200 TIN. 
238. TIN is a white metal* somewhat like silver in appear- 
ance, but is considerably lighter, and makes a squeaking or 
crackling noise when bent. It is very soft and ductile, and 
has but little elasticity. 
This metal is always found either in a state of oxide (21), 
or in combination with sulphur and copper ; and is about seven, 
times as heavy as water. 
The principal tin mines which are known to us are 
those of Cornwall, Devonshire, Germany; the island of 
Banca, and peninsula of Malacca, in India ; and Chili 
and Mexico in America. Of these the most celebrated 
are the mines of Cornwall, which are known to have 
been worked before the commencement of the Christian 
era. Diodorus Siculus, who wrote forty years before 
the birth of Christ, gives an account of these mines, 
and says that their produce was conveyed to Gaul, and 
thence to different parts of Italy. This species of 
metal was used in the time of Moses, and is mentioned 
in the writings of Homer. 
Tin is found in vein^ or beds, but chiefly in veins, 
running through gran^/i and other rocks. In some of 
the valleys and low grounds of Cornwall, the tin ore is 
found in rounded grains and masses. In these situa- 
tions, small grains of gold are sometimes found with it 
To separate the tin from earthy and other matters 
with which it is intermixed, streams of water are passed 
over them; and these deposits have the name of stream- 
works. 
When the tin ore has been dug from the earth, or 
has been collected at these stream-works, it is thrown 
into heaps, and broken to pieces. After this it is 
washed, and subsequently roasted in an intense heat,, 
for the purpose of dissipating some of the substances 
with which it is combined. It is lastly melted in a fur- 
nace, and thereby reduced to a metallic state. The 
metal is then poured into quadrangular moulds of stone x 
each containing about 320 pounds weight. These have 
the denomination of block-tin, and are stamped by offi- 
cers of the Duke of Corn wall, with the impression of a 
