Additional Answers to the Queries of Mines

has continued well ever since, leaving the Hospital yesterday, and professing himself cured. The Apoplecticall hath not had one Paroxysme since: And the several Sores, which the Plica Polonica had occasioned, are healed; and both these Persons have been able to work any time these three Weekes. Dated August 18. 1668. Additional Answers To the Queries of Mines, What the Worthy and Learned Mr. Joseph Glanvil intimated in his Answers to the Queries concerning Mines, publish'd Numb.28. p.525. viz. That he did not think himself by the return, then made, absolv'd of his Task, but intended to pursue that matter further, He now proveth to have been his real purpose, by the following Additions, very obligingly imparted by him; concerning the same Mendip-Mines; To which he premiseth this short instructive Letter; Sir, I now send you a more perfect account of the Mendip-Mines, which by the help of an Ingenious friend I procured from some very experienc'd Mine-men. I have since communicated these Informations to the Gentleman, who gave me the former, which I also sent you; and he assures me, that they are exact. Only in some little things they differ from some circumstances of his; as the Virgula he never knew practis'd; whereas these say, it hath, but is not much valued. For which, allowance must be made to the difference of 30 yeares; it being so long agoe, that my first Informant had to do in those matters. He also saith, that the Trees are sooner wither'd in their leaves upon this Hill; whereas they observe, that when a Mineral-vein runs up into the Roots of Trees, yet they have not noted any difference at Top; which must be understood with respect to other Trees there, into whose roots no such veins ran. I can perceive no difference in the account else, that is any wayes material. What defects you find in it, if you intimate them to me, I shall inquire again for further satisfaction, &c. To the 10—16 Qu. (Viz. Numb. 19. p.333.) the Grass is rank and good. There are few Trees on this part of the Hill; but the Workmen have known the Vein to run up into the roots of Trees, when they have observ'd no difference at the Top. They esteem the water healthy to drink, and to dress Meat with it. The Snow and Frost near the Grooves melt quickly, but continue long at further distance. To the 18, 19. Sometimes, when a Mine hath been very near the surface, the Grats hath been yellow and discolour'd. Some have made use of the Virgula divinatoria; but the Experienced Work-men have no value for it; yet they say, when the Mine is open, they may guess by it, how far the vein leades. To the 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26. Qu. White, Yellow and mixt Earth are leaders to the Country (as they call it;) Changeable colours alwayes encourage their hopes. For Stones, they are sometimes 12 fathom deep, before they meet any: Otherwhile, when a tony Reak at top, they meet Ore just under the sword (superficies) of the Grats, which Ore hath gone down above 40 fathom. A black stone is of bad signification, and leads to a Fam (a black thick Stone, that hinders their work.) A grey clear dry one they account best. They seldom encounter Damps. If in sinking they come to wet moorish Earth, they exspect a Fam, and to be closed up with Rocks. The nearnefs they guess by short brittle Clay; for the tough is not leading. As to the rest of the Queries, belonging to this Title, the Mine-men can give no satisfaction to them. To the 31, 32. The Ore sometimes is shole, and again, it is 14 or 20 fathom more or less, before they hit it. They follow a Veine inclining to some depth, when it runs away in flat Binns (their terme.) When the Stones part it, then they find a Veine again. Their Draughts are 14 or 16 Fathom, till they come to a Stone, where they cast aside a Draught call'd a Cutt. Then they sink plum again 4 or 5 Cutts one under another. They find Ore at 50 Fathom. Their best Reaks are North and South; East and West are good, though not so deep. But 6 and 12 are proper Reakes, the rest not so. To the 33 and 34. The Groove is 4 foot long, 2½ foot broad, till they meet a stone, when they carry it as they can. The Groove is supported by Timber of a Divers bigness, as the place gives leave. A piece of an Armes bigness will support 10 tun of Earth. It lasts long: that which was put in beyond the memory of man (nay, which by the difference in the manner of working their mines, they know to have lain above 200 years) will will serve in new Works. It is tough and black, and being expos'd to the Sun and Wind for 2 or 3 dayes, will scarce yield to an Axe. That which hath layn 40 yeares to their own knowledge, they have taken up, and set again. To the 35. When they have sunk a Groove, they will not be at the charge of an Air-shaft, till they come at Ore; and for the supply of Air have boxes of Elme, exactly closed, of about 6 inches in the clear, by which they carry it down above 20 Fathom. They cut a Trench, at a little distance from the top of the Groove, covering it with Turf and Rodds disposed to receive into the pipe, which they contrive to come in, sidewayes, to their Groove, 4 foot from the top; which carries down the Air to a great depth. When they come at Ore, and need an Air-shaft, they sink it 4 or 5 fathom distant, according to the convenience of the breadth, and of the same fashion with the Groove, to draw as well Ore as Air. To the 36, 37, 38. The waters are more plentiful in Winter, according to the downfalls of Rain. They make use of Leathern-baggs, 8 or 9 Gallons a piece, drawn up by Roapes, to free the water. To the 39, 40. If they find a Swallet, they drive an Alt upon Levell, till 'tis dry. Seldome Damps. To the 41, 42. I referr to a Melius inquirendum: Only they find no prejudice from any Iron-ore. To the 43, 44. If they cannot cut the Rock, they use Fire to aneale it, laying on Wood and Coale, and the Fire so contriv'd, that they leave the Mine before the Operation begins, and find it dangerous to enter again, before it be quite clear'd of the Smoak; which hath killed some. To the 45, 46, 47, 48. Beetles, Axe, Wedge, unless so hardned as to make a deep Impression upon the head of an Anvil, are not fit for their use; and yet they sometimes break them in an hour; others last 3 or 4 dayes, as it happens. They work cloath'd in Frocks and Waist-coats, by Candle-light of Tallow; 14 or 15 to the pound, each whereof lasts 3 houres, if they have Air enough: which if they want to keep in the Candle, the Work-men cannot stay there. A Vein being lost, they drive 2 or 3 fathom in the breast, as the nature of the Earth directs them. them. They convey out their Materials in Elme-Buckets drawn by Ropes. The Buckets hold about a Gallon. Their Ladders are of Ropes. To the 49, 50, 51. The Ore runs sometimes in a Vein, sometimes dispers'd in Banks. It lies many times between Rocks: some of it is hard, some milder. They never find any perf. et, but it must be refined. Many times they have branched Ore in the Sparr. To the 53--till 60. There is Sparr and Caulk about the Ore; and another substance, which they call the Crootes, which is a mealy white stone, marred with Ore, and soft. The Sparr is white, transparent, and brittle like Glass. The Caulk, white and heavy, heavier than any stone. The Vein lies between the Coats, and is of different breadths. It breaks off sometimes abruptly in an Earth, they call a Dealing Bed, and after a fathom or two may come again, keeping the same point. It terminates sometimes in a dead Earth Clayie, without Croot or Sparr; sometimes in a Rock called a Fore-stone. To the 62 till 65. There is much difference in the goodness of the Ore. The clearest and heaviest, best, 36 hundred of Ore may yield a Tun of Lead. Some small eyes of other mixtures, Brass, &c. To the 66. They beat the Ore with an Iron flat piece; cleanse it in Water from the dirt; sift it through a Wire-sive. The Ore tends to the bottom, and the Refuse lies at top. And these are the Preparations, they make use of, before 'tis fit for fusion. Then they have a Hearth about 5 foot high, set upon Timber, to be turn'd as a Wind-mill, to avoid the inconvenience of smoak upon a shifting VVind. The Hearth contains half a bushel of Ore and Coal, with bellowes on the top. The Charcoal is put upon the Hearth, where the Ore is, laying dry Gads upon the top, which they call their VVhite coales. There is a sink upon the side of the Hearth, into which the Lead runs, that holds about an hundred and an half. Then it is cast into Sand, and runs into those Soves (as they call them) which they sell. They have a barr, to stir the Fire, a shovel, to throw it up; and a Ladle heated red-hot, to cast out the Metal. To the 82, &c. Once melting is enough. The good melts best, and the best, first. There is sometimes half odds in the goodness. The best is distinguished by its weight. To the 88, 89. There is a flight in the smoak, which falling upon the Grass, poisons those Cattle that eat of it. They find the taste of it upon their lips to be sweet, when the smoak chances to fly in their Faces. Brought home, and laid in their houses, it kills Rats and Mice. If this flight mix with the Water, in which the Oar is wash't, and be carried away into a stream, it hath poisoned such Cattle, as have drunk of it after a current of 3 Miles. What of this flight falls upon the land, they gather up to melt in a Flagg-hearth, and make Shot and Sheer-lead of it. To the 90. They sometimes find slags, 3, 4, or 5 foot under ground, but such as they judge cast aside heretofore. The Promiscuous Inquiries, annexed in the Numb. 19, are most of them satisfied in the former Answers. But as to the Mineral Laws of Mendip, I am promised an Account of them, which I shall transmit to you, as soon as I have received it. Concerning subterraneous Demons, they have never seen any, but sometimes have heard knockings beyond their own Works, which, when follow'd by them, have afforded plenty of Ore. About 2 years since, one King of Wells in his Groove found a piece of Ore, in which they fancied the shape of a Man, Eyes, Armes, Leggs, full Breast: The whole was about 4 inches in length; the Mine proved rich. An Extract of a Letter. Written from Franckfurt in the Oder, by the learned Professor Johannes Christophorus Beckman to the Publisher, concerning Osteocolla, and some other Observables in those parts; Englished out of the High-Dutch, as follows. Sir, the Conversation with several worthy Members of the R. Society, I had the honor to be admitted to, when I was in England, as it then awakened me, and begot in me a resolution, better