faithfulness of the workmen, or some other cause, no great matter has as yet been made of them.”[1]
These three repositories of lead lie in a grey-wacke formation, with the exception before mentioned, when speaking of a small grained granite found in the sinking of a shaft at Foxdale.
From the direction of the metallic veins, they seem to intersect at a greater or lesser angle the greywacke-strata. The direction of the metallic vein at Laxey is West South West, and East North East; at Brada head, the shafts have been opened in a line that keeps nearly the same direction.
The inclination of the metallic vein with respect to the horizon, both at Laxey and Foxdale, is two yards in six.
- ↑ Page 449. Vol. I.
Since the above was written, a letter which I received from Mr. William Geneste of Douglass, answering some inquiries I made, contains the following more precise information on this subject.
“Mr. Fitz. Simmons, who is preparing to publish an extensive work on the ancient History of the Isle of Man, states, that mention is made of the mines of the Isle, in the time of Sir Stanley [$ 1] 1st and 2d. Those at Brada, he believes, were first wrought; whether those at Foxdale were then opened may be doubted; those at Laxey were opened and wrought by a mining company of Cumberland, about the commencement of the last century.”
“Mr. William Scott of Douglass conjectures, that the mines at Brada were wrought previous to the discovery of gunpowder, from Feather-wedges (a contrivance for breaking asunder rocks, which is now performed by gunpowder) having been found in those mines.”
Mr. William Geneste informs me farther, that he lately found in some books (titled Charge of the Revenue) in the Duke's office, in Douglass (called the Seneschal's office) “ that the last Earl of Derby had the mines wrought, paying the workmen at the rate of £ 3 manx [$ 2] per ton, for the ore (lead) raised. In the year 1709, he paid the miners for about 70 tons; from the year 1709 to 1713, about 30 tons yearly. A new melting house was built in the year 1717. The working of the mines was totally suspended about three years ago.”
G 2
