18 Oil the Fhcenician Tin Trade in Conuvall, by R. Edmonds. 
allowed to be the British Islands, of which the only part ever 
distinguished for its export of tin is Cornwall. Descending to less 
ancient times, I quoted the well-known passage in Diodorus, 
referring to St. Michael's Mount under the name Iktin, as the port 
to which the tin in his time was carried, and from thence exported. 
" The inhabitants of that extremity of Britain" (says he) "which 
is called Belerion (the Land's end) prepare the tin, working very 
skilfully the earth which produces it. The ground is rocky, but 
has in it earthy veins, the produce of which is wrought down, and 
melted, and purified. Then when they have cast it into the forms 
of astragali [aarpdyaXoyv pvOfjLovs) they carry it into a certain 
island adjoining Britain and called Iktiti (ety ttjv vrjcrov TrpoKeL/xevrjv 
fxev rrjs BpeTTavLKrji 6vofJia(opi€vr]v 8e Iktlv). For during the recess 
of the tide, the intervening space is left dry. and they carry over 
abundance of tin to this place in their carts. . . . * From 
hence, then, the traders purchase the tin of the natives and trans- 
port it into Gaul, and finally travelling through Gaul on foot, in 
about 30 days they bring their burdens on horses to the mouth 
of the river Rhone." (Book v., chap. 2.) 
From this passage it may be inferred that the spot where the tin 
was melted and cast into forms for exportation was very near the 
Mount ; and if such spot were close to a large stream, it would in 
all probability have been the place also for smelting the ore, as is 
the case with the well-known smelting and melting works by the 
stream at Chyandour, near Penzance. Now the place nearest the 
Mount is Marazion ; and at the mouth of the large stream forming 
the western boundary of that town, traces of a very ancient build- 
ing, used apparently for melting as well as smelting, were discovered 
in 1 849. The stream having been diverted, flowed westward along 
the base of the adjoining sand-hillock, washing away large por- 
tions. In sections thus made, I saw, at the depth of between three 
and six yards beneath the turf covering the bank, the remains of 
* The few lines here omitted will appear in a subsequent page. 
