It is faid,

of

the common men; yet I must declare my opinion, that many private peculations originate from the parfimony of the masters themselves. It is an aphorifm in Mining, that "A Tinner has "nothing to lofe;" but upon tribute or fearching for Tin upon the mere strength of his labour, he puts himself in the way fortune, to enrich him by one lucky hit. It is faid, "A Tinner is never broke till his neck is broke;" for though he may lose all his labour this month upon tribute, the next may amply repay all his lofs with profit. I, therefore, reckon a Tinner upon tribute, if he can clear thirty fhillings monthly, with the chance annexed of gaining four times as much, is better off than a captain at forty fhillings without any further chance. There will never be occafions wanting for bad men to decoy fervants, and alienate them from their bounden duty to their masters: accordingly, Takers of ground by the fathom in finking, stoping, or driving, and likewife Takers upon tribute, invite the captains to drink with them, upon free coft, at publick houses; which leads to a further progress in deceit and corruption, till the incautious captains are feduced from their integrity by the prefents of the Takers, whom they fuffer to mix and manage the Ores in fuch manner as will moft conduce to their own advantage; and to measure the ground which is wrought by the fathom, to the loss and injury of the adventurers. Inftead, therefore, of allowing the captains to draw the work with their own horses, and to fell the workmen materials and provifions, the adventurers in every Mine of great confequence, ought to give them handsome wages, with a ftrict prohibition not to have any private intercourfe with the Takers.

But, instead of dwelling on the faults of this useful body of men, which are not greater than those of others who are equally deftitute of the advantages of Chriftian inftruction and good example, and which the wisdom and generofity of their masters might in a great measure reftrain; we ought rather to confider the number and severity of their diftreffes, and the most probable means of affording them effectual relief.

The principal part of these arifes from the cafualties that continually befal them, and require the immediate application of chirurgical aid. It is common for the owners of a Mine to oblige the men to depofit twopence month with the purfer, for the payment of the furgeon belonging to the Bal; and as all who work lefs than five ftems, and generally all labourers at grafs, are exempted from this contribution, it is levied only

upon

upon those who are in conftant and imminent danger and for this fum of two fhillings annum from each contributor, the furgeon undertakes to attend at all times however unseasonable, and at all places however diftant, and to perform all operations, and furnifh all medicines. This kind of contract has fubfifted near fixty years; but unfortunately for thofe unhappy labourers who may hereafter want affiftance, the furgeons begin to be weary of it, and are gradually declining a practice, which, ufeful and important as it is to the fufferers, affords no recompence in any degree adequate to their own skill, labour, and expence. Suppofe, for inftance, that a Mine employs three hundred men who contribute to the payment of the furgeon; twopence monthly from each, amounts to thirty pounds annum. Now, in the courfe of a year, it is three hundred to one, that the trepan, or the crooked knife, will be wanted, not only once or twice, but very often; befides the ordinary accidents of burns, wounds, contufions, luxations, or fimple and compounded fractures, where the knife is fpared; and the blasting one or both eyes, and the two laft fingers of the left hand, by gunpowder. An accident of confequence may require at least fix weeks daily attendance five or fix miles diftant from the furgeon's refidence; an accident of the like nature may require the fame attendance, at the fame time, a road five or fix miles diametrically oppofite and is there a recompence for all this attention and labour, that is likely to fecure the continuance of it?

We wish not that any Mine fhould be attended by one particular furgeon: we know it is for the advantage of a patient in the progrefs of his cure, to be under the care of that furgeon to whom his own affection or opinion moft inclines him; and when the cure is completed, or the furgeon has done all in his power to effect it, let his bill be discharged by the purfer of the Mine, pursuant to ftated prices. If this, or fome plan like this, is not adopted, the poor labourers must perish very fast for want of neceffary help; for to suppose a continuance of the prefent method, is paying no compliment either to the understanding of our furgeons, or to the compaffion and prudence of the Mine adventurers.

But the most effectual relief for all these evils, is a publick hospital. In almoft all the large and opulent counties in England, hofpitals are erected nearly upon the fame plan as those in London and it is ftrange, that a county fo large as Cornwall,

fo

fo opulent, and abounding with fo many accidents that require the greatest care and expertnefs in furgery, fhould be fo long without a charity of this kind: I am forry to observe, it is no proof of the wisdom and generofity of its nobility and gentry.

If the annual proceeds of this county in Tin, Copper, and Fish, are rated only at £400,000, it is generally known, that seven-eighths of that fum are produced from the Mines, by a bufinefs the most hazardous under the fun to health and life. As a maritime county, it has a great commercial intercourse with the whole world, by exportation of Tin, Fish, and Oil, and the return of Salt, Hemp, Iron, Timber, &c. and the conveyance of our Copper Ores coaft ways, and the return of Coal and Lime, together with our fisheries, and the number of foreign packet boats at Falmouth; keep up no inconfiderable fleet of fhipping, and form a valuable nursery of feamen. Surely then, the Mining part of this province must be the most proper and eligible fituation for an hofpital, for fick and wounded Miners and Sailors. And as Redruth is fituated on the narrowest part of the county, is the center of Mining, and within two hours distance from our most frequented fea ports; all these circumstances combine to prove the expediency of erecting a county hospital clofe by the town of Redruth.

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When an accident happens in a Mine, the poor fufferer languishes till the arrival of the furgeon, who is generally sent for in fuch hafte and confusion, that it may happen, he is not provided with every thing proper to adminifter present relief. have been called to a perfon fuppofed to have a compound fracture of the leg, by a fall twenty fathoms under-ground, and have brought a fuitable apparatus; when the cafe has proved to be a fractured skull, and the leg was only scratched. The patient is then conveyed fix or seven miles to his own hut, full of naked children, but deftitute of all conveniencies, and almost of all neceffaries. The whole, indeed, is a fcene of fuch complicated wretchedness and distress, as words have no power to defcribe.

How comfortable then, must it be, to fuch miferable objects of compaffion, to be carried to an hospital furnished with every neceffary to effect his cure, and every convenience to alleviate his diftrefs! The fame trouble which removes him from the Mine to his wretched hovel, brings him to the place built and furnished for his peculiar benefit.

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The more I confider this matter, the more I am convinced, the accomplishment of it may be well and certainly effected. A voluntary subscription among the nobility and gentry; the lords, bounders, and Mine adventurers; the Tin and Copper companies; the merchants and owners of fisheries; and every rank and degree of those, who are any ways concerned and connected with the county; would raise a fufficient fum, to build and furnish a large commodious hospital; which, afterwards, may be almost wholly maintained and fupported by the monthly contributions of the Miners, failors, and fishermen. Suppofe the whole body of Miners, including all who work at grafs as well as under-ground, men, women, and children, in dreffing of Tin and Copper Ores, either in the Bals, or at the stamping mills, were taxed at only threepence a month each fuppofe they amounted only to 20,000, and the failors and fishermen to half that number; the whole would raise an annual income of £4,500, free of all d: awbacks, and exclufive of the revenue from legacies, and annual donations and fubfcriptions. Hoping an object fo interefting to the wife and wealthy part of the county will meet with speedy attention and efectual encouragement, I return to our principal subject.

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When a Mine is incumbered with much water, it occafions a confiderable increase of iabour and coft; it then becomes neceffary to use all poffible dispatch and diligence in working the Mine, and raifing the Ore without any interval. When the pick-axe ought to be kept conftantly at work, it is usual to work ftopes or drift ends by double pick-men; allowing two men to each pick by day, and as many by night, if they work twelve hours core. Thofe long cores, however, are now generally abolished when they were cuftomary, they were nothing more than a pretence for idleness; twelve hours being too many for a man to work under-ground without intermiffion. cordingly, when a pair of men went under-ground formerly, they made it a rule, to fleep out a candle, before they set about their work; that is, if their place of working was dry, they would lay themselves down and fleep, as long as a whole candle would continue burning; then rife up and work for two or three hours pretty brifkly; after that, have a touch-pipe, that is, reft themselves half an hour to smoke a pipe of tobacco; and fo play and fleep away half their working time: but Mining being now more deep and expenfive than it formerly was, thofe idle cuftoms are fur erfeded by more labour and industry. Conformable to the humidity or drinefs of the place,

the

the density or fairness of the ground, and the distance from the fumph, it may be more or less neceffary, to work in cores of fix or eight hours with double picks. To work with double pick-men, they allow two men to one pick in this manner: in stoping or driving fair ground, one man works two hours, and then gives the pick to his companion to work with for the fame time, and he that stands by rolls or carries off the broken Ore or stuff as there is occafion; and thus they work and carry off alternately. So likewife in boring of rocks for blafting with gunpowder, one man holds the steel borier, whilft the other beats it with a fledge of fix pounds weight: the latter having had the hardest task, when the hole is bored to its intended depth, refigns the remainder to the person who had only held the borier, who charges the hole, fires it, and works away the shattered rocks.

After this manner they work out their core till fresh men come under-ground, and relieve them in place: but fometimes they are neceffitated to work confiderably longer than their ftated hours; and then they are faid to make a ftem, or part of a ftem, or to work a ftem out of core; for which they are entitled at the month's end to an additional for fo many pay ftems as each man makes, over and above his ftated time of working but as this is an inlet to many impofitions, it ought not to be allowed except upon a great emergency.

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A Lode that is large, fair, and rich, will fometimes produce Ore in fuch quantities, that the men cannot wind it up, and dispose of it, as fast as it is broken; and the want of more plots and room to hold it, greatly retards their operations. this cafe, the owners set the winding up of the work fo broken, on the Whip; that is to fay, over and above the men's stated wages, they give them a small gratuity for every hundred kibbals of Ore that are brought up to grafs out of core: but, in this winding by the whip, a ftrict attention fhould be paid to the filling the kibbals to the brim, and also to making a lawful tale of five score to the hundred, for reasons too plain to be mentioned. This method, however, is only pursued in shallow Mines, or at leaft where Whyms are not erected. Whyms or engines drawn by horfes, have larger kibbals; and can discharge more work, not only for that reafon, but because they may be kept conftantly employed where the quantity of Ore or ftuff is very great.

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