Mr. William Phillips on the Veins of Cornwall. 145 



clothes, and with his tools slung over his shoulder, descends by- 

 ladders a depth of 1000 or 1200 feet, assisted by the light of a 

 small candle, and works in the bottom of the mine six or eight 

 hours, amidst the noise of the working of the pumps in drawing 

 the water, with as much alacrity, and with as little sense of danger, 

 as he would feel amidst his ordinary occupations above ground. 

 We should be inclined to feel pity for the wretch who, as an atone- 

 ment for his crimes, should be compelled to undergo what the 

 Cornish miner voluntarily undertakes for a small pittance, and that 

 even of an uncertain amount. ' The mine of Huel Cock, in the 

 parish of St. Just, is wrought eighty fathoms in length under the 

 sea, below low water mark ; and the sea in some places is but three 

 fathoms over the back of the workings, insomuch that the tinners 

 underneath hear the break, flux, ebb, and reflux of every wave, 

 which, upon the beach overhead, may be said to have had the run 

 of the Atlantic ocean for many hundred leagues ; and consequently 

 are amazingly powerful and boisterous. They also hear the rum- 

 bling noise of every nodule and fragment of rock, which are con-' 

 tinually rolling upon the submarine stratum ; which altogether make 

 a kind of thundering roar that would surprise and fearfully engage 

 the attention of the curious stranger. Add to this, that several 

 parts of the load which were richer than others, have been very 

 indiscreetly hulked and worked within four feet of the sea ; whereby 

 in violent stormy weather the noise overhead has been so tremendous 

 that the workmen have many times deserted their labour, under the 

 greatest fear lest the sea might break in upon them.' 



The account of Huel Cock above cited, is extracted from the 

 Mineralogia Cornubiensis of Pryce, page 21. I have made some 

 use of the mining information contained in that work, which, 

 though it is often confused, and sometimes scarcely intelligible, is, 



Vol. II. T 



