are the most considerable in the county, and merit particular
observation. It is now nearly 40 years since they were first discovered;
and the quantity of tin which they have yielded, has proved a golden
harvest to the proprietors of them. The works occupy a considerable
extent of ground, and appear to have been gained from the sea; the mud
and other matter washed down by the stream, having raised a sort of
embankment, which, by its continual extension, and some assistance from
art, has gradually contracted the boundaries of the tide.[50] The bed of
pebbles from which the tin is extracted, is about 30 feet below the
surface of the ground, and from four to six feet thick. As a proof that
these works must have been known in very early times, a wooden shovel,
and picks made of deers’ horns, together with some human bones and
skulls, have been found at different periods. Great improvements have
been lately made in the works for drawing off the water, and which has
also, from the lowness of their situation, been attended with
considerable benefit to several other mines in the neighbourhood.
When at Helston, the traveller will derive much gratification from
visiting the celebrated _Tin Mine_, called _Huel Vor_, which is situated
about three miles west of that town. This mine is allowed to be one of
the most valuable in the county; and its proprietors are said to have
gained a clear profit of upwards of £10,000, in the short space of three
months, notwithstanding the monthly charges amount to £5,000. Here are
no less than five large steam engines for drawing off the water, besides
several others of less magnitude for raising the ore, &c. There are also
four large stamping mills worked by steam. The operations of this mine
extend more than a mile and a quarter below the surface of the earth,
and about 1300 persons are employed in conducting the different works.
The ore is smelted and roasted on the spot; and when properly cleansed,
is ladled from the furnaces into moulds of 370lbs. each. The principal
lode in this mine is said to be of the enormous width of 30 feet, and
extremely rich. The expenses incident to carrying on the working of this
mine are very great; especially in the consumption of candles and
gunpowder, which far exceeds any estimate a stranger to mining concerns
could form. In this mine, no less than 3,000lbs. of candles, and about
3,500lbs. of gunpowder are consumed every month.
The _Botallack Tin and Copper Mine_, in the parish of St. Just, near the
Land’s End, is one of the most surprising undertakings in the county, as
the operations of the miners extend for nearly 70 fathoms under the bed
of the sea; and the entrance to the works is at least 200 feet below the
cliffs.
——“How fearful
And dizzy ’tis to cast one’s eyes so low,
The crows and choughs that wing the midway air
Show scarce so gross as beetles:——
——I’ll look no more,
Lest my brain turn, and the deficient sight
Topple down headlong.”
As a late writer[51] justly observes, that on descending to the surface
of the mine, “You will then behold a combination of the powers of art
with the wild sublimity of nature, which is quite unparalleled; the
effects of the whole being not a little heightened by the hollow roar of
the raging billows which are perpetually lashing the cliff beneath. In
looking up you will observe troops of mules laden with sacks of coals,
for the supply of the engine, with their undaunted riders, fearlessly
trotting down the winding path which you trembled at descending even on
foot. As you approach the engine, the cliff becomes almost
perpendicular; and the ore raised from the mine is therefore drawn up
over an inclined plane, by means of a horse engine placed on the extreme
verge of the overhanging rocks above, and which seems to the spectator
below, as if suspended in “_Mid Air_.”
The ore of this mine is the _grey_ and _yellow sulphuret_ of _copper_,
mixed with oxide of tin. Here a great variety of interesting minerals
have been collected, among which are several varieties of _jasper_;
_arborescent native copper_; _jaspery iron ore_; _arseniate of iron_;
_sulphuret of bismuth_, imbedded in _jasper_; beautiful _specular iron
ore_; _lamatitic iron_, and the _hydrous oxide of iron_, in _prisms
terminated by pyramids_.
The neighbourhood of Redruth is, as before stated in a preceding part of
this work, the very centre of the mining district; and there are more
mines in the vicinity of that town than in any other part of the County.
We therefore recommend travellers, especially those who are interested
in mining transactions, to make some stay at Redruth, and we can venture
to say that they will derive much gratification in consequence.
About two miles west of that town is the noted _Copper Mine_ of
_Dolcoath_, which from its situation on the brow of a hill, enables the
visitor to see at one view, all the principal machinery by which its
working is conducted. As the same writer justly observes; “it is quite
impossible to convey an idea of this singular and interesting scene;
steam engines, water wheels, horse whims, and stamping mills are all in
motion; while in the glen beneath, many hundred labourers are to be seen
busily engaged in the different operations of separating, dressing, and
cleansing the ore. In the whole circle of human inventions, there is
nothing which so fully manifests the resources of intellect, for the
production of immense effects, as the stupendous art of mining, and it
is impossible that the workings of Dolcoath Mine, can be viewed without
exciting the strongest sensation of wonder and exultation.” The works of
this mine extend upwards of a mile in length, from east to west, and in
depth, 1050 feet below the level of the sea; being much deeper than any
other mine in the county.
_Cook’s Kitchen_ in Illogan, another rich copper mine, is also situated
on the summit of the same hill, and from the extent of its operations
presents a grand scene, the picturesque effect of which is materially
heightened by the solemnity of Carnbre’ Hill, and the numerous ponderous
masses of rock which lie scattered about its base
In the _Chacewater Mine_, which is situated three miles south of
Redruth, is one of the largest steam engines now in use; and when
erected in the year 1813, was then the most powerful engine ever made.
As a proof of its immense power, if it were applied as a mill, it could
grind a bushel of wheat in a minute; and notwithstanding its velocity,
and the complex nature of its several parts, the engineer in charge of
it, can in one instant put a stop to its motion, by the mere act of
turning a screw. This engine is made upon the improved system, by Bolton
and Watt, and finished with much elegance. The cylinder is 66 inches in
diameter; the depth of the engine shaft is 128 fathoms; from the adit to
the bottom, 90 fathoms. It makes eight strokes in a minute, and at every
stroke raises 108 gallons of water to the adit, and at the same time
also, 60 gallons 10 fathoms high, for the purpose of condensing the
steam. The quantity of coals which it consumes in 24 hours, is estimated
at about eight chaldrons.
About two miles from hence, in a southerly direction, are the
_Consolidated Mines_, which have only lately been re-established.[52]
Here are two very powerful steam engines, with cylinders 90 inches in
diameter. The expenses attending the resumption of the workings of these
mines, are said to have amounted to the enormous sum of nearly £70,000;
but owing to the immense quantity of copper ore which has been raised,
and other advantageous circumstances, the shares are now selling in
London at more than £100 per cent. The monthly charges for workmen, &c.
amounts to no less a sum than £7000. These mines are now under the
management of Mr. Taylor and a London Company.
_Huel Unity_ and the _Poldice Mines_ are also situated in this
neighbourhood; the former produces copper, and the latter tin and
copper. Both have been very profitable to their adventurers, and are
said to have yielded them a profit of from 12 to £16,000 annually. The
Poldice Mine is one of the oldest in the county, and yields a _yellowish
copper ore_, a _rosin tin_, and a few stones of _galena_. In both of
these, steam engines have been long erected, but they are not on so
extensive a scale as those used in some of the mines above noticed. In
these mines, some of the most beautiful specimens of _arseniate of
copper_ and _lead_ have been discovered. _A whitish grey copper,
crystallized_, in triangular and quadrangular pyramids, has also been
found here.
_Huel Alfred Copper Mine_, which, some years ago, was the richest and
most profitable mine in Cornwall, is situated about a mile and a half
south-east of Hayle. In former times the adventurers in this mine are
said to have gained £130,000; but owing to some misunderstanding, the
operations have been discontinued since the year 1816, until within the
last six months. It is in contemplation to erect two steam engines in
this mine, with cylinders of the largest dimensions; when, no doubt,
from the favourable appearance of the lodes, the proprietors will be
amply repaid the expenses incident to such an undertaking. To the
Mineralogist this mine is highly interesting, as several very rare and
curious minerals have been discovered; viz. _stalactitic swimming_, and
_cubic quartz_, _carbonate_ and _phosphate of lead_, _stalactitic_,
_cotryoidal_, and _investing calcedony_, _&c._ If a stranger should be
desirous of descending into a mine, he cannot select a better
opportunity than here presents itself, owing to the extensive scales of
the lodes. On these occasions, it is always customary to put on a
suitable dress; viz. a flannel jacket and trowsers, a close cap, an old
broad brimmed hat, and a thick pair of shoes; thus accoutred, a lighted
candle is put into his hand, and another suspended to a button of his
jacket. A few years ago the Duke of R—d gratified his curiosity in this
respect, and many others have followed his example; but as a
satisfaction to our readers, we insert Dr. Forbes’s observations on the
subject. “A person unacquainted with the details of mining, on being
informed of many hundreds of men being employed in a single mine, might
naturally imagine that a visit to their deep recesses, would afford a
picturesque and imposing spectacle of gregarious labour and bustle;
tremendous noise, and much artificial brilliancy to cheer the gloom:
nothing, however, is further from the truth, as far as regards the mines
of Cornwall; for, like their fellow labourers, the moles, the miners are
solitary in their operations. Seldom do we find more than three or four
men in one _level_ or gallery, at a time, where they are seen pursuing
the common operations of digging, or boring the rock, by the feeble
glimmering of a small candle, stuck close by them, with very little
noise or more latitude for bodily movement; besides whom, there are
generally one or two boys employed in wheeling the broken ore, &c. to
the shaft. Each of these boys has also a candle affixed to his
wheelbarrow by the universal subterranean candlestick, a piece of clay.
A certain band of men, who, however numerous, are always called “_a
pair_,” generally undertake the working of a particular _level_. These
subdivide themselves into smaller bodies, which by relieving each other
at the end of every six or eight hours, keep up the work,
uninterruptedly, except on Sunday. By means of this subdivision of the
_pairs_, there is in general not more than one third of the under-ground
labourers below at any one time. Very seldom are the miners within the
sound of each other’s operations, except occasionally they hear the dull
report of the explosions. In the vicinity of the main shaft, indeed, the
incessant action of the huge chain of pumps, produces a constant, but
not very loud noise; while the occasional rattling of the metallic
buckets against the walls of the shaft, as they ascend and descend,
relieves the monotony both of the silence and the sound; still every
thing is dreary, dull, and cheerless; and you can be with difficulty
persuaded, even when in the richest and most populous mines, that you
are in the centre of such extensive and important operations.
The _Herland Mines_ are situated about a mile east of Huel Alfred, and
are chiefly remarkable for the beautiful specimens of _native silver_,
_vitreous silver ore_, and _black oxide of silver_, which they have
produced, and which has been noticed in a former part of this work.
After an interval of nearly 20 years, the workings of these mines have
lately been resumed, under the management of a London Company; who have
had two steam engines erected, with cylinders 80 inches in diameter. The
copper ore found in the Herland Mines is extremely rich; but although
the lodes are more numerous than in Huel Alfred, they are not so large.
All mines are placed under the superintendance of a foreman, called the
_Captain_, who keeps the accounts, and pays, and regulates the workmen;
they are in general men of respectability, and get liberally paid. The
designation of _Captain_, however, is very absurd; for in many
instances, even strangers are frequently accosted as such by the Cornish
people. There are also inferior superintendants, who are employed to
superintend the internal operations of the miners.
The miners, in general, are a civil, honest, and active class of beings,
and since the extension of the Wesleyan system, have become very
religious. The hardships many of them endure is beyond belief,
particularly such as have large families; and who, in most cases, live
in little huts in the immediate vicinity of the mines. Their mode of
living is very hard, as they seldom taste animal food; indeed, the
reduced scale of their wages is such as scarcely to allow bread, and
that in many instances composed of ground barley only. In some cases,
many of the miners work like slaves, and are obliged to wheel barrows a
considerable distance, filled with ore to the extent of four cwt.; while
on the other hand, those who are employed under ground, have a wretched
emaciated appearance, and mostly die at an early age, in pulmonary
consumptions.
The _Iron Foundries at Hayle_ are well deserving of notice, and here
some of the largest engines used in the mines were cast. The _Water Dam_
which was constructed about 30 years ago, (near the house where the
copper was formerly smelted,) for scouring out the sand from the
harbour, has been attended with the most beneficial effects. It is now
in contemplation to have a causeway built across the Hayle, the estimate
for which amounts to about _£_5,000; and which, if accomplished, will be
highly beneficial.
The singular and desolate appearance of the whole surface of the country
in this neighbourhood, which, with few exceptions, extends even as far
as Padstow, excites the attention of every stranger. The immense banks
of sand which have been thrown up on the coast, have been a great
injury; and in some instances, many dwellings have even been buried by
the shifting of the sands; here human bones have also been frequently
discovered, supposed to have belonged to cemeteries which have been
inundated during violent hurricanes.
Many of the above particulars were obligingly communicated by Sir
Christopher Hawkins, Bart., M.P., and Recorder for St. Ives; and who
also has a seat, called Trewinnard, in this part of the county.
_Tredea_, which is near to Trewinnard, is the property of Davies
Gilbert, Esq., M.P. for Bodmin, and President of the Royal Geological
Society at Penzance.
With the view to enable mineralogists to prosecute their endeavours, it
is necessary on their proceeding into Cornwall, that they should visit
the most interesting collections in the county. Of these may be ranked
the valuable collection belonging to William Rashleigh, Esq., at
Menabilly, near Fowey, which has been noticed in a former part of this
work. In this splendid collection are some very magnificent _oxide of
tin_, _fluors_, _melachite_, and some very rare varieties of _sulphuret
of copper_; wood tin forming a vein in a matrix of quartz, to one side
of which adheres a fragment of rock. An account is given in the first
volume of the transactions of the Penzance Geological Society. Here are
also some fine specimens of _yellow copper ore_, with _opal_; triple
_sulphuret of antimony_; _copper and lead_ in various forms; _ruby
copper_ in _cubes_; _quartz_ with water in globules; _topazes_ of
beautiful lustre; and _green fluor_, in crystals with 24 sides. Many of
the specimens above enumerated are of considerable value and scarcity,
besides which there are also many others highly interesting. They are
contained in a spacious apartment, which has been fitted up in the most
elegant manner, with glass cases to prevent them from being injured. Mr.
Rashleigh takes great pleasure in allowing strangers to visit his
collection, and is entitled to every mark of commendation for his
politeness on such occasions.
In the collection of Joseph Carne, Esq. at Penzance, may be seen
_prehnite_ in a variety of forms, _axinite_ in its usual form,
_stilbite_ in flat four-sided prisms terminated by pyramids, _mesotype_
radiated, _garnets_ in 12 and 24 sided, crystals, _pirite_ in six and 12
sided prisms, _uranite_ in quadrangular tables with the angles in some
cases truncated, and also in forms much resembling cubes and
octohedrons, _uranochre_, _native bismuth_, and _specular iron_ ore,
very simular to that found at Elba; _grey sulphuret_ of _copper_, the
best defined crystals of which are very obtuse dodecahedrons, and
six-sided prisms; in some specimens the dodecahedrons are so placed upon
the summit of the prisms, as to resemble a nail: this is one of the most
rare specimens ever found in Cornwall, and is much sought after by
mineralogists. Here are also two very rare and curious specimens of
_yellow_ and _grey sulphuret of copper_, in forms resembling a cube, the
latter being pseudomorphous.
The Royal Geological Society at Penzance possessed many valuable and
rare specimens; among the earthy species may be enumerated, _calcedony_,
_sodalite_, _haiiyne_, _petalite_, _colophonite_, _vesuvian_, &c. In the
metallic branch, is _carbonate of lead_, _specular iron_, _arseniate of
iron_, the _oxide_, _carbonate_, _arseniate_ and _phosphate of copper_,
_native gold_, found in the Cornish Tin Stream Works; _arsenical
pyrites_, _uranite_, _uran ochre_, _native nickel_, &c. besides a
mineral but little known, viz. _subcarburet_ of iron, and which was
analyzed by the late Rev. W. Gregor.
The cabinet of John Williams, Esq. at Scorrier House, near Redruth, is
unrivalled in its specimens of _red oxide of copper_ in _octohedrons_,
cubes, and capillary crystals; there are also some fine specimens of
_arseniate_ of copper in very perfect obtuse octohedrons; a mass of
uranite, which for size and beauty surpasses any that has ever been
found: _blende_ in octohedrons and cubes, _native_ and ruby silver,
besides a very rare and highly valuable specimen of the muriate of _horn
silver_ and _arseniate of lead_ in six-sided prisms.
Such strangers as are desirous of forming a collection of the several
minerals which have been found in this county, cannot adopt a better
plan than applying to the different dealers; they are, however,
sometimes to be had of the miners. The most respectable dealers in
minerals are, at St. Austell, Mr. Hennah, Bookseller; at Truro,
Tregoning and Mudge; at Falmouth, Mr. Trathan; at Penzance, Mr. Jacobs;
at Redruth, Mr. Bennett; at Gwenap, Mr. Michell; at St. Agnes, Mr.
Argall; and the landlord of the Tamar Inn, Calstock; who was once a
superintendant of some of the mines near St. Austell.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXCURSION TO THE SCILLY ISLANDS.
Such travellers as may be desirous of making an excursion to these
islands, will not only be much gratified by the voyage, but their health
will be materially benefited by the congenial breezes of the ocean, and
the mild temperature of the atmosphere, which is so peculiar to this
part of the coast. The beauty also of the several marine prospects which
such an excursion presents to notice, cannot fail to excite the most
lively emotions: yet who can enjoy it, without reflecting on the many
dreadful shipwrecks which have occurred off the Scilly Islands;
especially the melancholy fate of Sir Cloudesly Shovel and his brave
companions. Owing, however, to the erection of light-houses, and other
salutary measures, such disasters have not been so frequent as formerly.
The difficulty of navigating the passage round the Land’s End, is
nevertheless very great, and, in many instances, attended with much
danger.
The contiguity of these islands to the county of Cornwall, renders it
necessary that some little notice of them should be given in the present
work. From the Land’s End they are distant about nine leagues, and on a
clear day are distinctly visible; but from Penzance, from whence the
packet sails every Friday, the distance is fourteen leagues. With a fair
wind the voyage is generally accomplished in six hours; but on some
occasions has lasted two days.
According to the most eminent historians, these islands were originally
denominated the CASSITERIDES, or TIN ISLES, and their number not to have
exceeded _ten_; but their original appearance has been greatly altered,
either by the violence of the sea, or some other convulsive effort of
nature. At present their number amounts to _one hundred and forty_,
although the following only appear to be inhabited; viz. _St. Mary’s_,
_St. Agnes_, _St. Martin’s_, _Trescow_, _Bryher_, and _Sampson_. The
population of the whole of them, (more than half of which reside in St.
Mary’s,) does not exceed 2000.
ST. MARY’S is the largest and most cultivated, possessing three towns, a
pier, a garrison, custom-house, &c. The length of this island is about
two miles and a half; and its circumference is about 10 miles. The
prospects from some of the hills are extremely fine; and from their
rocky character and other local circumstances, present a very singular
and interesting appearance. “The principal settlement is _Heugh Town_,
so called from the neighbouring peninsula, on which, during the pilchard
fishery, a man is stationed to watch the coming of the fish, and give
notice of their approach by _heughing_ to the boats below. On the summit
of the peninsula is a small fort, erected in 1793, by Sir Francis
Godolphin, and called _Star Castle_, from having eight points projecting
like the rays of a star. In the centre is the governor’s house, having a
foss between it and the outer rampart; where, at the salient angles, are
four small apartments, designed for as many captains of the garrison.
The lines are at some distance below the fort, nearly two miles in
extent, and flanked by several strong batteries. Below them are the
remains of an antient fort, that seems to have had a circular keep, like
the castles of Trematon, Launceston, and Restormel. Nearer the water’s
edge, on the western side of the peninsula, is the Heugh Town, which
skirts the border of a sandy bay, with a good anchorage, and
sufficiently spacious to contain 100 sail of shipping. The houses are
chiefly low buildings, but were much improved under the late Earl of
Godolphin, at whose expense the pier was erected about the year 1750.
The other towns, which are called Old Town and Church Town, consist only
of a few houses, and present little to excite curiosity.”[53]