no wonder, then, we are not renowned for difcoveries of this Metal in the diftant ages of antiquity. When arts and sciences were in their infancy, it was impoffible to lay open the deep treasures of the terrene fyftem. Men, money, and materials, in former times, were more scarce: and the increase of population and specie in latter days, have progreffively and mutually operated, to lay open and discover the deep receffes of the carth, and the hidden treasures of the ftupendous contrivance in the matter and formation of our globe.

The fuperficial fite of one Metal, and the central tendency of the other, give us different ideas how they are to be fearched after and wrought; and thofe ideas can no way concatenate, but wherein thofe Metals may be discovered, cæteris paribus, equally central or superficial.

It is very feldom that Tin continues rich and worth the working, beyond fifty fathoms deep; and it is abfolutely certain, that Copper is not often wrought in great abundance, till past that depth, to an hundred fathoms or more. It is also a fact, that most Mines with us, both of Tin and Copper, being richer in quality near the furface, and by that circumftance attended with lefs expence in the working, do for the most part reward the adventurers with very ample gain.

It should, therefore, seem eligible to bestow our attention on those skin-deep adventures, preferably to the deep Mines; but this is by no means the cafe in practical Mining: for, if a Mine, when he is firft difcovered, throws up a large profit to the adventurers, and fails foon after to their lofs and detriment; they nevertheless pursue their object, under the most unpromising circumftances, with unremitting ardour, patience, induftry, and refolution, scarcely parallel in any other unfortunate undertaking under the fun. Every little ftone of Ore brings along with it new hopes, and fresh vigour. It fans the glimmering flame of adventure, which had been kindled before by the fire of a certain Provincial Spirit, that feems to animate the natives of Cornwall, and to deferve that fuccefs which they cannot always command.

Neither is it wife to rely on the fuccefs of fhallow Mines, though their profits may be fudden; or to defert them because their depth may prove unfavourable for fome time after; for it is experimentally true, that moft Mines of confiderable depth,

though

though vaftly expenfive, and the Mineral of less intrinfick worth, do, in their fuperlative quantity, certainty, and steadinefs, make complete and fubftantial amends for the great labour, and perfevering affiduity of their proprietors. In fupport of which I may venture to affirm, that fix Mines produce fix parts in eight of all the Copper Ore of the county at this time.

Tin in its metallick ftate, being to Copper but as fixty to a hundred, is notwithstanding more rich in its minerallick Ore than Copper, as it comes from the Mine; therefore they require different management in the dreffing, and cleanfing them for the furnace. The former from the fmallness of its particles, and extreme hardness of the ftone in which it is frequently found, requires to be triturated or pulverized as fmall as the fineft fand, to go through repeated ablutions, calcinations, &c. and be taken up with the utmoft nicety and precifion; which renders it of lefs nett value to the Miner on account of fo much trouble and expence in the minerallick manufactory thereof: but as it affords fo confiderable an employment for the children of poor labourers, from fix years old and upwards, they are generally engaged in that branch before they commence underground Tinners, and from the age of puberty are indifcriminately denominated Tinners by that means.

Among the working Tinners, this darling Metal holds her empire in the heart; probably because of its locality, and the privileges, immunities, and ftannary laws, whereby they are distinguished, fupported, and protected, as a separate body of people.

Copper, as I have before faid, being placed in the more interior ftrata of the earth, requires great fkill in hydraulicks, and mechanicks. The The appropriate qualities, gravitation, and denfity of the elements, ought to be nicely weighed in the scale of found judgment. The expence of coal, candles, timber, leather, ropes, gunpowder, and various other materials, added to the labour of men, women, children, and horfes, occafion such a vast monthly charge, as will not eafily be credited by those who are unacquainted with Mining. It is well known, however, that fome Copper Mines now extant, have cach fupported, for feveral years paft, a monthly expence of two thousand five hundred pounds, including the land owner's fhare, which is generally a fixth, feventh, or eighth part, in fpecie, of the whole proceeds.

d

From

From a comparative view of the charges in working of Tin and Copper Mines, we may draw this corollary, viz. The former is wrought upon more dependent principles than the latter, which cannot be embowelled in great quantities, without the help of foreign auxiliaries, fuch as coal, and very large timber particularly. The Mining intereft of Cornwall, therefore, deferves great attention from the government, the nobility and gentry of the united kingdoms, as tending to a confiderable national advantage in the confumption of fo many materials neceffary for the conduct and maintenance of the Mines; whereby great trade is kept up, large duties to the community are paid, and a conftant uniform nursery for feamen is easily and cheaply preserved, as our quota, of additional fupport of the trade, navigation, and fecurity of these kingdoms.

With much fatisfaction we can reflect upon the fingular nature of our staple commodities, they being attainable at the certain lofs of none but thofe who feek a recompence from the purfuit. Now in fome kinds of trade and business, what is the profit in one man's hand, is frequently fo much loss to some other individual, from whom it is either immediately or laterally derived. It is an axiom in trade, that "One man's lofs is another man's "gain;" but in the cafe before us, we take from no perfon's bag, but ftrive only to obtain the treasure of the deep, which in its hidden ftate yields neither glory to God nor service to man: "And all this out of a narrow flip of land ufually of the moft "barren hilly kind, without diftreffing tillage, pafture, and "the like, fcarcely worth the remarking; and very far short of "the improvements in rent for thofe lands which are in the vicinity of the Mines." (Borlafe).

Mr. Scawen, of Molinek, was vice-warden of the Stannaries. in Charles the fecond's time; and in a note of his, which the writer has feen, complains, that the Tin revenues were then fmall; but, in the preceding reigns of James the first, and Charles the first, the amount of Block-Tin yearly, was from fourteen hundred to fixteen hundred tons. It was alfo found by the last two farms in queen Anne's reign, and the beginning of George the firft, that Block-Tin, one year with another, amounted to fomething more than fixteen hundred; fo that, in the space of one hundred and ten years, its mean proportion was equal to fifteen hundred tons & annum. Since the foregoing time, we obferve a gradual increafe for thirty years following; for, in the year 1742, a propofal was made by the Mines Royal

Company

Company in London, to raise one hundred and forty thousand pounds to encourage the Tin trade by farming that commodity for seven years at a certain price. A committee of Cornish gentlemen were appointed to confider of the proposals; and they reported, "That the quantity of Tin raised yearly in "Cornwall, at an average for many years laft paft, hath been "about two thousand one hundred tons; and refolved, that "three pounds nine fhillings for grain Tin, and three pounds "five fhillings hundred weight for common Tin, are the "lowest prices for which fuch Tin will be fold to the con"tractors, exclufive of all coinage duties and fees."

The rapid increase of the produce of our Tin Mines for the laft thirty years, is fcarcely credible: it is, however, a fact, that we have coined three thousand fix hundred tons of BlockTin in one year; and, for the last twenty years, the annual average has been about three thoufand tons; which is double the quantity coined annually but fixty years ago, and one-third increase for the last thirty.

No less extraordinary has been the vast addition to the fales of Copper Ore within the last twenty years; efpecially as Mining for Copper, only commenced with the present century; the little which had been raised before, being adventitious, and accidentally met with in purfuit of Tin.

According to the following accounts, which are faithfully transcribed from the Copper Ore buyers books, we find the quantity fold, from 1726 inclufive to the end of 1735, was fixty-four thousand eight hundred tons, at an average price of feven pounds fifteen hillings and tenpence ton, amounting to four hundred and feventy-three thousand five hundred pounds, which must have been yearly forty-feven thousand three hundred and fifty pounds. From 1736 inclufive to the end of 1745, feventy-five thousand five hundred and twenty tons of Copper Ore were fold at feven pounds eight fhillings and fixpence average price, the amount five hundred and fixty thousand one hundred and fix pounds in the grofs, and fifty-fix thousand and ten pounds yearly. From 1746 inclufive to the end of 1755, the quantity fold was ninety-eight thousand seven hundred and ninety tons at seven pounds eight fhillings the ton, the amount feven hundred and thirty-one thousand four hundred and fiftyfeven pounds; annually feventy-three thousand one hundred and forty-five pounds. From 1756 inclufive to the end of 1765,

the

the quantum fold made one hundred and fixty-nine thoufand fix hundred and ninety-nine tons, at the average price of feven pounds fix fhillings and fixpence, amounting to the fum of one million two hundred and forty-three thousand and forty-five pounds, and one hundred and twenty-four thoufand three hundred and four pounds yearly. Lastly, from 1766 to the end of the last year, two hundred and fixty-four thousand two hundred and feventy-three tons of Copper Ore were difpofed of at fix pounds fourteen fhillings and fixpence ton, amounting in all to one million feven hundred and feventy-eight thoufand three hundred and thirty-feven pounds, which must have returned one hundred and feventy-feven thoufand eight hundred and thirty-three pounds every year of the laft ten.

In order to form a more comprehenfive view of the progress fo lately made in Mining for Copper, we have prefented the reader with a comparative fcale of the above Orcs, &c. where he may fee for himself, the advance and improvement, which have been made in the fcience of Metallurgy in this part of Great-Britain. And when we reflect upon thofe great and fudden improvements in the art of Mining, we may juftly give ourselves all the merit, which we really deferve for our fuperior excellence to all the reft of our fellow fubjects in this fingular branch of knowledge. We do not know how much our gratulations may be damped, when we further obferve, that (from some cause which we cannot perfectly account for at this time) the intrinfick value of our hard gotten commodities, has decreased in some ratio to the advance in quantity, which ought to be a matter of very ferious enquiry with all the gentlemen of Cornwall, whom it fo nearly concerns, and from whom we may expect that redrefs by their united efforts, which the declenfion of our Mine trade fo greatly requires.

It is the popular opinion, that no real furplufage beyond the charges of Mining do arife to the adventurers in general; and that in Tin particularly, the credits are unequal to the outgoings. Nevertheless, we fee, in our county, that many men. have made opulent fortunes by their fuccefs in Mining; therefore it is difficult to account for the truth of this matter, unless we fuppofe the profit of the great Mines to be funk in the unfortunate adventures, and like national lotteries, the individual profit to be taken out of the general lofs. It is indubitable, however, that the publick is manifeftly enriched by the great trade and circulation of money, confequential to this peculiar bufinefs. Whether