84 N A T U R A Lfi H I S T O R Y
earth4. The calcariov|s;particles of which this coral is compofed, are
difperfed «sm .oyer tfoe weftprn; fobres of-Cornwall,- as is plain from
the coralline mofs, inpruftationsy efcharge, ' fprig, ,; ahd bunchy coral,
difperfed on,the nicks, «fends, and ore-nveed'-of>Mouririsfoay,
Land’s End, and fos^Hprfo <chanel, but the principal place in Cornwall
where foiseoraEis found in-liich .quantity'as to’be dredgedMfor
manure is in Falmouth Harbour, and the foores adjoining °. '
Let me add that a great deal: o f : this calcar ious coral i matter
fwims Unfixed and liquid in the fea water,of which foe. teftaceous
animals form their foells, and into which the' ihells^bf dead ani'majh
are again refolved, and fupply materials for the dwellings*:of a ffefh
generation. ’Tfo to this coral impregnation thatwe owe in« a great
meafure the fertility occafioned by the air, arid froth of'the feat, Of
fea-water carried upon the land wifo-tfend >or breWeed. In fmiall
iflands which am-pftentimes^wafhed alhcwer by the fpray oftheffea
during a ftorm, it is obfervable, that if . feme'gentle rain immediately
follows the ftorm,-‘ io as to wafh in the nutritious contents 'of
the fea-water, .before they are dried and difperfed bys-foe full and
wind, their grafs and other plants forivp-forprizingly.
C H A P. VIII.
O f Hüfbandry in Cornwally. its,ancient^ a,nd prefent\State.
T H É art o f Hufbandxy wasjpfofo praétifed iri Cornwall.two
centuries ago f ; Their grounds lay all in common, J a only-
“ divided by ftitch-meale„vand their bread-com.. vejy little; their
“ labour-horfes were food only before8, .and the - people devoting
“ themfelves entirely to tin, their neighbours- o f Devonfoire and
“ Sorherfetfoire, hired, their., pafturcs 'an a,;ljent, and. ftored them
“ with the cattle they brought with them from their own homes,
t( and made their profit of the Cornifo, by cattle fed,at,their own
“ door; the lame perfons alfo fupplied them at their markets with
“ many hundred quarters of corn, and horfe-loads of bread.” Car.
p. 19, See. This was a very difadvantageous ftate .of the commerce of
this county, for the products of the tin will always be fluctuating
and precarious, but the neceffity of flefo and corn is. perpetual,, and
the returns from hulbandry properly managed, annual,, regular, and
conftant ; people therefore increafing, and the mines fometimes
4 The feveral Chapes in which this coral appears,
Cork. VoL II. page 380.
I fliall take farther notice of hereafter, among the
f Not paUed the remembrance of fome yet living
marine productions.
fays Mr. Carew, page 66, who publMhed
e Some coral is found on the coaft of Ireland in
in *602.
Bantry-bay, and is Counted the richeft manure
* Ibidem, page 67.
they have in thofe parts. Natural Hiftory of
failing,
jOtJFv fee & R N W A K.u; :: ~gf$.
foiling,vt-he Cornifoafoh, tfo^needfiky J J3 applying themfelves to:
hulbandry, “ there being no trades, (fays, the judicious Mr..Carew,
“ pag. 21.). which fet fo many hands at work, at all. times of the
“ year, as that one of tillage . Their improvements ;anfwered/
’ tiiei:r expectations,, and in the latter end of the reign ;.of | queen,
Elizab,9^/foe- Cpp^jHi^found, thefoifeives in £tr capacity, notTonfo'
stonfuPP9^M?lriffl§^( hnf to expdm^^rea't deal eojr» to Spain;:
, p j | p&|ts. J^riltivaClqMas been,advancing .ever, finde,-
■ andfo^fjffoncedj^nd more profitahllfoelpfuces;fo&foe.plough .are
nqawhe|Je to.-b^.feen^rth,an -foe, b&nfcfobf} Quqtgreateft rivers Tamar,*
Alan,n% j an^Fawy, and, the fea-jcoafEof our harbours qari-:foew'f>:?jS
Inti$kf eaftetn’ parts' ^ fog eputa^they qfejimb «made ofa>% e
9 P??r;hleo f^ ej rfoff mapute, «and " forifer of. this' limp .fifes in nu®*
Cornwall: On the Barton of J^ly^dqjl^'in; Frohus* parifo; there-; has
been Ih^eV.ftope.fonnd; -there js (-a 'lime^quajTy bn ifoe>kmfesbft Sic
John r-^folefworthj „Bart.i^pf Pencarrow.- -Near; Padfto w,•r foelril is
^ajrble,1fbut it; has* never sanfwered. the «expeneeriof burning«'foir lime.
Ah.l'fow-JCaye, }in|,foe;;parifo o f lower,rBfe ©ohimbyf'foey .find a
PPEFfo. P1.??hie qjj. ihe-(- fopres, which jj thpy ha\fe burnt; foe lime, arid
it burns JieeJy, fouj;, the ftone has-'fo mijch of5 the; cryftalline matteri •
l&jftts- m in.«. lipic ithcrc wgf© loiind nianj^ finaJl lumpslof-flonc;
vitrefied, wfich greatly dimanifoedothe p r ic e :T h is is. probahly
f-«(Muf. R. S. pag.: 316)-JcaHs the worft fort o f Comifo
maflpfe ufedifor Jime. t-Tfoe beff'li'ipepftpne-ihaYe heard ofrraifed in
«P?r\fo . airfwcri veay:
^ejl,,. apqifs«m^hj®fal .thereabouts:- «This, is near the. pg
Jfovonfoire, from which, (namely from Plymouth andLyfion quarries)'
foe.Faforn parts fave mpft p f the-Eme which? IfeHies /foe manure.
O f marie the ufe -is little known,«««and lefs [MaaSfad3ia.’dBiteflpiCf. \
^al]; ithat’we cannot lb . i
jrifUy tax -Jthp, .land’ for, ;bomg': deftfeute r'of that ufeful manure, as
whom havir^ fear-fand
anfopr^-wepdjx in r plenty, fjdoj-npt « heed what their; own-, grounds
might afford them to ,their great emolurnent; ;dfoens again bave fbeir
attention fo- much engrerffediby tin,3ancl copper,-; that although they
foould turn up marie every day, and indeed often do fo, yet'every #
: g*Yes place foe grebly qupft of;meta&g It muft be allowed;
tpat, drpfopg. abundantly with «marie, as in ifome pauntfesyfoey-;are
obliged tp.do, to foe aruount of. fifteen or, eighteen hundred loads
rn an «acre, is extremely expenfive, and cannot'in -a fewiyears an-
feer the pxpence, but >pqr Cornifo [foil in. general needs ;nbt fo thick.
a coating, one hundred load may be enough in an acre; neither
nee^. we ufe “any marie but what by experiment wC find quickening
■h,Hiiving compared the walk, and the cultivated I reckon the latter are to the former as 20 to xrV I 1
giourids of each hundred, as impartially as I could, * Compleat Body of Hulbandry.
Z mid