Discoverie and Historie of Gold Mynes in Scotland. 175 



larly as it is introductory to a very interesting description of the mode in 

 which the Scottish gold was formerly collected. The passage is as follows i 

 " God said unto the Trinity, ' Let there be dry land/ which was longafteJf 

 the worlde's creation, and immediately it was so, at which time the gene- 

 rail deluge was ; and then, even att that time, naturall gold and silver 

 (which now is found to be in combes and vallies) was forced and toorne 

 from his bedd or vazen, from his dwelling-place, viz, God's treasur house 

 in the earth, &c. And thyther even our Scott's gold, which is now found 

 in sternes, or in graines, and peices, did discend, or was washed downe. 

 In which vallies, combes, skirts of hills, or cloughes, even untill this pre- 

 sent day, it hath laid still and not removed, except after a great speat of 

 raine, the force whereof doth breake and weare the superficies of the earth, 

 but not the solidd earth ; after which, the Scotts men, and women, and 

 children, run to seeke for it, and doe find it still, even untill this day : 

 and thereby they find with it alsoe the saxere stones in great abundance, 

 and alsoe much of the calamineere stones ; but the salineere stones is as 

 small as the musterd seede, and some like meale ; and the sappar stone in 

 lumps, and like unto the fowls eyes or birds eggs. And the most strangest 

 of all is this ; there is found naturall gold, linked fast unto the sappar 

 stone, even as vaines of lead ewer and white sparrs doe growe togeather, 

 &c. But theire usuall manner is, when they seeke for gold in combes 

 and vallies, to frame or make a long sowgh, or scowring place, into which 

 they bringe the streame water, to scower away the light earth from the heavy 

 sandy earth, and to cull away the great stones from the heavy sand, which 

 sand or heavy earth they scrape into theire troughe or tray, and by stirring 

 it, and washing the same often, there is found both raine gold, flatt gold, 

 pale gold, and blacke gold : yett all these be naturall gold, &c. And alsoe 

 all these are called perfect compacted gold, made in the beginning of the 

 worlde, and engendreth with these stones aforesaid amongst rocks and 

 craighs, without the helpe of sonn, moone, or Starrs." 



We shall now give a brief chronological view of the history of the gold 

 mines of Scotland, as far as can be collected from Mr Atkinson's work and 

 the illustrations of Mr Meason. 



James IV. who was a studier of Alchemy, is the earliest of the Scottish 

 monarchs who is recorded to have worked the gold mines. In his reign 

 the gold mines of Crawford Moor were said to have been first discovered. 

 These mines were worked under the inspection of Sir James Pettigrew, who 

 employed some Englishmen and Dutchmen to conduct the refining and 

 melting department. 



In the year 1526 a company of Germans obtained a grant from James V. 

 for twenty-one years of the gold and silver mines of Scotland. In this 

 reign three hundred men are said to have been employed for several 

 summers in washing gold, of which they are reported to have obtained 

 L. 100,000 in English money. Gold was also said to have been got in the 

 Pentland Hills, in Langham Water, in Megget Water, and other places. 



In the early part of the reign of James VI. probably between 1580 and 

 1592, two Dutch painters, De Vos and Bronkhorst, (brought over to exe- 

 cute the pictures in the gallery of Holyrood- House,) entered into a part- 



