308 Roman Mining Operations on the Borders of Wales. 



of the Roman level, coloured by the washings of the ore. I 

 believe that in the neighbourhood of Caerhen or Caerhun, 

 supposed to represent the ancient Conovium, about five miles 

 to the south of Conway, there are also traces of ancient mining. 

 Here was found, in the last century, a mass of copper in form 

 like a cake, but weighing forty-two pounds, which had evidently 

 come fresh from the smelting. It bore two singular inscrip- 

 tions, which have not been satisfactorily explained; one was 

 socio eomae, the other nat sol, supposed to be for natale solum. 

 It is, I believe, still preserved at Mostyn. The Romans found 

 copper in the mountains of Anglesey, and although they failed 

 to discover the immense mass of that metal which has given 

 celebrity to the Parys mountain, the remains of their mining 

 operations are found in its immediate neighbourhood. 



A comparison of these various remains give us a tolerably 

 complete view of the manner in which the Romans obtained 

 metals from the earth. It is more than probable that, in these 

 districts at least, no miners had preceded the Romans, who there- 

 fore found the veins of metallic ore on the surface, and first 

 worked upon them there, unbil, when they were obliged to trace 

 them further, they followed them by shafts and galleries. They 

 evidently preferred, where it was possible, to make a cave on 

 the side of a mountain, or sink a pit in the ground till they 

 came to a vein, and then follow and clear away the vein itself. 

 They worked with rude implements, including wooden shovels 

 and wedges, and chisels of stone. It was the work of slaves 

 and condemned criminals, and was no doubt laborious and 

 slow, but at the same time productive, because they found the 

 metallic ores where they were abundant and often easy of 

 access. The ore itself they seem to have worked out with 

 chisels and axes, and when they had to deal "with the hard rock, 

 they cracked it by the application of fire, and then split it 

 further with wedges of iron or stone, and pulled it apart 

 with rough iron picks. In smelting, they evidently used no- 

 thing but wood; coals seem not then to have been found in 

 sufficient abundance, and the smelting was performed on the 

 spot and very imperfectly. 



This inquiry also leads to very important results throwing 

 light on the condition of Roman Britain, and these results will be 

 more important as we trace the Roman miuing operations through 

 the interior of Wales. We shall find the whole of that country, 

 even into the districts which have hardly been approachable 

 since the Roman period, in the peaceful occupation of the im- 

 perial colonists, and covered even in the wildest mountain dis- 

 tricts with excellent and numerous roads, and with towns, 

 stations, country villas, and settlements of all descriptions, 

 quite contrary to the old popular notion, that here the Britons 



