Mining in Devon and Cornwall. 363 
tion, it has even taken upon it the trial for felony in the cafe 
of a tinner; in general, however, the cafes where its autho- 
rity interferes, are in difputes concerning tin-works or be- 
tween tinners: it provides a fupply of water to a tin-work, 
giving a power to conduét it through any lands for that pur- 
pofe. 
One of the improvements, with regard to tin particularly, 
was the invention of {melting in reverberatory furnaces with 
pitcoal, inftead of the old blowing-hou/es, as they were called, 
with charcoal fires. When this change was.firft introduced 
is not perhaps certainly known: Dr. Watfon, in his Che- 
mical Effays, ftates, that Becher refided in Cornwall fome 
years before he died, which was in the year 1682; and that 
he made many improvements in the working of mines and 
fluxing of metals, and introduced there the method of 
fmelting tin by the flame of pitcoal thrown upon the ore in a 
reverberatory furnace, inftead of the fire of wood or chareoal, 
in the way formerly made ufe of. He takes notice of this in 
the Dedication to Mr. Boyle of his Alphabethum Minerale, 
written at Truro in 1682, not long before he died. Pryce, 
in his Mineralogia Cornubienfis, ftates, that this mode was 
firft prompted by necefflity, and many experiments were 
made upon it by Sir Bevil Granville, of Stow, in the time 
of Charles I. though it was not effectually done till the reign 
of Queen Anne. 
I find, in the revifion of the Stannary laws at the convo- 
eation of the parliament of Stannators affembled in the 26th 
year of the reign of George II. mention is made of the 
** ancient laws and conflitutions of the Stannaries relating 
to tin-blowers, and refining of tin in blowing-hou/fes, which 
was formerly the only method of refining of tin;” and it is 
faid, “‘ of late years there has been another method found 
out of refining of tin by means of reverberatory furnaces, 
which is commonly called {melting of tin.” 
Copper, of which fo much is now fent from this part of 
the country, was not an objcét attended to, till a compara- 
tively late date, by the Cornifh miners: eyen in tin mines, 
which as they deepened produced copper, as is often the 
eafe, and where they needed to raife this ore, it was thrown 
by as of no value, going by the name of poder. Thofe who 
Fu2 live 
