104 PRECIOUS METALS IN THE WEST OE ENGLAND. 



The earliest note of the presence of gold in our stream tin 

 of which the writer is aware is that of Carew (1602), who quotes 

 from Mr. Beare's Bayliffof Blackmore, written in the reign of Queen 

 Elizabeth to the effect that "certain glorious corns" of gold called 

 "Bux" were taken out of the washed tin found at Castle Park, near 

 Lostwithiel. The gentleman who shewed this gold shewed also 

 a gold ring on his finger made of certain gold hoppes which he 

 had gathered amongst the tin corns at a wash in a stream Avork, 

 together with another gold ring, each of 16s. 8d. value.^ 



' ' Three quarters of an ounce of gold culled from amongst 

 the stream tin ore of his domain in North Hill, was by direction 

 of Mr. Spoure (who died in 1696), made into a signet ring 

 which has descended as an heirloom in the family of Eodd of 

 Trebartha.* 



In 1702 "Queen Anne granted a patent to Mr. Thos. 

 Lydall, of Truro, for separating gold au'l silver fi'om tin in a 

 reverberatory furnace,"^ perhaps a sort of iirst anticipation of 

 the "bottoms" process since vised extensively for separating 

 gold fi'om copper. 



"In 17o3 some persons of the parish of St. Stej^hens' 

 Branel streaming for tin in the parish of Creed, and perceiving 

 some grains of a yellow colou.r very small but yet so heavy as to 

 resist the water (in washing), culled out some of the largest 

 grains and carried the tin to a melting house in Truro. The 

 gold was in such plenty in this tin that the melter, Mr. Walter 

 Rosewarn, taking the gold at first for mundic or copper, blamed 

 them for bringing it for sale without having first burnt it ; but 

 upon assaying the ore found it to make a very great produce and 

 exceedingly fine metal ; the miners then took out of their 

 pockets several pieces of pure gold, and one stone as large as a 

 walnut with a pure vein of gold in the middle of the stone about 

 the bigness of a goose-quill ; the clear bits of gold and that in 

 the stone were then assayed and produced just an ounce of pure 

 gold.*' 



3. This passage from Carew has been quoted by Tonkin, Pryce, and other 

 subsequent writers. 



4. Henwood Pres. Address to the Royal Institution of Cornwall, 1873. Journal 

 R. I.e., vol. IV, p. 231, note. 



5. Borlase, Nat. History, 1758, p. 214. 



6. Borlase, Nat. History, 1758, p. 214. 



