BRASS AND COPPER VESSELS. 495 



The exchange from silver to gold, and the inconvenience of 

 having to follow the bullion prices of the latter metal, some- 

 times occasioned a considerable loss to the recipients of money, 

 of which note is now and then taken in the accounts, and 

 recognised in the audit of them. 



Under the year 1605 will be found an entry of gold-leaf 

 900 leaves at 'js. 6d. the hundred. It was purchased for the 

 decoration of King's College organ. In 1700 Wren buys 

 45 hundred of thick gold leaf at 12s. the hundred, 500 thin at 

 5^., and 22 books of leaf at $s. each. This was for gilding 

 parts of the Abbey. 



BRASS AND COPPER VESSELS AND IMPLEMENTS. These 

 frequently appear in the accounts for the kitchen and brew- 

 house, brass being generally a good deal cheaper than copper. 

 It may be of interest to make some comments on individual 

 purchases. 



In 1584 Lord North buys a copper brewing vat at 93 s. ^d. 

 the hundredweight, or lod. a pound. In 1586 it is, for a 

 similar purpose, at is. in Cambridge. In 1589 a copper kettle 

 is bought at 8</. a pound in London. In 1594 a new copper 

 bottom is put to a brewing vat at Cambridge. at lod. a pound, 

 and seems to have been riveted to the older portion with 

 copper nails which are bought at is. the pound. In 1599 a 

 large copper kettle is bought at nd. in Chatham. At Eton 

 in 1600 copper is bought for the brewhouse at is. In 1611 

 it is bought at lod. From 1619 to 1630, copper kettles are 

 priced in purchases for navy stores at Chatham and elsewhere 

 at from i s. $d. to is. tid. the pound ; and in one of these years, 

 copper again for the brewing vat is bought by King's College 

 at is. 6d. In 1628 a great kettle is at is. 6d. in Cambridge. 

 In 1639, Eton buys a new copper vat at i68j. the cwt., selling 

 the old one at 91 s. In 1648, it buys a bottom to the kitchen 

 copper at is. 6d., selling the old at 9\d. In 1654, brass and 

 copper, the price of which now approximates, are bought for 

 navy stores at 99 the ton. In 1683, Eton again buys a new 

 copper of large dimensions for the brewhouse, the weight 



