AN ART OF FLUXING AND FIXING MUNDICK, AND REDUCING THAT SULPHUREOUS AND VOLATILE MINERAL INTO A METAL, WHICH TILI THIS DISCOVERY HAS BEEN CONSIDERED AS A CRUDE OAR OR MARCHASITE;
Year: 1731

page_text: GEORGE THE SECOND, by the grace of God, &c., to all to whom these
presents shall come, greeting.
WHEREAS ELIZABETH COPPIN, Widdow, hath by her peticon humbly
represented unto vs that she has been severall years at very great expence
and trouble in finding out "AN ART OF FLUXING AND FIXING MUNDICK, AND
REDUCING THAT SULPHUREOUS AND VOLATILE MINERAL INTO A METAL, WHICH TILI
THIS DISCOVERY HAS BEEN CONSIDERED AS A CRUDE OAR OR MARCHASITE; AN3
THOUGH MANY HAVE TRYED TO FLUX AND FIX IT, YET, WHEN FLUXED OR MELTED,
IT HAS OFTEN TURNED TO A DIRTY POWDER OR DROSS; AND THE PETICONER IS THE
ONLY PERSON WHO HAS INVENTED AND BROUGHT TO PERFECCON & METHOD OF
FLUXING AND FIXING IT INTO A METAL, AND EXTRACTING SILVER FROM IT; THAT
THIS DISCOVERY WILL BE OF GREAT ADVANTAGE TO THE PUBLICK, SINCE THE
MUNDICK AT PRESENT IS IN A MANNER USELESS, AND THIS NEW INVENTION WILL
IMPLOY A GREAT MANY POOR PEOPLE, AND BE AN IMPROVEMENT OF THE ESTATES
WHERE IT IS POUND;" and having humbly prayed vs that wee would be
graciously pleased to grant to her, her executors, administrators, and assigns,
our Royal Letters Patent vnder the Great Seal of Great Britain, for the sole
fluxing and fixing mundick into a metall and extracting silver from it, for the
term of fourteen years, according to the statute in such case made and
provided, within England, Wales, Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and the

page_text: Plantacons, wee, being willing to give encouragement to all arts and invencons
that may be for the publick benefit, are graciously pleased to gratify the
peticčoner in her request.
KNOW YEE THEREFORE, that wee, of our especial grace, certain
knowledge, and mere motion, have given and granted, and by these presents for
vs, our heires and successors, do give and grant unto the said Elizabeth
Coppin, her executors, administrators, and assignes, our especial lycence, full
power, sole priviledge and authority, that she, the said Elizabeth Coppin, her
executors, administrators, and assignes, and every of them, by herself or
themselves, or by her and their deputy and deputies, servants or agents, or
such others as she, the said Elizabeth Coppin, her executors, administrators, or
assignes shall at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times hereafter shall and lawfully may vse and exercise her said Invention
of fluxing and fixing mundick into a metall and extracting silver from it, as
above described, within that part of our Kingdom of Great Britain called
England, our dominion of Wales, Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and our
Plantacons, in such manner as to her, the said Elizabeth Coppin, her
executors, administrators, and assignes, or any of them, shall in their
discretions seem meet, and that she, the said Elizabeth Coppin, her executors,
administrators, and assignes, shall and lawfully may have and enioy the whole
profit, comodity, benefit, and advantage from time to time coming, growing,
accrewing, and ariseing by reason of the said Invention, for and during the
term of years herein mentioned, to have, hold, exercise, and enioy the said
lycence, powers, priviledges, and advantages herein-before granted or mentioned
to be granted vnto the said Elizabeth Coppin, her executors, administrators,
and assignes, for and during and unto the full end and term of fourteen years
from the date of these presents next and imediately ensueing and fully to be
compleat and ended according to the Statute in such case made and provided.
And to the end that the said Elizabeth Coppin, her executors, administrators,
and assignes, and every of them, may have and enioy the full benefit and the
sole vse and exercise of the said Invencon, according to our gracious intencon
herein-before declared, wee do by these presents for vs, our heires and
successors, require and strictly comand all and every person and persons,
bodies politick and corporate, and all other our subiects whatsoever, of what
estate, quality, or degree, name, or condition soever they be, within that said
part of our kingdom of Great Britain called England, our dominion of Wales,
and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed aforesaid, and in our Plantačons aforesaid,
that neither they or any of them, at any time during the continuance of the
said term of fourteen years hereby granted, either directly or indirectly do

page_text: make, vse, or putt in practice the said Invenčon, or any part of the same, so
attained unto by the said Elizabeth Coppin as aforesaid, nor in anywise
counterfeit, imitate, or resemble the same, nor shall make or cause to be made
any addičon thereunto or substracčon from the same, whereby to pretend
himself or themselves the inventor or inventors, devisor or devisors thereof,
without the lycence, consent, or agreement of the said Elizabeth Coppin, her
executors, administrators, or assignes, in writing under her or their hands and
seals first had and obteined in that behalf, vpon such pains and penalties as
can or may be iustly inflicted on such offenders for their contempt of this 'our
royal comand, and further to be answerable to the said Elizabeth Coppin, her
executors, administrators, and assignes, according to law, for her and their
damages thereby occasioned. And moreover, wee do these presents for v3,
our heires and successors, will and comand all and singular the justices of the
peace, mayors, sheriffs, bayliffs, constables, headboroughs, and all other officers
and ministers whatsoever of vs, our heires and successors for the time being,
that they or any of them do not nor shall, at any time hereafter during the
said term hereby granted, in anywise molest, trouble, or hinder the said
Elizabeth Coppin, her executors, administrators, or assignes, or any of them,
or her or their deputies, servants, or agents, in or about the due and lawfull
vse or exercise of the aforesaid invention or anything relating thereto.
Provided always, and these our Letters Patents are and shall be upon this
condition, that if at any time during the said term hereby granted, it shall bo
made appear to vs, our heires or successors, or any six or more of our or their
Privy Council, that this our grant is contrary to law, or preiudicial or incen-
venient to our subiects in generall, or that the said Invention is not a new
invention, as to the publick use and exercise thereof, in that part of our
kingdom of Great Britain called England, our dominion of Wales, or Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed aforesaid, or in our Plantations aforesaid, or not invented
and found out by the said Elizabeth Coppin as aforesaid, then, vpón significa-
tion or declaration thereof to be made by vs, our heires or successors, or by the
lords and others of our or their Privy Councill, or any six or more of them, under
their hands, these our Letters Patents shall forthwith cease, determinė, and be
vtterly void to all intents and purposes, anything herein-before conteined to the
contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding: Provided also, that these our Letters
Patents or anything herein conteined, shall not extend or be construed to extend
to give privildge unto the said Elizabeth Coppin, her executors, administrators,
or assignes, or any of them, to vse or imitate any invention or work whatsoever
which hath heretofore been found out or invented by any other of our subiects
whatsoever, and publickly used or exercised in that said part of our kingdom of

page_text: Great Britain called England, our dominion of Wales, or town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed aforesaid, or in our Plantačons aforesaid, unto whom like Letters
Patents or priviledges have been already granted for the sole vse, exercise, and
benefit thereof, it being our will and pleasure that the said Elizabeth Coppin,
her executors, administrators, and assignes, and all and every other person and
persons to whom like Letters Patents or priviledges have been already
granted as aforesaid, shall distinctly vse and practice their severall inventions
by them invented and found out, according to the true intent and meaning of
the same respective Letters Patents, and of these presents; provided likewise,
nevertheless, and these our Letters Patents are upon this express condition,
that if the said Elizabeth Coppin, her executors or administrators, or any
person or persons which shall or may at any time or times hereafter, during
the continuance of this grant, have or claim any right, title, or interest in law
or equity of, in, or to the power, priviledge, and authority of the sole vse and
benefit of the said Invention hereby granted, shall make any transferr or
assignment, or any pretended transferr or assignment, of the said liberty and
priviledge, or any share or shares of the benefit or profitt thereof, or shall
declare any trust thereof to or for any number of persons exceeding the
number of five, or shall open or cause to be opened any book or books for
publick subscriptions to be made by any number of persons exceeding the
number of five, in order to the raising any sume or sumes of money, under
pretence of carrying on the said liberty or priviledge hereby granted, or shall
by him or themselves, or his or their agents or servants, receive any sume or
sumes of money whatsoever of any number of persons exceeding in the whole
the number of five, for such or the like intents or purposes, or shall presume
to act as a corporate body, or shall divide the benefitt of these our Letters
Patents, or the liberties and priviledge hereby by vs granted, into any number
of shares exceeding the number of five, or shall comitt or do, or procure to be
cōmitted or done, any act, matter, or thing whatsoever, during such time as
such person or persons shall have any right or title, either in law or equity, in
or to the said premisses which would be contrary to the true intent and
mearing of a certain Act of Parliament made in the sixth year of the reign of
our late royal father King George the First, intituled [An Act for the better
securing certain powers and priviledges intended to be granted by His Maiesty
by two charters for assurance of ships and merchandizes at sea, and for lending
money upon bottomry, and for restraining severall extravagant and unwar-
rantable practices therein mentioned], if these our Letters Patents had not been
granted; or in case the said power, priviledge or authority shall at any time
hereafter become vested in or in trust for more than the number of five

page_text: persons or their representatives at any one time (reckoning executors or
administrators as and for the single person whom they represent as to such
interest as they are or shall be intituled to in right of such their testator or
intestate), that then, and in any of the said cases, these our Letters Patents,
and all liberties, priviledges, and advantages whatsoever hereby granted, shall
vtterly cease, determine, and become void, anything herein-before contained
to the contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding. And, lastly, wee do by
these presents, for vs, our heires and successors, grant unto the said Elizabeth
Coppin, her executors, administrators, and assignes, that these our Letters
Patents, or the inrollment or exemplification thereof, shall be in and by all
things good, firm, valid, sufficient, and effectual in the law, and shall be taken,
construed, and adiudged in the most favourable and beneficial sense for the
best advantage of the said Elizabeth Coppin, her executors, administrators,
and assignes, as well in all our courts of record as elsewhere, and by all and
singular the officers and ministers whatsoever of vs, our heires and successors,
in that part of our said kingdom of Great Britain called England, our dominion
of Wales, and town of Berwick-upon-Tweed aforesaid, and in our Plantations
aforesaid, and amongst all and every the subiects of vs, our heires and succes-
sors whatsoever and wheresoever, notwithstanding the not full and certain
describing the nature or quality of the said Invention, or of the materials
thereto conducing and belonging.