80 Mr. Pattinson on some Hazel Nuts found in a Lead Mine. 



Lead Ore, in greater or less proportion, with, towards the bottom of the 

 stratum, a considerable intermixture of Clay. 



At the distance of eight fathoms on the north side of Nattrass North 

 Vein, and running nearly parallel with it, is another weak vein which, as 

 very weak veins are locally called " strings," is called Nattrass North 

 String. This small vein is from 4 to 8 inches wide, has a throw down 

 to the south of about two inches, and contains several small ribs of Lead 

 Ore, from half an inch to an inch, or, occasionally, two inches in thick- 

 ness. These ribs of Ore stand upright, and there are generally two or 

 three in the width of the vein, perfectly detached from each other and 

 from the sides, the spaces between being filled up with a sandy Clay, 

 occasionally coloured orange, or red, by Oxide of Iron. 



In order to obtain the Ore out of this small " string" a drift' or gallery, 

 is driven in the vein, through a cei'tain length of ground, generally 

 about 15 fathoms at the bottom of the Limestone, after which the re- 

 mainder of the Ore, to the top of the Limestone stratum, is worked out 

 by what the miners term headings. 



In driving a drift of this kind, at the bottom of the Limestone in this 

 string, the miners opened into a joint, or cavity, two feet wide, and four 

 feet high, containing, at the bottom, a stratum of Clay and filled above, 

 with small water-woi'n gravel, in the midst of which the Hazel Nuts, form- 

 ing the subject of this paper, were discovered. The cavity, or joint, exist- 

 ed on both sides of the vein, a portion of the Limestone, forming its 

 natural sides, or cheeks, having been removed on each side, and the 

 space filled up to a certain extent by clay, and by water-worn gravel 

 above ; but two or three small ribs of Lead Ore, about three-quarters 

 of an inch wide each, existed through both the Gravel and Clay, exactly 

 in the same way as fui'ther up, where the Oi'e was confined by the solid 

 cheeks of Limestone on each side. 



The Nuts were not lying in the same level with respect to each 

 other, but were indiscriminately mixed up with the Gravel, and diffused 

 through a mass of something less than a cubic foot, and among them 

 was also a small twig, or branch of a tree ; but this was not preserved 

 by the miners, being, as might be expected, in a very decayed state. 



