262 The Scottish Naturalist. 



Treasur-House, placed by God Himselfe within the centur of the 

 earth. . . . But others . . . will not be perswaded that any 

 goodnes can be produced out of Scotts ground, and are doubt- 

 full whether the sonne and moone and Starrs shine there or not." 

 In 162 1, a Royal warrant or licence was granted to Dr John 

 Hyjidlie^ to work "his Majestie's mines of gold within the 

 bounds of Crawford Moor, Frier Moor, Crawfordjohn, Robert 

 Moor," and other specified localities (Porteous). How long his 

 operations lasted, and what was their nature, does not appear. 

 But since this date, there would seem to have been no systematic 

 working of the Crawford gold-fields or gold-diggings. The grad- 

 ual failure of these diggings was probably coincident with, or 

 dependent upon, and in proportion to, the gradual increase in 

 the value of labour. But between 151 1, when we first hear 

 of the "gold-mynes" of Crawford, and 162 1, when we hear of 

 them for the last time — as being worked, at all events, systemati- 

 cally or on the large scale — the workings, on whatever scale, 

 whether by Dutch, German, French, English, or Scotch miners, 

 and of whatever nature their operations were — whether alluvial- 

 washing or quartz-crushing — were repeatedly suspended and re- 

 sumed ; the reason of these vicissitudes in their history being 

 easily found in the disturbed state of the country, the deaths of 

 kings, and the losses in battle with the English, as well as the 

 failures, temporary or permanent, of lessees, or the local unpro- 

 ductiveness of the mines themselves. 



In the sei'e?iteenth century, Charles I. had his coronation-medals 

 struck of Crawford gold ; while Sir Hans Sloane, the well-known 

 founder of the British Museum, had a medal made of it (Calvert). 

 In the eighteefith century — about 1740 — Sir John Erskine and 

 others had '' a plan for working the Clydesdale mines again " 

 (Calvert) ; but it does not appear that this " plan " was ever 

 carried into effect. In the reign of " George III., in the present 

 nineteenth century, the working of the Clydesdale gold was at- 

 tempted to be resumed under the superintendence of the man- 

 ager of the lead-mines at Wanlockhead ; but the price of labour 

 was considered too high to induce the continuance of the work- 

 ing." This is "the last account we have of the working of the 

 Clydesdale mines " (Calvert). 



It is now desirable to arrive at some idea of, or conclusion con- 



* Or llcndlic, as Calvert calls him. Calvert does not adhere, in his quota- 

 tions from Atkinson or the Cottonian MSS., to the old orthography, as Fittis 

 and Dudgeon very properly do. 



