WALES. 



about two centuries paft ; nor in Wales to any confiderable 

 purpofe till the middle of the laft. The copper works of 

 the Romans lay for ages neglefted ; and to the public and 

 enterprifing fpirit of Nicolas Bailey, the country owes the 

 revival of refearch for this valuable metal. Parys moun- 

 tain in Anglefea ccnfifts wholly of copper, either in a ftate 

 of native copper, fulpliate, black ore, or malachite : the 

 matrix is a dark grey chertz, and the fuperftratum alumi- 

 nous flate. The copper ore found at Llanberris in Caer- 

 narvonlhire, is of a very fuperior quality to that of Parys 

 mountain, yielding from eight to ten per cent, weight of 

 metal. This ore fubfifts in the primitive ftratified rocks, 

 and generally in a matrix of fchiilofe hornblende, or quartz. 

 The fame mountainous ridge, confilling principally of whin 

 and horn-ftone, divided by the immenfe chafm over which 

 is thrown the bridge called Pont-aberglaflyn, contains an- 

 other copper mine producing ore fimilar in quahty to that 

 of Llanberris ; and it is highly probable the whole of this 

 diftrift is pregnant with copper. Efcair vraith mine in Car- 

 diganrtiire confifts of copper ore, fpar, quartz, and a fub- 

 ftance, termed by the miners gozin, which forms an envelope 

 to the quartz. Lead, for which this ifland vi'as always fa- 

 mous, is found in a variety of places through Wales, but 

 particularly in the counties of Flint, Caernarvon, Montgo- 

 mery, Caermarthen, and Cardigan ; indeed the latter may be 

 confidered as the moft extenfive and richeft mining field in Bri- 

 tain. A mineral traft ftretches from Pen-yr-allt, or Bryndi- 

 gri, in a line to the weftern borders of the parifti of Holywell 

 in Flintlhire, and is known under the name of Whiteford rake. 

 The ores differ in quality ; the lamellated, or common kind, 

 uluaUy named potter's ore, yields from fourteen hundred to 

 fixteen hundred and a quarter of lead, out of twenty hun- 

 dred of the ore : but the laft produce is rare. The veins are 

 found either in chert or hme-ftone rocks, and fome of the bed 

 ore has been dug at the depth of ninety yards. In this traft 

 feveral levels have been driven and fhafts funk, and lead con- 

 tinues to be obtained in very confidemble quantities. Be- 

 tween Gwydir and Capel Cerrig in Caernarvonfhire, within 

 an extenfive dip between lofty mountains, are very exten- 

 five lead works. The furrounding rocks confift of flate, 

 bituminous (hale, and trap or whin ; the matrix of the ore 

 is quartz, and calcareous fpar ; they produce lead and cala- 

 mine, mixed with iron ochre, and a fmall quantity of cop- 

 per pyrites. Thefe different fubftances are fo blended, that 

 in the fame fpecimen a variety of them may be found. But 

 Cardiganfhire may be peculiarly denominated the region of 

 lead mines, the whole country apparently having its rocks 

 cemented together with veins of this metal. For avaft ex- 

 tent the land is excavated, and the furface covered with the 

 opening of mines alretidy worked, or the veftiges of nume- 

 rous others that have furnifhed their fubterraneous treafures 

 to remote generations. The principal lead mines in this 

 county are Cwm-yftvvyth, Llewerne^j, luys Cynvelin, Peny- 

 banch, Bron-y-goch, Llwynwn wch, Grogwnion,GelIan Erin, 

 and Nant-y-Crier. The ore found in moft of the Cardigan- 

 (hire mines is nearly of a fimilar nature, confifting chiefly of 

 lead, mixed with quartz and fpar, accompanied frequently 

 with quantities of an ore of zinc, denominated by the mi- 

 ners, from its daik appearance, black jack. This, whi«h 

 formerly was appropriated to the repair of the roads, has 

 lately been difcovered to be a valuable article, conftituting 

 an excellent flux for brafs ; and, mixed in due proportions 

 ■with copper, makes a hard metal, fimilar to the orichalcum 

 of the ancient Romans. Iron, the moft ufeful, and through 

 the wife diftribution of Providence, the moft common of all 

 metals, is plentifully difperfed aver the Britifh ifles ; and 

 Wales is not deficient in this particular. Yet, notwithftand- 



ing the mountains of this country are full of iron-ftone, it 

 was not till within about half a century, that the public at- 

 tention was turned to this inexhauftible fource of internal 

 wealth. Iron is moft abundant in South Wales, though 

 evident marks of its exiftence may be traced in North 

 Wales ; and it has lately been procured, and works erefted 

 in the vicinity of Ruabon in Denbii^hdiire. The feveral 

 fpecies of iron which have been difcovered are hematites, 

 kidney ore, or compaA brown iron-ftone ; grey ore, or 

 black iron-ftone ; bog ore fwampy iron-ftone ; and a variety 

 of fulphurated and arfenical ores, which clafs under the ge- 

 neral denomination of pyrites ; but the kidney and grey 

 ores are the moft frequently found. Ttie principal iron 

 works are Mertliyr Tydvil, AberdarL, and Cyfartha, in 

 Glamorgaufhire ; and the Union, Llanelly, Beaufort, and 

 Hirwan, in Brecknockfliire. Coal is found in every county 

 of Wales except Cardigan, Merioneth, and Caernarvon. 

 The coal fometimes underlays the calcareous ft rata, or, in 

 the miner's phrafe, has a lime-ftone roof; but more fre- 

 quently it is found on the northern or fouthern fide of a 

 lime-ftone ridge ; and when a traft of low lar.d is included 

 between two fuch ridges, it may be inferred, that coal lies 

 beneath. Twi3 parallel hncs of calcareous ftrata extend 

 through South Wales in an eafterly direftion, from St. 

 George's Channel acrofs the whole country. Thefe are 

 accompanied by two lines of coal. Upon the upper line, 

 coal has been found at Jolinfton, Picion, Jeffrefton, and 

 Begeley, in Pembrokefhire. Thence keeping on the fouth- 

 ern fide of the hme-ftone ridge, it croftes the Towy, form- 

 ing the bar at the mouth of that river ; and pafling through 

 the upper part of Caermarthenfhire, Brecknockfhire, and 

 Monmo'jthlhire, crofles the Severn to the collieries of 

 Kingfwood near Briftol. The different fpecies of coal in 

 Wales are the newcaftle, the rock, the ftone, or fplent, 

 the cannel, or parrot, and the culm, or blind coal, denomi- 

 nated in England Welfli coal, becaufe almoil pccuharly the 

 produce of Wales. Some varieties of the cannel coal are 

 fo fine and folid in the contexture, and fo fufceptible of a 

 high polifh, as to be capable of being turned in the lathe, 

 and formed into various utenfils, toys, and trinkets. The 

 fchiftofe mountains of Wales afford another fubftance, if 

 not of equal importance, yet of general utility. Slates, 

 cuftomarily called Cornifli tile, becaufe originally procured 

 from Cornwall, conftitute an elegant and ufeful roofing to 

 houfes much cheaper than lead, for which it is latterly be- 

 come a very common fubftitute. Slate quarries are nume- 

 roufly fcattered over the country, but the principal are 

 thofe of the Rheidiol near Aberyftwith, Cardiganfhire ; 

 Llangynnog, Montgomeryfhire ; and the extenfive ones in 

 Snowdonia, Caernarvonfhire. Thofe of the former place 

 produce fpecimer.s of tlie large and coarfeft kind of flate, 

 which lie in compact maffes, refembling flag-ftone, of a 

 rough texture, but feparating eafily into large plates. Llan- 

 gynnog flate alfo divides into large plates, is not of quite fo 

 coarfe a quality, and forms a very profitable building article. 

 Thefe quarries, Mr. Pennant obferves, yielded from No- 

 vember 1775 ^° ^'"^ fame month in the following year 

 904,000 flates, which were fold from fix to twenty fhillings 

 per thoufand. The Snowdonian flates are generally of a very 

 fine grain, a beautiful blue colour, and when quarried fe- 

 parate into exceedingly thin lamins ; properties, which 

 render them particularly eligible for handfome roofing, and 

 manufafturing into writing flates. So great have been the 

 quantities of late years procured from this diftrift, that a 

 fma'.l infignificant creek has been dignified with the name of 

 Port-Penhryn, from the export trade of this article only. 

 On viewing the different apertures of the fchiftofe moun- 

 tains, 



