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Spectator says:-"The plan of the work seems to be most conveniently arranged. Nothing could be easier for purposes of reference."

HAZELL'S ANNUAL, 1889.—“Contains above 3,500 concise and explanatory Articles, on every topic of current political, social, biographical, and general interest referred to by the Press and in general conversation." "A most useful book."

HAZELL'S ANNUAL, 1889.-A Cy

clopædic Record of Men and Topics of the Day. Crown 8vo. 700 pages, cloth, price 3s. 6d. Fourth Year of Issue. Second Edition.

HAZELL'S ANNUAL, 1889.-"Forms quite a library in itself. There is hardly a topic regarding which people think, speak, or write that is not treated."-Scotsman.

HAZELL'S ANNUAL, 1889.-A Cy

clopædic Record of Men and Topics of the Day. 8vo. 700 pages, cloth, 3s. 6d.

CONTAINING over 3,500 Original Articles

by eminent Specialists. Edited by E. D. PRICE, F.G.S.

FOURTH YEAR of ISSUE, greatly Enlarged, Revised, and Rewritten. SECOND EDITION NOW READY. price 3s. 6d. cloth, at all Booksellers' and Bookstalls.

London: HODDER & STOUGHTON, 27, Paternoster-row.

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LONDON, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1889.

CONTENTS.-N° 163.

NOTES:-Precious Metals in the British Isles, 101-The Candlemas Bleeze, 103-English Canting Songs-Indictments against Gaming-Mrs. or Miss, 104-Dummy-Bears' Suicide -Epitaph on J. R. Green-St. Mark's-Sloyd, 105-Fotheringay Castle- Folk-lore in the Azores-Wordsworth — Blanket-Lip-bruit-' Coaching Days'-Eyelashes suddenly becoming White, 106.

clay slates, as in the Snowdonian range, and traces of gold have been found in the toadstone of Derbyshire. A cobalt mine was also discovered at Gwenap, Cornwall, in 1754, and gold and silver have both been found at Helston and Endillion, in the last-mentioned county; antimony also at the latter place.

REPLIES:- The Ingoldsby Legends,' 109-Chains of StrawGenealogical, 110-"Dolce far niente"-Silvain-Mermaid Once a Week'-Touch, 111-T. Dray-Cromwell and Carlisle Cathedral-A Mayor's Title - Carbonari-Anson's Voyages, 112-Herrington Churchyard - Seringapatam, 113" The Fox and Vivian"-Death Warrant of Charles I. -Proverb-Arrant Scot"-Crabbe's Tales of the Hall,' 114-Frances Cromwell-Early English and Late GothicRelics of Charles L, 115-Comitatus Cereticus-Westgate The Termination "kon"-"Sneck posset"-T. Payne-T. Harrison-Society of Kabbalists, 116-Corfe Castle-Kissing under the Mistletoe - Sandal Gates-J. Rollos-Porchas, 117-Kissing-Sons of Edward III.-Iron Coffins-The

Dominican Rule-Heraldic-' Christa Sangítá,' 118.

Kerry in 1755.

The Romans worked gold in Carmarthenshire, and the washings down of the Carnon Stream Mine, near Perran, "used to bring away many sorts of metal with curious bits of gold."

At Helmsdale, in Sutherlandshire, gold is said to have been worked in the granite (?) some years ago, and a piece weighing 26 oz. was found in Wicklow in 1795. In the papers of the Bannatyne Club (1825) is one on the Discoverie and Historie of Gold Mynes in Scotland, 1619.'

Notes.

PRECIOUS METALS IN THE BRITISH ISLES.

The question of royalties in connexion with goldmining industry in the British Isles having been lately (November 8) debated in Parliament, the following notes, gathered from time to time from miscellaneous sources, may not prove uninteresting. At all events, if added to, or otherwise enlarged upon, by the correspondents of 'N. & Q.,' they may possibly form the nucleus of a collection of valuable material bearing upon the question and its bibliography. I have not at hand the sources from which the extracts and condensed accounts were made, nor (except where stated) the references as to whence derived, so that a few errors of transcription may possibly occur. In other respects the whole may be taken as from fairly trustworthy

sources.

Gold, silver, and copper are all stated to be held in solution, in appreciable quantities, in sea water, and enough silver has been found in the worn copper of some ships to make it worth while to extract it.

All copper mines contain silver to a greater or less extent, and it is found similarly in all lead mines and lead ore. Such argentiferous ores are the common lead ores of the northern counties of Wales, of Derbyshire, Cumberland, and Durham.

Gold, silver, and cobalt occur in nearly all the

claimant.

A paper concerning gold mines in Scotland also occurs in appendix 10 to the second part of 'Pennant's Tour in Scotland,' 1772; and in September, 1853, Mr. Calvert read a paper on the production of gold in the British Isles before the British Association, in which he stated that, from his own explorations and researches, he believed gold was to be found in forty counties in these islands, and over an area of 500 square miles. "The largest known nuggets hitherto were one of 3 lb. from Lanarkshire, and three of 2 lb. from there and Wicklow." He predicted the finding of gold fields in the clay slate of Canada.

With respect specially to gold, in Pollux Hill, near Silsoe, Beds,

"was discovered in 1700 a mine of gold, which, being immediately seized for the king, according to law, it was let to some persons who employed labourers and artificers to purify it";

but it was not found sufficient "to answer the expense."

In the same year another mine was discovered in a village called Taynton, on the northern borders of the Forest of Dean, of which a lease was granted to some refiners, who extracted gold from the ore; and Borlase, in the 'History of Cornwall,' relates that in 1753 several pieces of gold were found in what the miners call" stream tin.”

In Wales, 5,300 oz. were produced near Dolgelly in 1863, and 720 oz. in 1875-8. This, I believe, refers only to the mines worked in the Mawddach Valley, where the present operations are being carried on.

In 1526 James V. gave a company of Germans a grant of the mines of Scotland for forty-three years, and they are said to have "toiled laboriously" at gold digging for many months in the surface of the alluvia of the moor, and obtained a considerable amount of gold.

In 1563-4 the queen granted to John Stewart, of Tarlaw, and his sons, licence "to win all kinds of metallic ore" from the country between Tay and Orkney. In the event of their finding gold or silver, "where none was ever found before," they had the same licence, paying one stone of ore for every ten won, and the arrangement to last for nine years, the first two of which were to be free.

In 1567 the Regent Murray granted licence to Cornelius de Voix, a Dutchman, for nineteen years to search for gold and silver in any part of Scotland; and he so far persuaded the Scots to " confederate," that they raised a stock of 5,000l. Scots (equal to about 4167. sterling), and worked the mines under royal privilege. He appears to have had "six score men at work in the valleys and dales." He employed "both lads and lasses, and the men and women who before went a-begging." He profited by their work, and "they lived well and contented." They sought for the metal by washing the detritus in the bottom of the valleys, and received a mark sterling for every ounce they realized.

One John Gibson survived so late as 1619 in the village of Crawford to relate how he had gathered gold in these valleys "in pieces like birds' eyes and birds' eggs, the best being found," he said, "in Glengaber Water, in Ettrick, which was sold to the Earl of Morton."

"Cornelius within the space of thirty days sent to the cunyie-house, Edinburgh, as much as eight pound weight of gold, a quantity which would now bring 4501. sterling."

The adventure was subsequently taken up by one Abraham Gray, a Dutchman, resident in England, "commonly called 'Greybeard,' from his having a beard which reached to his girdle." He hired country people at fourpence a day to wash the detritus round the Harlock Head for gold, some of which was presented by the Regent Morton to the French

king in the shape of a basin of natural gold filled with gold pieces, also the production of Scotland. In 1580 one Arnold Bronkhorst, a Fleming, and a group of adventurers worked gold mines in Lanarkshire, and one Nicholas Hilliard, goldsmith, of London, and miniature painter to Queen Elizabeth, is said to have belonged to the company.

66

1582-3. A contract was entered into between the king (James VI.) and one Eustachius Roche, a Fleming and mediciner," whereby he was to be allowed to break the ground anywhere, and use timber from the royal forests in furthering the work, without molestation, for twenty-one years, on the sole condition that he "delivered for his Majesty's use for every 100 oz. of gold found 7 oz.," and "for all other metals (silver, copper, tin, and lead) 10 oz. for every 100 oz. found; and sell the remainder of the gold for the use of the state at 221. per ounce of utter fine gold, and of silver at 50s. the ounce." This must be, of course, Scots currency. (Privy Council Records.)

In 1596 an edict was issued to Robertson and Henderland forbidding them to continue selling their gold gotten in Crawfurd Muir to merchants for exportation, "but to bring it to the King's cunyie-house to be sold there at the accustomed price for the use of the state" (Privy Council Records).

In 1616 Stephen* Atkinson was licensed by the Privy Council" to search for gold, and the Saxeer, and Alumeer and the Salyneer stanes" in Crawfurd Muir, on conditions similar to the former grants; and in 1621 a similar licence was granted to a Dr. Hendlie ('Domestic Annals of Scotland').

During the eighteenth century there appears to have been a lull in gold seeking and finding in the North. In the Moffat Times, however, of July, 1859, it is stated that

"Mr. Griffin, a gentleman from Leamington, has this week passed through Moffat provided with all tools necessary for gold digging and washing, accompanied by two miners from Leadhills. The scenes of their explorations are to be the head of Moffat side and in the neighbourhood of St. Mary's Loch."

With regard to the finding of silver in England, the most interesting particulars are to be found in connexion with the well-known Combe Martin Mines, Devon. These are known to have been worked in or about 1300, in the reign of Edward I., and with great success during the French wars of his grandson and Henry V.

Circa 1587, in the reign of Elizabeth, a new lode was discovered here by Sir Beavis Bulmer, who was able to present Her Majesty with a cup made out of the ore. This cup, or one similar to it, was presented by the queen to W. Bouchier, Esq., of Bath, when lord of the manor, as appears by the inscription :

This is elsewhere given as Samuel.