120 On the Old Silver Mine in Linlithgowshire. [Feb. 



Rev, David Ure, Minister of Uphall, in Linlithgowshire. Tliis 

 Gentleman, in his History of Rutherglen and East Kilbride, pub- 

 lished at Glasgow in 1793, describes and figures two species of this 

 genus which he found in strata belonging to the great coal-field of 

 Lanarkshire. 



Having stated these facts in illustration of the natural history of 

 the strata which the metalliferous vein is said to have traversed, I 

 shall now mention a few circumstances concerning the vein itself 

 with which I have become acquainted. Sir Robert Sibbald, in his 

 Scotia lllustrata, published in 1684, part first, page 31, gives the 

 date of its discovery, and records the name of the discoverer : " In 

 Lothiana Occidental!, ad tria milliaria a Limnucho Austrum versus, 

 in monte qui Cairne-papel dicitur, tempore Jacobi Sexti primi 

 Britanniae Monarches, ah Alexandre Mund Carbonario inventa est 

 Argentifodina, ubi purius argentum, idque majore proportione, ex 

 lapide rul>ro extractum fuit." The same author, in his History of 

 the Sheriftdome of Linlithgow, 1/10, p. 27, adds a little to his 

 former description : " In Hillderstone Hills is the silver 9?ime, which 

 afforded much silver at the first working of it: a part of the melting- 

 house is yet to be seen : and amongst the adites to the mine, the 

 richest was that called God's Blessing. The spars are of difti^rent 

 colours ; some are white, and others of a red colour." Tradition 

 says that this mine was abandoned in consequence of the roof of 

 the workings falling down, and a great increase of water taking 

 place- In hopes of overcoming these obstacles, the proprietor, the 

 Earl of Hopetoun, some yeai-s ago made an attempt to re-open the 

 mine. He brought some workmen from his mines at Lead Hills, 

 and employed them in boring and sinking shafts in the neighbour- 

 hood of the old workings. But the information thus obtained was 

 considered of little importance, and a stop was put to all further 

 investigation. 



The ruins of the old smelting-houses arc still visible, and consi- 

 derable heaps of rubbish surround the openings of the old shafts ; 

 but as no access to the mines can novv be obtained, no precise 

 information can be procured concerning the quantity or value of the 

 ore, or the constitution and extent of the vein. In a lime-stone 

 quarry abOut 200 yards to the east of the old workings the outgoing 

 of a vein is distinctly seen, which traverses the strata in the direction 

 of their dip, and is filled with soft clayey marl, and contains masses 

 of impure lime-stone, together with lead glance and heavy spar, it 

 runs towards the place where the former workings were carried on, 

 but does not appear to have been a portion of the principal vein, as 

 the old sluifts have not been sunk in the direction of its line of 

 bearing. Judging from such circumstances, the principal vein must 

 have traversed the striita in the line of their stretch. To the south 

 of the old workings there are indistinct appearances of a vein of 

 green-stone running In a northerly direction ; but the nature of this 

 vein cannot be ascertained by inspection of the surface, which is 



