344 TIN-WORKS IN FRANCE. 



Workings have been resumed in tlie district of late years, but 

 with inconsiderable success. 



There are, however, throughout, unmistakeable remains of 

 former workings, of very ancient date, and of smelting operations 

 too. Tradition is at fault respecting the authors of these old 

 works, and we have no account of them in any historical record. 



M. Mallard, having carefully examined the numerous old 

 works in the district, shews that they were undertaken in pursuit 

 of metals, principally tin^ but probably in some cases gold from 

 the quartz veins. It is a curious circumstance that many of the 

 places where they are found have a name designating gold ; and 

 the works themselves are called Aurihres. The legends of fairies 

 and demons, now associated with the old men's works, prove 

 that their origin is not mediaeval, for they must have been of 

 unknown age and character when such characteristics were at- 

 tributed to them during the dark ages. He then j)roceeds : — 



" One can hardly hesitate, it appears to me, between the Gallo- 

 Roman epoch, and that of the Gauls. I, with M. Morin, declare 

 for the latter. The Gallo-Romans would not have limited them- 

 selves to surface excavations ; and these, however numerous, show 

 no traces of subterranean works. Besides, the Gauls, as we well 

 know, not only were acquainted with tin, but worked it up with 

 some skill; and the discovery of the art of tinning iron is at- 

 tributed to the Biturges, the neighbou.rs of the Limousins. They 

 possessed also a considerable quantity of gold, which enabled 

 Caesar to bribe extensively at Rome. There was great traffic in 

 tin in and across Gaul, before the Roman conquest. Marseilles 

 was, throughout all former time, the principal emporium for the 

 tin used by the civilized world ; and it is usually considered that 

 a large portion of it reached that port by land carriage. Doubt- 

 less a large portion Avas brought from Cornwall ; but it is allowable 

 to conjecture that Limousin contributed, perhaps to a great extent, 

 to the supply of this rich colony. 



" However it may be with our hypotheses, we may safely state 

 the following conclusions, some as historical facts, the rest as 

 probabilities : — 



1. At one epoch the provinces of Limousin and Marche pos- 

 sessed at Montebras and Vaubry important mines of tin. 



