75 
for the ‘rust ; most abundant, said Mr. Ekin, on poorly farmed 
lands, as certain diseases are in debilitated animal bodies. Major 
Chandler, through the Secretary, contributed a letter written by 
William Cobbett, in 1808, to Mr. Lee, of the Elms, Kingwood, 
Major C.’s grandfather, respecting the summons sent to one Dean, 
then in the service of Cobbett, to attend a ten day’s drill at 
Southampton, and the insinuation that the object of mounting 
the volunteer Dean on Mr. Lee’s horse was to evade the horse duty. 
Cobbett further takes occasion from this to deliver his peculiar 
views respecting the militia and the land laws. 
Dr. HUNTER having then left the chair brought the meeting to 
a close by reading a carefully written paper upon “Gold and 
Silver Wares: their Standard Marks,” of which the following is 
an abstract :— 
‘In England minting was a royal privilege, and wherever the 
king travelled his moneyers would accompany him and _ issue 
coin. Sometimes the king deputed the privilege, and we can 
now count about a hundred places in England from which royal 
money has issued. There are two in Gloucestershire—Berkeley 
and Gloucester ; six in Wiltshire—Bradford, Cricklade, Wilton, 
Malmesbury, Marlborough and Salisbury ; seven in Somersetshire 
—Bath, Bristol, Taunton, Watchet, Crewkerne, Ilchester and 
Glastonbury. At Bristol money was minted so late as the great 
coinage of William III., and it may be recognised by the letter B 
below the head. 
At very few of those places were there artisans competent to 
make silver vessels or ornaments. Among the early parliamentary 
representatives of Bath is one called Le Goldsmith, and this fact 
is suggestive, butno more. Thus, though we had honest moneyers 
everywhere, we had few artificers in metal goods beyond the 
city of London, and it was there that the assaying of metals used 
in the arts, and the giving their purity a warrant by stamp, 
was first introduced. It has been long known that pure silver 
