uniform texture, has a considerable hardness and breaks in any direction. This species of coal, when free from heterogeneous mixtures, is of comparatively small specific gravity, makes a ebearful fire, burns with a strong flame, and emits little smoke. Some varieties of it are so fine and solid in the contexture, as to be capable of being turned in the lathe, and formed into various utensils, toys, and trinkets, as it is susceptible of a very high polish, and leaves no stain upon the fingers.

Culm, or blind coal, in England denominated Welsh coal, because almost peculiarly the produce of Wales, is of a fine glossy black colour and a bright metalline appearance. This is a very singular species of coal, producing neither smoke nor flame in burning. Though it is not easily kindled, yet when thoroughly ignited it burns a long time with a clear, powerful, glowing heat, similar to charcoal; being very durable and like that, during combustion, emits a strong disagreeable suffocating effluvia. This coal is very tender, and generally breaka small in working and carriage; but possesses nothing of the cohering quality, produces a small quantity of ashes; and the property of burning without smoke renders it fit for drying malt, hops, and other purposes where coak or charcoal would be necessary. A remarkable phenomenon arises from the combustion. of this specics of coal. When a quantity of culm has been some time ignited, and after every particle of it has been burning with a clear glowing heat, if the fire be extinguished or suffered to go out for want of air, what remains in the grate or furnace bears no pyritous marks. Even the surfaces of the remaining small pieces, which remain unconsumed, retain the same glossy black colour, the same texture and bright appearance as at first, and partly resemble some other species of flaming and fuliginous coal.

The schistose mountains of Wales afford another substance if not of equal importance, yet of general utility. Slates, customarily denominated Cornish tile, because originally procured. from Cornwall, constitute an elegant roofing far superior in cheapness to that of lead, for which it is latterly become a very

common

common substitute. Long was the trade in slates confined to Cornwall and Westmoreland, but now both North and South Wales furnish slate equal in quality to any brought from either of those counties. The quarries are very numerously scattered over the country, but the principal are those of the Rheidiol near Aberystwith, Cardiganshire; Llangynnog, Montgomeryshire; and the extensive ones in Snowdonia, Caernarvonshire. Those at the former place produce specimens of the large and coarsest kind of slate, which lie in compact masses, resembling flag stone, of a rough texture, but separating easily into large plates. The slate of Llangynnog rock divides into large plates, is not quite of so coarse a quality, and forms a very profitable building article. These quarries, Mr. Pennant observes yielded from November 1775 to the same month in 1776, 904,000, which were sold from six to twenty shillings, per thousand. The Snowdonian slates are generally of a very fine grain, a beautiful blue colour, and when quarried, separate into exceeding thin lamina; properties, which render them peculiarly eligible for handsome roofing, and manufacturing into writing slates. The quantities procured from this district has of late years been so great, that the export trade of the article only, has converted a small insignificant creek into Port Penhryn. On viewing these different apertures of the schistose mountains a striking geological fact will result, correspondent with the principle of uniform, though unequal declivity. The slates it is observable are always coarsest in their texture on the northern or north-western sides of the ridge, and less so on the south and south-western sides; becoming gradually finer, as they approximate the limestone hills.

Numerous quarries of other valuable stones are opened in various places, which will be duly noticed in the description of their respective localities; viz. different kinds of marble fit for monuments, columns, chimney-pieces, and other ornamental sculpture and masonry; serpentine, and other species of hone stone; chert or petrosilex, and pure quartz, for the use

of

Tour in Wales

of the potteries. Nor should that very rare and curious substance be forgotten which furnishes the asbestus, a substance indestructible by fire, found on the shores of Anglesea.

In adverting to these diversified subterraneous treasures, the mind is naturally induced to enquire the era of their discovery, and the mode of their realization. Though it is probable the early Britons were not ignorant of the use of metals, yet they doubtless owed much to their first invaders, respecting minerals, and the working of mines. Copper appears to have been an object of pursuit with the Romans on their arrival in this island, remains of smelting furnaces having been discovered, and cakes of that metal found, marked with Roman letters, and the imperial stamp. Calamine, the cadmia of the ancients must also have been known to them, because essential to the making brass, of which most of the instruments they used in this country, appear to have been formed. Lead mines were also worked by that people, and probably silver extracted from the ore, traces of which have been observed both in North and South Wales; especially in the counties of Flint and Cardigan. Iron was known to the natives, previous to the Roman invasion, and a considerable iron manufacture was established in this country, according to the testimony of Strabo, anterior to the reign of Tiberius. The iron money, which constituted their circulating medium, as observed by Julius Cæsar, affords a demonstrative proof, that they were not unacquainted with smelting, forging, &c. The iron trade was doubtless considerably extended, and improved by the superior skill of the Romans, but they were not in possession of the art of extracting all the metal from the ore, as is evident by the heaps of cin ders still lying near their ancient bloomeries. Coals Mr. Pennant supposes were also known prior to the arrival of the Romans; from the Britons having a name for them, in their language, glo, and the circumstance of a flint axe, a common instrument of the aboriginal natives, having been found stuck

in a vein of coal at Craig y parc in Monmouthshire.

"

Of this

early discovery little can be said, because little is known. Hume refers the epoch to the thirteenth century. By an extent issued in the twenty third year of king Edward the first, however it appears, that Mostyn colliery in the parish of Whiteford, Flintshire, was worked during that monarch's reign and in the twelfth century coal is mentioned in the Acta regia, both of England and Scotland †. But allowing the discovery to be no further remote, the progress of its introduction to general use was very slow, even after wood became a scarce and expensive article of fuel. The smoke arising from mineral coal, as it was then termed, was by many deemed very pernicious to health, so late as the sixteenth century; for it is reported, that the lord chancellor Burleigh, in the reign of Elizabeth, was accustomed to have the coals for the use of his house, brought coastwise from Pembrokeshire; because they emitted less smoke than those imported from the north of England.

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The Britons, as previously observed, understood the use of metals, and were further instructed in the arts of mining and metallurgy by the intelligent Romans; but after the departure of the latter, self preservation necessarily would monopolize their attention, and peaceful science be obliged to succumb under the devastating hand of war. Yet their mines were not wholly neglected, for it was probably by means of this subterraneous wealth, that the Welsh were enabled to support against the English an unequal warfare for so long a time. During centuries after the conquest, in England the crown asserted its exclusive right to all mines and minerals. No person could search for ore unless empowered by a royal grant, and the conditions imposed were at the discretion of the monarch. Edward the first, on his effecting the conquest of Wales, extended his mining authority over that country, directing

• Pennant's Hist. of Whiteford and Holywell.

↑ Arnot's History of Edinburgh.

directing by mandate the tithe of ore, dug in the Welsh mines, to be paid to the respective churches in the vicinity. Nor does it appear, that the proprietor of the land on which a mine was opened, had any share in the profits, till the reign of Henry the sixth: when the duke of Bedford obtained a lease for ten years of all the gold and silver mines within the kingdom, on condition of paying a tenth part of the proceeds to the church, a fiftieth to the king, and a twentieth to the owner of the land. This grant extended to all other mines, containing gold and silver; for by the convenient chicanery of the law, all mines producing the least particle of either of those precious metals, was, by constructive reasoning, made to come within the grant. This was a great discouragement to mining in general, and a cruel hardship upon individuals. Nor was the science of mineralogy, or the art of mining likely to make much progress in a period, when miracles were admissible not only in religion, but the arts: when the transmutation of metals obtained the same implicit credit, as the transubstantiation of the sacramental elements; and the transmuters were shielded by royal protection. Queen Elizabeth, however, adopted a sound policy in this respect. Following the advice of her council, she sent over for some experienced Germans, to conduct the business of the mines, as well as smelting the ores and refining the metals. By her letters patent she granted licence to Thomas Thurland, and Daniel Houghsetter, and their heirs for ever, to search for mines of gold, silver, &c. &c. through several specified English counties, and the whole principality of Wales. A year afterwards she made two more grants to Cornelius Devosse and Christopher Shutz. These patentees, by virtue of the powers annexed to the several grants, divided part of their tenure into shares for sale: and they, with the purchasers of such shares, were incorporated by the style of the governor assistants and commonality of the mines royal." Under this company the celebrated Sir Hugh Middleton, farmed the principal silver and lead mines in Cardiganshire, the profits of which enabled him to undertake that extraordinary effort of human ingenuity

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and