of the Mines of Cornwall and Devon. 313 



Hence it will be seen that the land- owner risks nothing but a little 

 injury to the surface of his fields, vv^hich will appear trifling when 

 it is considered that if the mine is unsuccessful, the work is soon 

 stopped ; and that on tlie other hand many cases exist, where, by 

 the sacrifice of an acre or two of land, an income of two or three 

 thousand pounds has been obtained for several years. 



The mode of levying the dues on the gross produce of a mine, 

 tends to discourage enterprize, where considerable expense is in- 

 curred by the adventurers without an immediate return. It seems 

 reasonable that the land-owners should contribute something in 

 favor of that exertion which so often leads to their great advantage. 



If an equitable mode of assessing the dues in some proportion to 

 the net profit, could be devised, and was liberally and fairly acted 

 upon, it would probably tend more than any thing else to the en- 

 couragement of mining. 



As it now stands, the land-owner often derives a great revenue 

 from a mine, which is swallowing up the money of the adventurers. 



2. The Arrangements between the Partners or Adventurers them- 

 selves^ and the System of Controul and Management appointed by 

 them. , 



The parties who take the set, after reserving such shares in the 

 adventure for themselves as they are disposed to carry on, generally 

 allot the remainder to such of their friends as are inclined to join 

 them. The whole concern is usually divided into 64 shares or 

 doles, which division admits of its being held in various proportions, 

 so that one person may have an eighth of the mine, another a six- 

 teenth, and so on, until the whole is taken up. 



Vol. II. 2 R 



