ON THE LEAD MINING DISTRICTS OF YORKSHIRE, 167. 
 torious invention, from which the public have derived great benefit; 6. a 
system of compulsory licences under existing patents,—are questions, all of 
which were omitted advisedly by the promoters of the recent measure, their 
attention being directed mainly to the destruction of the existing, and the 
establishment of a new system of creating property in inventions. 
, These, with other amendments and matters of minor importance, which 
the experience of six years of the working of the new system has disclosed, 
- willinvolve further legislation, and the consolidation and repeal of no less than 
sixteen statutes, or part of statutes, an object of great importance to every 
inventor. 
Your Committee now remit this subject to the consideration of the Meeting 
of the British Association, deriving confidence from the belief that the times 
are not unfavourable for further action, and that the town and neighbour- 
hood in which the Association is now assembled may appropriately claim to 
take a prominent part in the consummation of those reforms which have 
occupied the attention of so many previous Meetings. 
On the Lead Mining Districts of Yorkshire. 
By Stepuen Eppy, Carlton, Skipton. 
Iy comparison with the vast coal fields and iron-stone beds of Yorkshire, the 
lead-producing district of this county seems trifling ; yet in consideration of 
the large population dependent upon the mining and manufacture of lead, it 
necessarily claims our attention. 
I cannot take it upon me to say, when lead mining was first commenced in 
this county ; but that many veins were discovered and worked to some extent, 
at a very early period, is fully established, both by the Roman explorations 
frequently met with, and the discovery in the vicinity of Greenhow Hill, near 
Pateley Bridge, of two pigs of lead, inscribed with the name of the Emperor 
Domitian, and bearing date a.p. 82. It is not improbable, however, that 
the mines of these districts were worked at a still more remote period by the 
ancient Britons. 
Tn the earlier age of lead mining, and indeed up to a comparatively recent 
period, the discovery of a vein entitled the party finding it to a grant, or 
licence to work, on a certain length of such particular vein, generally two 
meers ; the meer being 28, 29, 30, or 32 yards, in different districts, re- 
spectively. The width of the ground granted was confined to a distance of 
8 yards on each side of the vein. This was called the “ Quarter Cord.” 
Thus, each vein formed a distinct mine, and from the well-known fact, 
that (though there is, generally speaking, a certain degree of parallelism 
maintained by the major part of the veins), in each of our mining fields, 
numerous intersections take place ; the parties pursuing their allotted veins 
frequently found themselves within the quarter cord of the adjacent sett, 
and sometimes on their neighbour's vein. The result of such a system of 
holding, was not only to cramp the energies of the miner, from his not having 
a reasonable extent of ground for works of trial; but also to involve him in 
constant disputes and litigations with his neighbour, 
The pernicious system of letting ground on a certain vein, with a given 
width on each side of such vein, was however continued to a comparatively 
recent date; when parties with capital becoming connected with the mines, 
and the works being so extended as to render the introduction of machinery 
advisable, the necessity for grants on a larger scale was so apparent, that 
small holders were by degrees disposed of, and the custom of granting setts 
