Sir Isaac Newton. 353 



falling into the error of appending that date, instead of 1 700, 

 to the official instruction. Evidently the Master passed his 

 finger over the two figures, 1 and 6, ere the ink with which 

 they were written was dry. 



Perhaps Monsieur Chasles may be enabled to institute a 

 comparison between the document now transcribed and those 

 which were said to have been written by the same hand to 

 Pascal ?* 



It may not be improper to state that the order itself refers 

 to a process of imprinting letters on the edges of coins, which 

 first came into use in the time of the Commonwealth. The 

 impression was given by passing the coin between two plates, 

 one of which was fixed, and the other moveable, by means of 

 a pinion and rack. The half of the legend was engraved on 

 each of these plates, so that when the coin was carried by the 

 moveable plate to the end of the fixed one, it became lettered 

 as desired. The machine used in Newton's time was of 

 this description, and had been invented by a Frenchman, 

 Mons. Caistang. 



Newton, who was born on the 25th of December, 1642 

 (0. S.), at Oolsterworth, in Lincolnshire, lived in the reigns of six 

 monarchs and of one Lord Protector. He held the office of Mas- 

 ter of the Mint from 1699 to 1727, and therefore under four 

 sovereigns, viz. : William III., Anne, George I. r and George II. 

 This statement is sufficient to demonstrate that the posts of 

 Warden, and Master of the Mint, successively held by Newton, 

 were no sinecures. On the accession of each monarch it 

 became necessary to produce new coins of every denomination, 

 and bearing his or her royal image and superscription. Those 

 only who are intimately acquainted with the process of die- 

 engraving, and minting generally, are cognizant of the anxiety 

 and mental and physical labour involved in such changes. 

 They add much to the cares of the responsible officers of the 

 Mint, and demand extreme attention to minute details and 

 minor points of manipulation on the part of subordinates, 

 which is not required when such alterations are completed. 

 For every reason, let ns hope that a very long period may 



* The French. Academy of Sciences is now fully convinced, and freely admits 

 that the Pascal and Newton letters are forgeries, whilst Sir David Brewster has 

 furnished very strong evidence as to the perpetrator of them. From that evidence 

 it seems clear that M. Pierre Desmaizeaux, who resided in England between the 

 years 1692 and 1745, the year of his death, was the author of the whole of the 

 fictitious correspondence. It is known that at Desmaizeaux's death, 120 letters, 

 said to be those of Newton, and 88 letters and notes of Leibnitz, were in the house 

 in which he died. It is highly probable, says Sir David, that Desmaizeaux 

 " spent the last five years of his life in the difficult work of composing the 

 Pascal and Newton correspondence." His family subsequently obtained £500 for 

 theMSS. 



VOL. XII. — NO. V. A A 



