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yil. — Alhwium tn Par Valley. — By Eichard Symons. 



IT is well known that most of the valleys and estuaries in 

 Cornwall, where mining and clay- works are so numerous, are 

 being filled up with silt and sand, carried down by the streams 

 from stream- tin and china-clay works. Carnon valley is a specimen 

 amongst many. At Bissoe bridge, on that river, about 70 years 

 ago (I have been told) a man on horse-back could ride 

 through it. At present the space between the top of the deposit 

 in the river and the arch of the bridge, is only two or three feet. 

 Par valley — lately an estuary — is another instance. The area of 

 this estuary I take to be about 500 acres, the whole of which 

 was formerly tida,l, and the greater part covered by the sea at 

 all times, over which vessels rode to Pouts' Mill, 2 miles from 

 Par. Proofs of this were known to exist by the fact that moor-, 

 ing posts have been found there. It is said that vessels of from 

 70 to 80 tons burthen went up so far as that place. 



The depth of the alluvial deposit in Par valley has been 

 ascertained at several points. The depth varies from 12 fathoms 

 at the beach, to 4 fathoms at Ponts' Mill. At the base of this 

 deposit, and resting on the rock, (called by miners ''the shelf,") 

 was a stratum of granular tin, such as is common in tin stream 

 works. The miners called it "float tin." Two or three several 

 companies, at different periods, in order to extract this tin, 

 caused to be constructed iron tubes or shafts, which they sunk in 

 the sand as deep as the layer of tin. One was sunk in Par beach 

 about 65 years ago. It was 11 fathoms in length or depth. 

 Prom the bottom, drifts were made in different directions to 

 clear away the tin. A steam engine pumped the water. This 

 was done before Par Works were commenced by the late Mr. 

 Treffry. 



The next iron shaft was put down near the site of Par New 

 Wesleyan Chapel. It was 1 1 fathoms deep, and below that the 

 Company sunk through the rock 30 fathoms. From the bottom 

 (41 fathoms from surface), a cross-cut was driven southward to 



