BRITISH ORES. 
73 
in the last century produced considerable excitement. In 1795 
lumps of pure gold were picked up in a valley on the flank of 
the mountain called Croghan Kinshela ; and crowds of the 
country people quitted their ordinary avocations and rushed to 
the gold streams. Then a commission directed the operations of 
streaming, and for a while the works appear to have been 
remunerative. After suspension for some time, the works were, 
in 1801, again brought into active operation, and an attempt 
was made to discover the lodes from which the gold had been 
derived. The Government, however, were ultimately advised to 
abandon the works. 
Gold has also been found and worked from a very early 
period in Scotland. Scotch gold is mentioned as early as the 
year 1125 in a grant made by King David I. ; and Pennant 
says : “ In the reign of James IY. and Y. of Scotland, vast, 
wealth was procured in the Lead Hills, from the gold found in 
the sands washed from the mountains ; in the reign of the latter 
not less than to the value of 300,00 (Y. sterling.” This is 
evidently a highly exaggerated report. Gold is still found in 
the Crawford Moor district, and an interesting specimen of 
auriferous quartz was discovered at Wanlockhead in 1872. 
In 1867 public attention was directed to the occurrence of 
gold in Sutherland, and considerable excitement prevailed during 
the succeeding two or three years. Large numbers of miners, 
were attracted to the diggings, and in 1868 as much as 577 
ounces of gold were returned from Helmsdale ; but the yield 
was not kept up, and the workings were soon abandoned. 
Several specimens of Sutherland gold are exhibited. Workings 
have been renewed, but with no marked success, during the 
present year (1895). 
Silver. 
Case 13. — Silver ores do not occur in any large quanity in 
this country. True, we obtain annually a large amount of silver 
from our lead ores, but this will be noticed in a future section 
(p. 97). Native silver , silver glance , red silver ore, and horn 
silver are exhibited from several Cornish mines, but it seems 
desirable to defer notice of these minerals until the more typical 
specimens from foreign localities are described (p. 83). 
Arsenic. 
Case 13. — In the lower part of this Case are several specimens 
of Mispickel or arsenical iron pyrites, an arsenio- sulphide of 
iron, frequently found in our western mines, and commonly 
employed as a source of “ white arsenic/’ the preparation of 
which will be subsequently described. {See p. 96.) Of late 
years the production of white arsenic has acquired great impor- 
tance in the west of England, and large quantities are obtained 
as a by-product in roasting the tin and copper ores. The 
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