior Clerk and Coiner; and Mr. H. K. Kelly, B.A., late Junior Clerk. On the death of Mr. Gibson, the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury were pleased to approve of the abolition of the office of Senior Clerk and Coiner, and of the division of the duties among some of the other officers, with increase of pay, and also of the appointment of Mr. Kelly to the office of Assay Clerk and Assistant, with an allowance of 501. per annum in addition to his salary. Since Mr. Kelly's death, this appointment has been conferred on Mr. E. H. Arnheim, the next in seniority. These arrangements have been found to work most satisfactorily, and, while the efficiency of the Department has been in no way impaired, a considerable saving has been effected in the expenditure for salaries.

A Junior Clerkship having become vacant by the death of Mr. Kelly, applications for the appointment were invited in accordance with the regulations approved by the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury. Twenty eligible candidates presented themselves in answer to the notices in the local papers, and their names were submitted for classification to the Professors of the University of Sydney. The Registrar reported that, after examination of their merits, the first place had been given to Mr. Arthur Polglase Fletcher, who has therefore been appointed on probation for six months from the 1st December last.

The only other changes in the establishment have been the resignations of George Shepperd and W. Holmes, and the appointment of T. R. Goldfinch and Alfred J. Hill, both sons of employés in the Department.

During the year 274 orders of admission were issued, and 1,234 visitors admitted to view the works.

The unexpended balance of the Mint grant for 1877, amounting to 2,7011. 3s. 6d., was paid to the Hon. the Colonial Treasurer on the 3rd August.

In consequence of the falling off in the gold receipts, the revenue for the past year has been only 9,8101. against 10,9037. in 1877. The expenditure has been 12,0637. 1s. as against 12,3201. in the previous year. The usual Return of receipts and issues is appended.

ROYAL MINT, SYDNEY BRANCH,

1875

547,484 68

2,061,070 16 5

2,122,000

2,122,000

6,517 6 0

3,687 10 5

1,179 10 10

1,687 14 1

10,496 4 2

1,590,000
1,259,000 63,000

Total 11,591,320 46 44,488,539 19 3 40,507,500 2,026,500 42,534,000 1,956,307 4 1 44,490,307 4 1 243,818 10 3 106,929 17 9

Appendix "A."

Appendices" B." and " C."

Appendices "D." and "E."

No. XII.

REPORT of the Deputy Master of the Melbourne Branch of the
Royal Mint for the year 1878.

Melbourne, 14th February 1879.

SIR,
I HAVE the honour to submit for your consideration my Report
on this Branch of the Royal Mint for the year 1878.

The coinage of the year has been 2,171,000l., all in sovereigns, being the
largest coinage in any one year since the establishment of this Branch of Her
Majesty's Mint, exceeding that of the year 1877 by 644,0007., and that of 1876,
in which the largest previous coinage took place, by 47,000l., in spite of the
fact that the production of gold in Victoria is gradually decreasing, and that it
is estimated that less gold by about 51,000 ounces was produced in the Colony
during 1878 than during 1877. The gold raised in 1878 is estimated at
758,040 ounces. The amount raised in 1877 was estimated at 809,653 ounces.
The gold received for coinage amounted to 569,932 17 ounces.

The weight of gold refined was 548,298 51 ounces, from which there were recovered 22,835 56 ounces of silver.

17,428 47 ounces of silver were sold during the year to jewellers and others, and 9689.90 ounces remain in store.

The weight of standard gold bars prepared and passed into work was 939,890 52 ounces.

The per-centage of good work has improved during the past year, and
amounted to an average of 59.3 per cent., as against 55.2 per cent. in 1877.

The revenue has been 8,5721. 5s. 4d., which has been paid into the Colonial
Treasury. The revenue for 1877 was 6,5147. 5s. 9d.

The saving on the Mint Annuity for 1877, viz., 7,070l. 17s. Id., has, in
accordance with your directions, been paid into the Colonial Treasury. The
saving on the Mint Annuity for 1878 has been 6,3497. 12s. 7d. The net cost
to the Colony of Victoria of the establishment for 1878 has been 5,0781. 2s. 1d.,
against 6,4147. 17s. 2d. in 1877.

New regulations for the receipt of gold and issue of coin, copy of which I enclose, have been approved by His Excellency the Governor in Council. I trust that the advantages offered by them to the holders of gold will tend to increase the business of this Department.

I cannot conclude this Report without calling your attention to the state of
the silver currency in this Colony, which is deficient in quantity and much
defaced by wear. There is no stock in my hands to renew the worn coin, or to
supply the deficiency in its quantity.

I append to this Report statements of the work performed in the Operative
Departments during the year 1878, together with the usual annual tabular

statements.

The Right Honourable

I have, &c.

V. DELVES BROUGHTON.

The Master of the Mint, London.

APPENDIX "A."

MINT REGULATIONS.

The following regulations respecting the receipt and coinage of gold at the
Melbourne Branch of the Royal Mint, to be substituted for those approved by
Order in Council of the 19th April 1875, have been issued by His Excellency
the Governor in Council.

Treasury, Melbourne,

7th October 1878.

GRAHAM BERRY,

Treasurer.