Holograph copy of information given by James Hamilton on the mine at Alva and traces of silver and copper in the neighbourhood Isaac Newton c. 556 words The Newton Project Oxford 2017 Newton Project, University of Oxford

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 22 August 1716, c. 556 words. MINT 19/3/233, National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK UKSurreyKew, RichmondNational Archives MINT 19/3/233 22 August 1716 England English Holograph MintThe Mine at Alva Catalogue information compiled by Rob Iliffe, Peter Spargo & John Young Catalogue exported to teiHeader by Michael Hawkins Transcribed by Will Scott
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The mountain two miles beyond the frith, is barren with a very few starved trees upon it. SrSir IJohn Erskins house is on the hither side of yethe Mountain, Mr Haddons on the further or north side thereof. The silver mine is on the south side of the Mountain by a gutter wchwhich has been made in the side of the mountain by floods of water running down from yethe side of the mountain & wahing away the earth in long intervalls of time. It is on the west side of this channell neare the bottom of the mountain & on the west side of SrSir Iohn's house, about five miles from sStirling & twelve from Perth, on the east side of the way between them & about two miles from Allway a seaport town & in the Parish of Allva.

The Mine is just opened, within about two fathom or 212 from the grass wchwhich grows on yethe surface of yethe earth. In it are two veins of ore running horizontally the one about almost three foot above the other, the upper vein about 22 inches broad from top to bottom & about 18 inches wide, the other about 14 inches broad or deep & about the same wideness with the former. The colour of the Oar a darkish brown, but neare the edges of the vein of a whiter colour like spar with a darker colour of metallick ore intermixed. The dark coloured Ore in the middle of the vein is usually richer.

From these two veins SrSir IJohn Erskin had the Ore out of wchwhich he received 134 Ounces of fine silver before he went into the rebellion. Mr Hamilton smelted that Ore but did not then Oversee the mine, but see the ore raised out of the Mine from the said two veins. And after SrSir IJohn went to the Rebells Mr Hamilton by order of the Lady Erskin had the oversight & direction of four miners who dug the Ore from those two veins about four months together or something above, & put them up in old Casks (Hogsheads & Barrells ) to the quantity of about 40 Tunns of Ore more or less & hid the Casks on the north west side of the house just by the Gate of the house And then Mr Hamilton came away to London & about a fortnight after went to my Lord Mayor & made an affidavit of what he knew about this matter. About half a mile or three furlongs west from this Burn of or flood-gutter there is some scattered scattered sparr brought down by the watter wchwhich spar is a signe of minerals in that gutter & the mineralls may prove either Copper or Silver Ore or both together. But Mr Hamilton doth not yet know what it will prove. And about two miles from this silver mine westward there is a Copper mine wchwhich holds a good quantity of silver. Two or three pounds of CopperOre hold a pound of silver Copper, & a pound Averdupois of Copper holds about 24 penny weight of fine Silver more or less. Taken from Mr Hamilton 22th August 1716. When the silver Mine was first discovered the veine was small & by digging into the mountain is grown bigger & bigger.