OF CORNWALL. 195 
Cornwall, as in working for tin we often find, and, by the great 
number of chalybeate fprings, may juftly infer ; but not one that 
I have heard, or can learn, worked as yet to effed, although in 
fome of them the ore is very rich, and near the furface. The 
truth is, the Englifh iron-works are not only fupplied with this ore 
in great plenty from the foreft of Dean in Glocefterfhire, but 
there are many rich iron lodes in Lancafhire, Chefhire, Suffex, and 
Derbyfhire, and other parts of England. In Stafford (hire Dr. Plot 
(page 159) obferves, that there is an iron-ore, called Mufh, fo rich 
and fufible that it may be made into iron in a common forge : in 
Wiltfhire alfo they have an iron-ore of equal richnefs r ; nay iron is 
not only found in lodes in many parts of the earth, but, when the 
lodes have been exhaufted, the iron is in fome places fo collected and 
renewed from the neighbouringy^nz/#, (this metal being eafily fufpend- 
ed, carried of, and depofited by common water) that a certain mine 
in Tufcany, after it is wrought out, becomes, in the fpace of three 
years, as pregnant with iron as it was before s . There being fuch 
an abundance of this moft ufeful metal elfewhere, it is not likely 
that there will be any demand foon from other parts of this ifland 
for the iron-ore of Cornwall, neither can the Cornifh entertain any 
reafonable hopes of manufacturing it in their own county, at leaf!; 
till wood for making charcoal becomes more plenty with them than 
it is likely to be for fome generations ; and if there were wood fuf- 
ficient, it is no eafy matter to fet on a manufacture of this kind. 
This however is no fenfible difadvantage to the county in general, 
our tin, copper, hulbandry, and fifh, with the necefiary branches 
of trade dependant thereon, finding great employ as they are ma- 
naged at prefent, and with fome improvements (which might be 
eafily introduced) would find ftill more ; fo that, till thefe refources 
fail, we fhall be under no neceflity of working our iron lodes ; but 
it is worth our while, in the mean time, to acquaint ourfelves with 
the nature of them better than perhaps we are at prefent informed ; 
for if any iron lode is of a richnefs equal to that mentioned before, 
it may prove very profitable to the owner, even as matters now 
ftand, efpecially if fo near the lea that it may eafily be exported 
coaft-ways to Briftol and the river Severn, to which places fhips are 
frequently obliged to go without lading. Again : In iron-mines a 
kind of ocre is often found, valuable according to the different de- 
grees of its purity, and much ufed by painters ; and if this happens 
to abound, it will well reward the miner for railing it, the beft we 
have at prefent coming from France. 
'i Iron is found in the parifties of Morvah, Pi- page 37. — vol. I. page 232, kc, 
ran-fand, Lanivet, Gwynear, St. Die, Temple, at r Grew’s Muf. page 331. 
the Lizherd-point, &c. Woodward’s Cat. vol. II. 8 Phil. Tranf. 174c, page 89. 
When 
