OF THE WELSHi 273 



fey figns; and by pradlce I can underftand him, 

 and make him underftand me pretty well ; and I am 

 fure I could make him learn to write, and be under- 

 flood by letters very foon, for he can diftinguifh 

 men already by the letters of their names. Now 

 letters are marks to convey ideas, juft after the fame 

 manner as the motions of fmgers, hands, eyes, &c. 

 If this man had really feen ore in the bottom of a 

 fink of water in a mine, and wanted to tell me how 

 to come at it, he would take two (licks like a pump, 

 and would make the motions of a pumper at the 

 very fmk where he knew the ore was ; and would 

 make the motions of driving a wheel-barrow. And 

 what I (hould infer from thence vvould be, that I 

 ought to take out the water, and fmk, or drive in 

 the place, and wheel the ftuff out. By parity of 

 reafoning, the language of the knockers^ by imitating 

 the found of pumping, wheeling, he, lignifies that 

 we Ihould take out the w^ater, and drive there. 

 This is the opinion of all old miners, who pretend 

 to underftand the language of the knockers. Our 

 agent and manager, upon the ftrength of this notice^ 

 goes on and expects great things. You, and every 

 body that is not convinced of the being of knockers, 

 will laugh at thefe things, for they found like dreams j 

 fo does eveiy dark fcience. Can you make any illi- 

 terate man believe that it is poftible to know the 

 diftance of two places by looking at them ? Human 

 knowledge is but of fmall extent, its bounds are 

 within our view, we fee nothing beyond ithefe ; the 

 ^ VOL. II, T great 



