SPBING MEETING. 133 



and it had seemed to him that the conditions should induce them 

 to attempt prospecting for gold ; they had in that museum a 

 magnificent nugget from the Carnon streams, grains and 

 nuggets had also been found in other districts, yet no one had 

 ever made much effort to get at gold in Cornwall. He thought 

 Mr. Collins would agree that they had the proper geological 

 conditions for gold. Silver had occurred in large quantities in 

 North Dolcoath, yet they had simply gone on with the ordinary 

 routine for getting tin and copper. He thought Cornish miners 

 would be perfectly justified in going further, to see what this old 

 county was capable of yielding. 



Mr. J. H. Collins said he agreed with all Mr. Pearce had 

 stated about Cripplecreek, because, although he had no personal 

 knowledge of the district, one of his sons had inspected a 

 number of mines there. With regard to Cornwall there was a 

 difiiculty in the way of Cornish mining which he believed did 

 not exist in any other part of the world. Capital could be got 

 in London, (which was the great mining centre of the world), to 

 any extent, for any part of the world except Cornwall ! Capital 

 could scarcely be got in London for Cornish mines, and it was 

 difficult to find the reason why. Perhaps it was because many 

 had been very ready to call attention to any dark shadow on 

 Cornish mining, while there had been few to put forward the 

 bright side. The bright points were, however, easy to find. 

 Every one of our leading mines had a history that would bear 

 investigation. If they compared the amount put into it with the 

 amount got out of it, they would find a residt that could hardly 

 be paralleled anywhere else. 



Soon, he hoped, there would be a change, but at present 

 that was the reason they could not develop Cornwall as they 

 could other parts of the world. It gave him very great pleasure 

 to come there again, to form one of a trio of old teachers in 

 Cornw all. Mr. Pearce and Mr. Twite were both teaching in 

 Cornwall before he (Mr. Collins) was, and when he came, there 

 was a fourth, Dr. Le Neve Foster. He was glad to know that 

 they had all met with success. 



Mr. Tbevail, supported the views which had been advanced, 

 and advocated scientific study of the matter. He also congratu- 

 lated Truro on its being about to possess a Technical College. 



