140 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [anNO 1771. 



lined with the same; whence sprung a rock consisting of vast solid round masses, 

 like the former in colour, though not in figure, on which he easily ascended to 

 the height of 20 yards, and got some fine pieces of stalactites, pendent from the 

 cragged sides which joined this rock. 



After this, proceeding forward, he came to another pile of incrustations, dif- 

 ferent from the two former, and much rougher: and which was not tinged with 

 such a yellow, but rather with a brown colour ; and at the top of this also is a 

 small cavern, into which he went. The last thing he took notice of, was the 

 vast drops of stalactites, hanging like icicles from every part of the vault ; some 

 of which were as large as a man's body, and at least 4 or 5 feet long. The great- 

 est part of the walls of the large cavern was lined with incrustations, and they 

 were of three kinds: the first, being the deep yellow stalactites; the 2d being a 

 thin coating, like a kind of light stone-coloured varnish on the surface of the 

 limestone, and which glittered exceedingly by the light of the candles; and the 

 3d being a sort of rough efflorescence, every minute shoot resembling a kind of 

 rose-flower. 



V Having satisfied his curiosity with a view of this astonishing vault, he began 

 to return. Fastening the rope to his body, he gave the signal to be drawn up; 

 which he found to be a much more difficult and dangerous task than the descent, 

 owing to his weight drawing the rope into clefts, between the fragments of the 

 rock, which made it stick ; and to his body jarring against the sides, which he 

 could not possibly prevent with his hands. Another circumstance also increased 

 the danger, which was, the rope loosening the stones over head, whose fall he 

 every instant dreaded. 



p. s. After writing the above, Mr. L. was informed, there was formerly the 

 mouth of a second shaft in the floor of the great cavern, somewhere under the 

 great heap of stones ; and that it was covered up by the miners, at the time when 

 so many loads were thrown in from the top. It is reported to have gone down a 

 vast depth farther, and to have had water at the bottom ; but he did not per- 

 ceive any remaining appearance of such opening himself, nor did the miners, 

 who went down with him, say any thing about it. 



Remarks on the above. By Ediv. King, Esq. p. 256. 



After some remarks on part of Mr. Lloyd's description, Mr. K. adds, if it be 

 further considered, that in sounding such great depths, the weight of the rope 

 may often be mistaken for the weight of the plummet; and that hence the rope 

 may continue descending, and coiling up, first at the bottom, and afterwards at 

 other places where it is accidentally stopped, till it be at length hindered in its 

 descent by some projections of the rock nearer the mouth of the shaft ; this will 

 account for Mr. Cotton's letting down 884 yards , while the water at the bottom 



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