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59 



equal to fume of thofe that are efteemed of the firft clafs in Europe ; nor undeferv- 

 edly ; for the matrix in which they are engaged, is of a foft and yielding nature, and 



anfwers both the hammer, and the fire, with equal eafe. I have examined a few 

 lumps of that near Sir Simon Clarke's, which abounds more with the lapis lazuli -, 

 and found it both rich and mellow, but as they have not yet dug any depth in the 

 ground, it is not poffible to know how the veins may turn out : the mine at Mr. 

 Anderfons feems to be the moft conveniently fituated, both for wood and water, as 

 well as carriage ; and not inferior to any in the quality of its ore j but that honeft 

 man frequently miftakes the bad for the good, and rhews a piece of mundick, which 

 he obtains with difficulty from the hardened rock, for fine ore, while the rich and 

 mellow matrix is thrown heedlefly afide ; and, I doubt not, but it is the cafe 

 with many others, who may be as little acquainted with the nature and appearances 



of metalic fubftances. 



I admire that fome of 'thofe gentlemen who have advanced 



fo far in their refearches after filver, did not pufti their induftry a little further, and 

 endeavour to extract gold from fome of thofe -, in which they were likely to prove 



more fuccefsful where Copper is fb much ufed at every plantation (a). 



Befides the mechanical ufes of this metal, which are too well known to need any 

 mention here : it is fometimes applied for the relief of difordered habits, and not 

 undefervedly efteemed one of the moft powerful remedies in fuch dropfies as proceed 

 from the weaknefs of the lymphatics, or a general languor of the folid fyftem ; in 



which cafes it feldom fails to prove an excellent diuretic, and ftrengthener : there 

 is a fait and a tincture eafily extracted from it by every volatile fpirit, that may be 

 iven on thefe occafions ; and its vitriol and ruft are found to be the moft effectual 

 deterfives and cleanfers of foul fores in thofe fultry parts, where the furface of the 



body is too much relaxed for the common applications to be effectual. 



But 



this 



fubftance of its own nature is rather prejudicial to the machine, and frequently puts 



which reafon it always requires 



on the appearance of poifon in its o 



to be adminiftered with caution. It affords fome beautiful blue's and green's that 

 are daily ufed with fuccefs in painting $ but the diforders which limners, and engrav- 

 ers, generally impute to this mineral, feem to arife rather from the aquafortis^ and 



the other ingredients that pafs daily through their hands, than from any of the dila~ 

 tenous qualities of the metal. 



JL 



1 







As to Gold and Silver Ores, none were yet difcovered in this Ifland, except 

 what has been found mixed with the lead ores of Ligaanee^ which was not fufficient 

 to defray the charges of the manufactury. Neither could I ever find any considerable 

 marks of iron, either in this or the other fugar colonies : black fand, it is true, is at- 

 tracted by the magnet, but does not anfwer with the acid, or the fire ; and the black 



Tricherium* which feems to mew fome marks of real iron, is too light and 



porous to be considered as an ore ; and too fcarce to be of any fervice even in 

 phyfic. , 



n t 



* TRICHERIUM 



\ 







At rum micaceumferro rcn-iori impregnatum & in- 



cruftatum. 



t 



The black fpanded Tricherium with a fmall ad 



mixture of iron. 





This fubftance is found far back in the mountains above Bull-Bay, but it is not in 

 any confiderable quantities. 



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I 



(a) I have with the afliftance of fome very ingenious planters computed, that an eftate which produces 

 about ioo hog&eads of fugar a year, muft be at the certain expence of 65 /. pen annum in copper and 

 lead alone; and hence it appears, that this Ifland muft expend 23700 /. every year in thefe articles, which 



they might have got within the Ifland at an eafier rate, and ftreng thened the colony with fome thoufands 





of induftrious labourers befides. 





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SECT. 





