you would be done by; (that is to say,) let us all start fair." "I feel greatly obliged, gentlemen," said I, "by your anecdotes; the relation of which may be listened to with complacency, and convey more ultimate good to some, than a laboured essay on the sin of avarice, and the folly of hazarding, against such fearful odds, in mining adventures, those hard earned savings, which ought to be reserved for comfort in old age, or, when we die, for the maintenance of the viduated partner of our cares, and of our orbated offspring. For, as Flaccus says Ex re fabellas," "Garrit aniles which you are aware the immortal Dryden prettily renders thus: "The cheerful sage, when solemn dictates fail, Conceals the moral counsel in a tale." CHAPTER XIII. "Through seas of knowledge we our course advance, DENHAM. Having walked a mile northward of Breage, I arrived at WHEAL VOR: where I saw hundreds of men, women, and children engaged in the works: and, as I walked through various groups, I was struck with admiration at the busy scene, and the loud and awe-imposing sounds of the machinery. Mr. Hodge received me with much politeness; and kindly shewed me the works. The first I saw was a steam-engine, of 300 horse power, cylinder eighty inches, whereby they pump up the water, from a depth of 240 fathom, (three times and a half the height of St. Paul's); which would otherwise stop subterraneous operations.. This gigantic machine has four furnaces, which heat as many boilers; and the steam enters from them all into one pipe. The beam weighs twenty tons; and the appended rod, which pumps, takes a seven-feet stroke: the balance-bob has its box laden with 90,000lb. of iron. At the top of the bob, is a machine, which indicates the work done. There are employed in this mine 1200 souls. Subterraneous operatists are paid by the piece; and earn £3 a month their labour being for about six hours a-day; in addition to which they spend one hour in descending, and another in returning. The shafts are perpendicular and narrow; consequently the ladders are in the perpendicular and the fatigue of descending and ascending is great. The ladders vary in length, being fifty, sixty, and seventy feet; and at the foot of each is a landing. The subterraneous work is insalubrious; the men encounter many dangers, and rarely attain old age. The women earn six-pence aday; but they are cheerful and decent : some are seen in silk dresses on Sundays. The children receive about a crown, the calendar month,-two-pence farthing a-day! The females at this mine are remarkably well-looking; but the beauty of many has been grievously ravaged by the small-pox. The second engine I saw, was a twelvehorse power, cylinder eighteen inches; whose province was to draw up the tin and copper-ore; which occupied only five minutes, though the depth exceeded a quarter of a mile. The same power, which draws up the loaded bucket, lets down that which is last emptied; each being fastened by a strong iron chain, some yards in length, to a flat triple inch rope, being three ropes one inch thick each, joined side by side, or placed in a row; that being found to wear longer, and work better, than a round rope. I saw the bucket raised above ground, emptied, and let down to be re-loaded. The building, into which the buckets ascend, is many yards from the engine which raises them; so there is a connexion between the two, by the rope, which draws up and lets down the buckets, traversing the interstitial space, and circumvolving a Whim, (which is worked by the steam engine,) and returning back whence it came. On the loaded bucket reaching the top, a bell is rung, (which hangs in the engineer's building,) by a man who empties the bucket; upon hearing the bell, the engineer stops the engine; and as soon as the bucket is emptied, and is ready for descent, the same signal is repeated, whereupon the engineer sets the engine on again. The circumvolutionary movement being reversed, by an easy adaptation of machinery, that bucket, which last came up filled, returns to the bottom to be re-filled; whilst that, which last went down empty, and was filled |