DiscQVerie and Historic of'Gold Mynes in Scotland, 179 



In A. D. 1607, the discovery of 'the silver mine of Hilderston, near Lin- 

 lithgow, took place, which raised the most flattering expectations. Ten 

 tons of the various metals were sent to England to be assayed, and were 

 refined by Atkinson, (then a refiner in the Tower of London.) 



In A. D. 1608, Sir Bevis Bulmer was appointed, by patent, master and 

 surveyor of the Hilderston mine, and under his direction it was worked 

 for the crown three years. He called the shaft of one silver mine at Hil- 

 derston God's blessing. The silver was got out of what was called red 

 metal, and the purest sort contained in it twenty-four ounces of fine 

 silver obtained from every hundred weight. 



Bulmer soon gave up these works to pursue other mining speculations ; 

 for in the year 1613 Sir William Alexander, Thomas Foullis, and Paulo 

 Pinto, a Portuguese, got a grant of the mine of Hilderston on paying a 

 tenth of the refined ore. The vein, however, eventually failed. 



We may now advert to Atkinson himself, the author of the very curiouii 

 account of the mines of Scotland. He had served an apprenticeship to a 

 refiner in London of gold and silver, and was admitted a refiner in the 

 Tower of London, A. D. 1586. Ho afterwards was engaged in Devon- 

 shire in refining silver from lead ore. He was taught his mining skill by 

 B. B. an "ingenious gentleman," and was two years in Ireland with Sir 

 Bevis Bulmer. He was afterwards tempted to leave his refining business, 

 in order to explore gold mines in Scotland. In A. D. 1616 Atkinson 

 obtained leave to search for gold and silver in Crawford Moor on paying 

 to the king one-tenth of the metals found. He probably, as Mr Laing Mea- 

 son supposes, wanted money for the undertaking, and therefore wrote 

 to his majesty ; and after comparing several of the king's acts to those of 

 David and Solomon, suggested the opening of the gold mines of Scotland, 

 which would make his majesty the richest monarch in Europe, yea, in all 

 the world. The Scots' gold mines were compared by him to God's treasure- 

 house, and named Ophir gold for their goodness. " Some have doubted," 

 (he adds,) '' that any goodness could be produced from Scot's ground ; ar- 

 guing it in the following reasons : — First, That, as it were admitted by 

 schoolmen that gold and silver were engendered by the heat of the sun 

 and moon, there could be no such metals in Scotland, because the sun and 

 tnoon did not there shine :" which objection the author answers by an apt 

 allusion to the heat that exists in dieep mines, or in the entrails of the earth, 

 which he supposes to be quite sufficient for the purpose of engendering gold. 

 After this hypothesis he pays an extravagant, and almost profane compli- 

 ment to King James, which he introduces by a sort of side-wind. " Lett 

 my judiciall man understand, that twenty fathoms under ground, within 

 the entrails of the earth, it is as hott, even in the coldest country or na- 

 tion under the whole scope of Heaven, as in the hotest ; so that it is no 

 argument that in Scotland there can be no naturall gold or silver, for as- 

 suredly it hath bin found there tippon Crayford Moore, and other moores 

 adjoyning thereto, before any man now alive was borne, some thereof in 

 solidd places, uppon mountaines and mosses, and some in shallow places^ 

 within vallies and dales, neere to the river or brooke-side, yea, even as iif 



