Mr. William Phillips on the Veins of Cornwall. 115 



in Cornwall in layers or beds. The veins, in which only they are 

 found, have a downward direction, not perfectly perpendicular to 

 the horizon, but inclining more or less to the North or South ; 

 this inclination is called the underlie of the loady which in some 

 veins does not exceed a few inches in a fathom from the perpen- 

 dicular, but in others is a fathom in a fathom, or even more. 



'When two metalliferous veins underlie in opposite directions, 

 that is, one North and the other South, and meet underground, 

 the result is not always favourable to the miner ; for even though 

 they might have been rich when separate, they generally are found 

 to be poor at and after their junction. But when two lodes un- 

 derlie in the same direction, and one of them quicker than the 

 other, it is generally found that when the latter overtakes the 

 former, they seem mutually to enrich each other. 



Veins are not very frequently found to separate in the downward 

 direction, so as to make branches forming distinct veins, having an 

 opposite underlie. Instances of this however occurred in Tin 

 Croft Mine, of which a Section is given. 



Depth of Veins, 



Not an instance, I believe, has occurred of a vein having been 

 cut out in depth. When the working of a mine is relinquished, it 

 is mostly either on account of its poverty, or the expense of sink- 

 ing to a greater depth, being to a larger amount than the product. 

 The mine called Crenver and Oatfield is 200 fathoms deep ; Cook's 

 Kitchen is 210 ; and Dolcoath 228 fathoms; these are the deepest 

 mines in the county now at work. 



p 2 



