8 W. J. Perry — Megalithic Monuments 



that the tin-washing industry goes back in this part of the 

 country for an unknown age. It certainly seems that the 

 builders of megaliths were attracted there on account of their 

 interest in that industry. 



In Devon and Cornwall the megaliths are situated on the 

 granite formations. That is to say, we have succeeded in 

 correlating a geological formation with a group of human 

 remains. By this means it is possible to avoid some great 

 difficulties that beset the inquirer into such problems. 



When inquiring into the distribution of ancient mines, it 

 is often impossible to obtain records of these mines, and often 

 difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish between an ancient 

 and a modern mine. The subject of ancient mines has, up to 

 the present, been practically ignored by archaeologists, which 

 is strange in a branch of inquiry which deals with the metal- 

 working crafts, and bases so much of its reasoning on the 

 distributions of copper, bronze and other implements and 

 weapons. It is surely a matter of fundamental importance to 

 know the exact sources of these metals ; but, so far as I can 

 tell from careful search, the subject, with one or two insigni- 

 ficant exceptions, has been entirely neglected : so much so 

 that a prominent archaeologist of this country had occasion 

 only this year to emphasize the necessity for such study (4). 

 A detailed inquiry into such matters cannot fail to help on 

 the study of archaeology. 



The study of the distribution of early mining centres is 

 beset with yet another difficulty. For, if the first metal 

 industry in this country was gold-washing, followed by tin- 

 washing, both for purposes of exportation only, the traces of 

 such exploitation will in all probability have vanished. Later 

 comers would work over the old heaps once again, streams 

 would change their beds, and a thousand and one chances 

 would suffice to sweep away all traces of the old occupation. 

 Moreover, men who were working gold and tin for export 

 would take good care to remove as much of those metals as 

 they could. One does not go to old mining camps to find 

 the metals that are worked there. 



The only chance in this case is to find some method that 

 is independent of such caprices of fortune. And it would 

 seem that in the correlation of human distribution and 

 geological formation we have the standard that cannot be 

 upset by any of these vicissitudes. The granite formation of 

 Devon and Cornwall has not altered for millions of years. 

 It has, so far as man is concerned, always been there. If, 

 therefore, we establish a relationship between megaliths and 



