296 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 



closed in and cut it out ; it was also driven on for five or six 

 fathoms. 



Lead, copper, and other minerals, as given in the Lists, Part I., 

 have been found and worked in different places; there having been 

 prehistoric workings on the silver-lead at Garrane, near Tooma- 

 vara ; at Silvermines, near Nenagh ; and at Garrykennedy, on 

 Lough Derg. 



Of the mines, the most important and interesting are those on 

 the great Mineral Channel at Silvermines. Boate states, in rather 

 disparaging terms, that this mine was first discovered by the 

 English about the year 1600 ; but the researches made during the 

 present century, and the statements in the Annals, would suggest 

 it had previously been worked by the ancient Irish, as were also 

 the mines to the westward, at Grarrykennedy ; and to the eastward, 

 at Garrane. 



From Boate we learn that at first, Silvermine was supposed to 

 be a lead mine, but afterwards they found it contained " three 

 pounds of silver to the ton of lead;" also "some quicksilver." As 

 far as I can learn no trace of the latter has been detected in late 

 years. Under the King the mine was farmed by Sir William 

 Russel, Sir Basil Brook, and Sir George Hamilton ; but the mine 

 was destroyed, and the works burnt down in 1641, by Hugh 

 O'Kennedy, brother to John Mac Dermott O'Kennedy, who ought 

 to have been its legitimate owner. After the troubled times the 

 English company seem to have again worked it till their lease 

 expired, about 1730 : subsequent to this it was worked by different 

 companies, who found and opened up new lodes, till eventually it 

 came into the hands of a Mr. Hudson, who at the beginning of 

 the present century sold his interest to the General Mining Com- 

 pany of Ireland; these carried on active operations till about 1870. 



After the time of the English company various lodes were dis- 

 covered in the county to the westward ; some of them contain- 

 ing argentife/ous copper and lead, others argentiferous lead — the 

 latter giving eighty ounces of silver to the ton. In 1858, Captain 

 Thomas King, while exploring the ancient lead and silver mines, 

 discovered electric calimine ; it evidently being due to the chemical 

 decomposition of the blende that had been run as attals or wastes 

 into the ancient levels ; this for some time was profitably worked. 



The Silvermines Mineral Channel is interesting, being a " con- 



