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-------CARDIGANSHIRE MINES.…

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CARDIGANSHIRE MINES. Some of the lead mines in Cardiganshire were,, as is well known, worked by Sir Hugh Middleton'during the latter half of the sixteenth century and the beginning of the seventeenth.. After his death they fell into the hands of Mr. Thomas Bushell, who worked them extensively, and kept a mint in operation at the silver mine in Cardiganshsre from the bullion produced. He is said to have clothed the army of King Charles the First from part of the profit, and during the civil wars sacrificed his fortune in the King's defence. Aberystwyth Castle was beseiged by the parlia- mentary forces and the mines were in coi isequence aban- doned. These particulars ore stated in an interesting paper by Mr. Robert Hunt, keeper of Mining Records to the Geolo- gical Survey of Great Britain, and published in the Memoirs of that Establishment, Vol. II. Part II., in which will be found the authorities whence the statements are derived. This paper is followed by another, by VYarington \Y Smyth, M.A., F.G.S., mining geologist to the survey. The mines extensively worked at the above-mentioned period were called Cwmsymiog. Gog-rum, and Darren Vawr, these three producing lead containing a larger proportion of silver than most others in the district. Manv attempts appear to have been made at different periods to renew operations in this part of Wales, but nothing (iicetive was done until the early part of the present century. Of the above three mines Goginan alone has been very pro-r I table for some yeai s past, while Cwmsymlog and Darren, after the expenditure of considerable s'ims, have not hitherto been sufficiently productive to encourage much further trial. Two cases have, however, very lately occured, which seem to confirm that part of their history which assigns their iibaudonnient to some sudtlen unlooked-for cause, such as is said to have taken place in Mr. Bushel's time. The first of these is at a mine now called East Darren, where trials have been made on one of the Cwmsymlog lodes, and now pur- suing into the old mine so called. Here, in clearing up some ancient workings, at the depth of only seven fathoms from the adit level, which, though crushed and choked in several parts, existed at the early periods referred to, a.lode was found, producing rich ore, in quantity to secure profit- able working, and it sc.emedlikely to extend under other ancient excavations. At this moderate depth, under an adit drainage could not be very difficult or expensive, even with the means then in use, ami we must refer the abandonment to some sudden cause, such as the catastrophy which is re- corded of Mr. Bushel's ruin. The second case lias very recently occurred at Cog,iiian. y 11 Here the main lode has been very extensively worked upon by the present adventurers with considerable profit for several years. The mine has now attained the depth of one hundred and twenty fathoms, and is furnished with all necessary machinery. Some' time since a branch, or, as it now appears to be, another lode, went off from the main lode in the direction Of E.N.TC. Near the junction it produced some ore, and a level at the depth of 26 fathoms from the surface was commenced on it; but the ore failed ai d the level was discontinued. Of late working in this level was renewed, and a course of ore discovered, in pursuing which it lately intersected some ancient workings, no kind of appearance or indication of which existed on the surface. These are now cleared through the length being only 5 fathoms, and good ore is found not only where the level entered these excavations, but at the other end and bottom of them. Situated as these workings are, on a hill, so that an adit of great depth might have been made, there being now one driven by the present adventurers 00 fathoms below the bottom of the old workings, it could hal dly be the difficulty of drainage which put an end to the pursuit of such a discovery, and we must again look for some extraordinary cause for its abandonment. The entire absence of traces of work on the surface tends to prove also that what was done there took place at a remote period.

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