| Description | Soho April 9th 1792
Dear Father
The fate of P. Monneron is truly melancholy. From his short [stay] here and the general tenor of his Correspondance one must be convinced of his honour, friendship & integrity. The loss of such a Man to his friends & relations is innestimable & the manner of his Death will doubtless render it still more severe.
I know your [heart] is always sensible to misfortune & I feared the present unhappy Circumstances would too deeply affect it, but your assurances never to forget your Children & friends in some measure encourages me. The Importance of the Affair requires your utmost consideration & attention & I should therefore hope, seeing the necessity of it, you will endeavour to compose your Mind.
I have read Mr Browns Letter & it seems to me, that he states the case in a very clear point of view. By the Acceptance of the Bills I think you would have rendered your situation very critical. No Law of equity, nor any social duty can ever require you to insure the Creditors of Monneron at your own risk. They are not your friends, nor will it in any way serve Monnerons. His true friends could never desire to ruin him & the man who wishes to indemnify himself at the hazard of your property is not worthy of any favor from you & in justice to yourself you ought to refuse him. The Ballance as stated by Mr Brown is perfectly just & every reasonable allowance made. It cannot be expected of you to bear the Loss which unavoidably would arise from the Copper in blanks & other half manufactured states.
The sudden stopage of the Mint will have many disagreable Consequences. Every effort should be made to obtain an Order for Coin & the only quarters from which this can come are few. The East India Co might perhaps be induced to give a second order or I should think the Irish Gouverment not unlikely to take up the speculation, or query if some person of trust was to go over to france, beeing in the Country he might probably be able to form some judgement with respect to the possibility & prudence of any person continuing the Speculation. I have only mentiond these Ideas for your mind to form some plan from. It will be very difficult to employ the Workmen in such a manner as to be able hereafter in case of a future order to engage them again & yet if you have no immediate hope of any Order we must comply with the necessity & discharge them. Further if no substantial Order can be obtained, I think it would be better to set down with the Loss, than continue with any trifling orders which certainly never will afford any profit worthy of consideration; but, if reduced to this extremity I should make out a clear statement of the whole of your coining transactions with the Ministry & send a Copy to Mr Pitt with a request to know positively if he had any intentions of fulfilling his promises & if he refuses I would lay it before the public & surely a nation will never suffer itself to be burthened with such an immense expence as the Mint & its accessories at the Tower when an individual offers to furnish them with far superior Coin at a less expence. If possible, some mode should be adopted of employing the Workmen for if they once get an Idea that the Coining business is uncertain It will be difficult to procure good ones.
These are the immediate thoughts which have occured to me since the receipt of your Letter & I have stated them with an Idea that though in themselves they are not well founded, they may shew you the state of my mind & with your corrections be a means of procuring real knowledge in the business. My Sister joins me in Love & prayers for your health & happiness
& believe me to be
Your dutiful Son
Mattw R Boulton
P S In order to complete the quantity of pieces coined, which have noted in your letter to M—, there wants 12 ton to be coined, would it not be prudent to strike them. It would at least prevent the sudden stopage of the Mint.
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