88 4uguft 1749. 



The veins are furrounded with this fand on 

 both fides, and covered at the top with a 

 thin mould. The ore is pretty rich and 

 lies in loofe lumps in the veins, of the fize 

 of two fifts, though there are a few which 

 are near eighteen inches thick. Thefe 

 lumps are full of holes, which are filled 

 with ockre. The ore is fo foft that it may 

 be crufhed betwixt the fingers. They 

 make ufe of a grey lime-ftone, which is 

 broke in the neighbourhood, for promoting 

 the fufibility of the ore; to that purpofe 

 they likewife employ a clay marie, which 

 is found near this place. Charcoals are to 

 be had in great abundance here, becaufe all 

 the country round this place is covered with 

 woods, which have never been ftirred. 

 The charcoals from ever-green trees, that 

 is, from the fir kind, are beft for the forge, 

 but thofe of deciduous trees are beft for the 

 fmelting oven. The iron which is here 

 made, was to me defcribed as foft, pliable, 

 and tough, and is faid to have the quality 

 of not being attacked by ruft fo eafily as 

 pther iron ; and in this point there appears 

 a great difference between the Spanifo iron 

 and this in fhip-building. This iron-work 

 was firft founded in 1737, by private perfons, 

 who afterwards ceded it to the king; they 

 aft cannon and mortars here, of different 



fizes, 



