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XI V. Account of the Difcovery of Silver in Herland Copper 

 Mine. By the Rev. Malachy Hitchins*. 



JLAERLAND Mine is fituated in the parifh of Gwtnear, 

 about feven miles north-eaft of St. Michael's Mount, on the 

 fouthern coaft of Cornwall ; and two miles and a half from 

 the mouth of the river Hayle, on the northern coaft of the 

 fame county; it is contiguous to Prince George mine. 



It commences in a valley on the weft, and pafles through 

 a hill, which is firft of fteep, and then of moderate, afcent, 

 for upwards of half a mile eaftward ; when the principal 

 copper lodes, which follow this direction, meet with a large 

 crofs lode, by which, and by other crofs courfes andflookans, 

 which interfect them in their farther progrefs, they are re- 

 peatedly heaved, and fo difordered by thele heaves, in their 

 form and pofition, and fo changed by them, in refpe6fc to 

 their compofition, as hardly to be recognized. 



The ftrata of the diftricl in which this takes place, coniift 

 of the common metalliferous fort of argillaceous flate called 

 killas. 



The copper lodes of this diftric~t are remarkable for the 

 fhortnefs of their continuity ; for, whereas other lodes may 

 be traced to an indefinite extent in the fame line of direction, 

 thefe, on the contrary, are obferved to taper away gradually, 

 and terminate, to all appearance, at a fhort diftance, com- 

 pletely and irrecoverably. 



This mine was worked about twenty years ago, when it 

 was funk to the depth of one hundred fathoms from the fur- 

 face. It was again fel to work about eight years fince; has 

 now four fire-engines and two fteam-whims on it; and is 

 funk to a depth of one hundred and fifty-five fathoms below 

 the furface, or, as the miners call it, from grafs. 



It is in this latter period of its hiftory, that a difcovery has 

 been made of a confiderable quantity of filver ore, in a par- 

 ticular part of the mine, the Angularity of which difcovery, 

 in this country, has much excited the curiofity of the public. 



For, although the numerous veins of lead in Cornwall arc 

 richly impregnated with filver, and occasionally yield fmall 

 quantities of filver ores, and even fpecimens of native filver, 

 vet, hitherto, no inftance had been known of their yielding 

 this precious metal in fuch abundance; nor had any circum- 

 stances, in the natural hiftory of the mineral veins of this 



* From the Tranfattioxs of the Rcjal Scacij- f»r i8oi. 



country, 



