to fee bow ready and exadt thefe,,redkoners are in. dividing, .though
oftentimes theypan neither .mite rior read The parcels beirtgdaid
forth, lots ate calf, and theniefetyipaireel has>-a diftinö,-math.laid
on it with one, two, or three Hones, and fometimes a bit of Hick or
turf ftuck up in the middle or fide oftheipilei; and when thefe marks
are laid on, the parcels,-may* continues ■ thei'e half a year or more
unmolefted j the property is fixed, and no one may add to; for
diminilh j fp f
sect. xvi. What the ancient method was o f . preparing tin for .the furnace,
Stamping we rannot fey; but Polybius the Hiftorian is laid to have defcribed
tb! tireffing g that work is commended by Sttabod, but now loft with
other valuable compofitions of that judicious author. The Ihört
dcfcription which we have of the tin-trade imcDiodorus Siouhis
(lib. iv. page 301, edit. Hanov. 1 66^)imuft not be.omltted, though
it is tqo:^neral ;fpt us learn many particulars from it. %*|Thefe
men (feys he, meaning the tinners) manufafturetheir tin byworking
the grounds which produce it_with;^eat ajcbj ;Pair^®3i%hiShe land
is rocky, it has Ibft veins o f earth running through, it-in which the
tinners find the treafure, extraö, melt, and purifyiit; then lhaping
it [by moulds] into a kind of cubical figure; they cajTy it off to
a certain illand lying near the Britifh Ihore, which ; they . call Idtis;
for at the recefs of the tide, the Ipace betwixt the illand and the
main land being dry, the tinners embrace the ^.opportunity, and
carry their tin in carts, as faft as may be,ïöVer to tHeriadhs (or. port);
for it muft be obferved, that the. illands which lie betwixt the continent
and Britain, have this Angularity, that when the tide is. full,
they are real illands; but when the fea retires, they are but lo many
peninfulte. From this illand the merchants huy the tin of- the :na-
tives, and export it into Gaul; and, finally, through Gaul, by a
journey of about thirty days, they bring it down an horfes to the
mouth of the Erydanus, meaning the Rhone'.” In this defcription
it will naturally occur to the inquifitive reader to afk, where this
Idtis was to which the Comilh carried their melted tin in carts, and
there fold it to the merchants. I really cannot inform him; but by
the Idlis here, it is plain that the Hiftorian could not mean the Idris
or Vedtis of the ancients (at prelent called the Ifle.of Wight), for
he is Ipeaking of the Britans of Cornwall, and, by the words, it
Ihould feem, thole of the moft weftern parts. Tyc y&g Bpélmtxric
mix t0 ctxgwlqpiov to mhny.svov Bëkepiov 01 xaloixsvlec, & c . ï Ovjoi rov
maadspov zala<Txevxfecn (pthólexyxg, ê f c. that is, “ thole who live at the
i Geogra. lib. ii. leilles, fays Poffidonius, in Strabo, lib. ill. page
• Rhodanus, fays the Latin tranflation; to Mar- 147, edit. Par. t OiO. »
extreme
esftfenke end of Britain, called Heleriumi ,: ‘find;; dnris, melt,.«any?
indsfelL their tin;. Nowlinwould be abfurd to thmk that thefekfiSbitaiits
■.lhou'ld!.!paT.ry.<in-- cartstheir tin near two hundred .1 miles,
(dor fo! fer diftarif j& thst'Ifre ■ ofrWight from/1 them.) when /they had
^ lea0 :;a®^a^gW:s arid »h as;> they could
meet tha^jpwefides, thefeeinhabitarftsvnifo laid’,^in;;the, feim@
paragraph, to haw" been more tha/f ordinarily'civilized by;converfingJ
with’lfeangers' aiiftbrnerchants. I Thole? i merchants then' muft have?
been- tftdjr tonveilfent in CmnwaHjamjEret trafficked for? tin;) that is,?
there bought, and thence expdstqdl tlfes-ton,-..or.'they'could l^,ve{no
Wfinefa therej; tHeir refiderice dmddvljtavdjHeeii indfomefiof’ theports
oft Hamplhire^i and Corrtwalhoojuld; fcalrc^havfe; felt, tferinfhjence ° f
their manners-* much lefsuliave been improved ,afidf civilized, by them'
at that diftancp.vsi Again s The Gorridh;!. affolstho tin. was melted;
carried 3 « at IpW-twater over tfethfeilftfe .'fekejssts ^thisrSvilli-by- hgf
mfeap,s;$uit? the; fituatiott of the Ble of Wight, • whkfcls aftfeaftiitwo-
miles diftant fromthetnairi land,, arid nev.ec(as far asg«e ©ah learnA®»
been alternately an illand and«'a peninfula? as- fh4 ride :ia in and outv
The Iftis therefore here meritinritytt miift lye ftdmewh^e.f neaE^ithe
coaft ijf „Cornwall, and muflteitber; have> been a- gentall name for
any^^K^&feson §,;cjeek|3tipk?being ,&>. common;Gbrnifhi wordj^defH
noting? af C.ove,r <GreeIty.'br' Port ’o f . trafficki) ibr ; the name; qfrlome:
‘particular penipfidtA.add common empofiuttil ah j thb daBire coaft,
i^duchjhas flfrw loft; ityriftmus, name, andperhaps, whqltyffifappear-:
ed,' by means of - feme great alterations on the- fea^ftfeM' ofnthi^
bounty; .'.-But ,to return:'^griuS^tjoft^.manufedrini^tjfe*‘tmlwa^
ever, aLraity great height amtyig1 the ancients (foithissauthori.feenis!
^6 intimate), it/‘hasihadrife;riles and fallsdike sdl othe»i foprfo
late a^ithe; reign of i EUz^eth, :. the prbeefs fedms to ,ha(|e}heeri in a
ftate; ofimiperfedrion; .-a^dm have been greatly dteredrfpr;thfe better,
b^ the 'then ;Slr F ir in g Godblphin o fJ Godolphirijl m Mr*
Carew infdsins- us i(|>age <3 and 1 l i ^ ^ n Irtpwiifed fince
that time, and is ftill capable, . I- believe, o f farther- improvements.
It will therefore be^ths.mibreie^bfable'.tQjilivb'ar'dpt^ilf qfilthislprb^
eefs, and fet. forth the whole method of ordering ?tlje';tin-ore;: as it
is pradlifed by the moft Ikilful artifts of the. preferit time, illilftrating
the fame with the mill;r andlthe feveral Works fubferviefrt fheretQ. ;;
i; • The tin-ore being divided, isithen -(.asievery. ©wrierisspppotturiity
ferves) carried to.; the • ftampingihjiill,
toor at C, Plate xrx. J%. ?nt ^ I f the^qlt qlHdammy;
ftime, ’ it;is turned. from||jje tarea, Q, ifttp-.a,jit ne'artby, called
,a Buddie, L I,. fo mike it ftawg thft?
| N o w I * Jfagt i f 2» z
Z z grates,
SEGT.XVII.
jTThé prdênt,
method of
jdrefling or
preparing
tin-ore; fèf
'tlie furnace.
,Offtamp