158 Mr. William Phillips on the Veins of Cornwall, 



profitable copper mines that Cornwall has now to boast of, a 

 parucular description of some of its veins would not have been 

 now attempted, but for some circumstances worthy of particular 

 notice, viz. that one of its veins is of that description termed a 

 centre, remarkable for its magnitude and riches as well as its direc- 

 tion, and on account of the effects produced by its traversing an 

 east to west vein, and a north and south vein, or cross course. 



Both the shafts above alluded to were sunk on the contre, the 

 direction of which is 28 degrees south of east and north of west. 

 It varies from 9 to 24 feet in width, its underlie is 2 feet in a 

 fathom to the east of north. At a small depth this bore the 

 appellation of a ' Flucany Load.' Flucan prevailed very much 

 between the depth of 50 and 70 fathoms from the surface, and 

 burst out occasionally with such vehemence as to drive away the 

 ■workmen. Captain Samuel Grose, an intelligent captain of the 

 mine, informed me that he was once carried away 7 fathoms by its 

 sudden irruption. But little flucan was seen at much greater 

 depth. Beneath it and above the copper very great abundance of 

 sulphuret and carbonate of lead occurred, together with iron 

 pyrites, blende and quartz. The greatest extent to which the 

 contre has been worked is 160 fathoms from its junction with the 

 east and west vein towards the south east ; 90 fathoms of which, 

 at about 130 from the surface, are good ore. The only place at 

 which the contre was rich when in contact with the east and west 

 vein, was at about 117 fathoms from the surface. North-west of 

 its junction with that vein the contre was small, and for more than 

 100 fathoms in depth consisted of strings of flucan, but at about 

 the depth of 120 fathoms it enlarged to twelve feet in width and 

 yielded some ore, mingled with fluor, blende, and iron pyrites in 

 abundance; at 130 fathoms in depth, it was poor for 20 fathoms 



