TWO OLD MINING PATENTS. 157 
latter, ““we fynde any myne of precyous stones, perle, golde, and 
silver, to begin to pay presently after finding the same.” The 
Queen’s share of these matters was to be a tenth, and the remain- 
ing nine-tenths of the precious stones and perles—when they got 
them—the Queen was either to buy at a fair valuation, or let them 
carry away. The nine-tenths of the gold and silver were to be 
bought by her Majesty at mint prices. 
The Queen’s dish of the ordinary metals was to be “molten 
and purged for her Majestie by our workmen at our charges and 
travaille, on condition that her Majesty finds the wode and coles 
and heade, as moche as we shall nede the same, and all that we 
may compound with her Majestie to bye the same at a reasonable 
price.” As to the rest of the copper the Queen was to have as 
much as she wanted at the price any other person would give, and 
to let the patentees carry away the remainder at a reasonable 
custom. All other metals they were to be at liberty to carry away 
on paying only the ordinary custom. 
The concluding clauses of the articles are strictly in the nature 
of an ordinary patent of modern days, and show what importance 
Shurland and Spedel attached to their technical knowledge. The 
Queen agrees with them “that within 20 years after date hereof 
no man or person of this realm shall make or cause to be made 
in any country such instrument” as they should devise for the use 
of the corporation “if the like have not beforehand been made in 
this realm,” on penalty of a fine of £200, of which half was to 
go to the Queen and half to the corporation. For imitating any 
of their smelting or roasting processes, the fine was to be £500. 
There is another MS. relating to Cornish mining, of nearly the 
same date, contained in the Cottonian collection [Titus, B. III.], 
to which I may also briefly direct attention. It is headed “ Order 
with regard to Blok Tinne ;” but might, with stricter propriety, 
be called “ Caution to Smelters.” The occasion of the order was 
the prevalent adulteration of the white tin; “for that there was 
oftentymes putt into the same many pece of iron, with cinders, 
stone, and such like, to the great slaunder and discredit of the said 
realme, and to the manifeste deceipte of straungers beyond the 
seas.” In order to avoid this, it was first suggested that the blocks 
should be re-melted into “strake or barres.” However, it was 
found that this led to “‘a far greater decept.” ‘The merchaunts 
