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41756
VACC 21 DEC 00
Royal Mint to Crown Agents.
Royal Mint,
28th October 1897.
Gentlemen,
I have to acknowledge the receipt of Sir H.
Ommaney's letters of the 25th and 27th instants, on the
subject of arrangemonts which it is proposed to make for
the execution of a coinage of ten cent pieces required by
the Government of Hong Kong, in view of the fact that it
cannot now be undertaken by this Department.
In reply I am to state that the Mastor of the
Mint foresees some difficulty in regard to the supervision
of the work in hand at the Mint, Birmingham, owing to the
impossibility of sparing an Officer of this Department for
the service at the present time. He cannot rogard an oc-
casional visit as constituting adequate supervision, and
he is strongly of opinion that in the case of work of such
importance as the coinage of the precious metals for a
Dependency of the Crown by a private firm, and the custody
of the requisite dies &c. constant and vigilant superin-
tendonce should be secured.
I am therefore to suggest that you might make
arrangements with Mr James Nash of Beechcroft, Malden,
Surrey, who retired from the Office of Assistant Superin-
tendent of the Coining Department of the Royal Mint in 1892,
Mr'
to proceed to Birmingham and superintend the work.
Nash having had a long official experience is thoroughly
competent to undertake this duty and the Mastor of the int
would be satisfied to entrust it to him.
-L-
Mr Nash