CHAP. IV. FARMING THE MINES. 139 



instead of working them on their own account, 

 and for their own immediate benefit, as the 

 former sovereign had done. This farming of the 

 mines, when adopted, was in practice found in- 

 jurious to the property so let. Leases for only 

 short terms were granted to the farmers general 

 of the imposts, who, with the shrewdness natural 

 to such situations, looked only to the interests 

 of the present moment. The labour, whether 

 of serfs or of slaves, was conceded to them with 

 the mines, and the power over them was exer- 

 cised with no deficient degree of rigour. The 

 farmers took out only the best ores, and neg- 

 lected those of inferior quality ; leaving them 

 in the pits, where they soon became buried in 

 the rubbish with which they were surrounded. 

 Their object being to enrich themselves during 

 the term for which they held the mines, they 

 naturally neglected the interest of future workers, 

 and suffered them to go to ruin. 



Whilst exhausting the mines of the richest 

 ores, they only cut the passages and propped the 

 roofs in so slight a manner that if they lasted 

 during the current leases they would all require 

 to be reconstructed in a short period after ; 

 which, when the best ores had been extracted, 

 would be at an expense that could not be re- 

 placed by any product of the inferior ores which 

 had been left behind. 



The various contrivances for keeping out the 



