16 Trial of the Pyx. 



half- sovereigns, or ten shilling pieces, coined after the rate of 

 £46 14s. 6d. (or £46*725) to the pound weight troy, making, by 

 tale, £47,656, and weighing 12,239*71 3 ounces ; but which, at 

 the rate of £46 14s. 6d. (£46*725) to the pound weight troy, 

 should weigh 12,239*102 ounces; and, having taken 224 of 

 the said sovereigns, and 39 of the said half-sovereigns, being 

 in tale £243 10s. (or £243*500), and in weight 62*533 ounces, 

 did find the same to be, by the assays and trial thereof, 

 agreeable to the standard trial plate of gold in Her Majesty's 

 Exchequer, dated the 31st day of October, 1829. The precise 

 results of the inquiry may be summarized as follows : The 

 Pyx gold monies amounted by tale to £47,656, and by the 

 theoretically true standard should have weighed 12,239*102 

 ounces; they were really found to weigh 12,239*713 ounces, 

 being in excess 0*611 ounces. The aggregate allowance for 

 this quantity of coin is 25*498 ounces, either above or below 

 the standard weight, and it is seen, therefore, that the Pyx 

 pieces were within remedy to the extent of 24*887 ounces, or 

 2*396 per cent, of the deviations allowed. 



With regard to the silver coin so tested, the jury re- 

 ported that they found in, and took out of the Pyx-box 2936 

 florins, 3367 shillings, 1006 sixpences, 10 fourpences, 545 

 threepences, 10 twopences, 10 threehalfpences (circulating 

 in the West Indies), and 30 penny pieces (Maunday money), 

 coined after the rate of 66 shillings to the pound weight troy, 

 and making by tale £494 7s., and weighing 1796*943 ounces, 

 but which, at the rate named, should weigh 1797*637 ounces ; 

 and, having taken of the said silver coins 42 florins, 60 shillings, 

 2 fourpences, 26 threepences, 1 twopenny piece (Maunday), 

 4 threehalfpenny pieces, and 2 pennies, being in tale £8 7s. 

 (or £8*350), and the weight, 30*363 ounces, did find the same 

 to be, by the assays and trials thereof, agreeable to the standard 

 trial plate of silver in Her Majesty's Exchequer. The remedy 

 on such a quantity of coin is 7*490 ounces, but, as their lack 

 of the true weight was only 0*694 ounces, it follows that the 

 silver Pyx was within legal allowance to the extent of 6*796 

 ounces. The foregoing verdict, accompanied by certain ancient 

 verbiage, here purposely omitted, having been delivered, the 

 business proceedings of the day terminated, the trial plates 

 were deposited in the cloisters of Westminster, and the Pyx- 

 boxes were returned to the Mint, there to remain until the 

 next trial of the Pyx. 



The court and jury had a pleasant duty to perform in the 

 evening, for they then partook of a sumptuous banquet in the 

 magnificent Hall of the Goldsmiths' Company, a practice 

 which of late years has been regularly adhered to on similar 

 occasions, and which forms an agreeable item in the pro- 

 gramme beyond doubt. 



