our
Predecessors in former Ages, had both serious Consultations, and Considerations,
before they made those many Wholesome and Good Lawes, for the Preservation
of Wood, and Timber, of this Kingdom, 1 Eliz. 15. 23 Eliz. 5. Eliz.
19. 28 Eliz. 3, 5. in whose dayes, and since in King James’s Reign,
Ships in most Ports and Rivers of this Kingdom, (Thames Excepted) might
have been built, for forty Shillings per Tunn; but now they can hardly
be built for treble the value, wood and timber is so much decayed; therefore
men of War, Trade of Merchants, of Fishing, of Navigating, unto Plantations
will decay, if not timely prevented, which is hoped will be one of Your
Principallest Cares, seeing our Enemies have carried Timber from England,
and the Iron Works have much exhausted it; For the prevention of so
great a Consumption, almost incureable: First is to put the Wholesome
Laws in Execution; Secondly, not to permit Timber to be Exported. Thirdly,
to animate, as King James did, and also Prince Henry, the making of
Iron in England, Scotland, and Wales with Pit-cole, Sea-cole, and Peate;
which if the Authour (who had a Pattent for it) had not been opposed,
after he had made much good Iron with Pit-cole, it had long since, by
his Inventions, been fully perfected. The Fourth is, to stop all the
Exportation of Pit-cole, and Sea-cole (paying His Majesties Duty) if
the Cole be in a fit place, to make Iron therewith. Fifthly, That the
Authour, or his Agents may have power to preserve many thousand Tuns
of Pit- cole, Which are annually destroyed, for ever in England, Scotland,
and Wales, which are fit to make Iron; and the Authour in this Treatise
hath demonstrated it, being moved with pitty, seeing his Native Country
decaying. Humbly offers but his Judgement. and leaves the grave consideration
thereof, to your Learned, and more serious Consultations and Actings,
praying that you may animate good thing, and new inventions, that may
bring unto His Sacred Majesty, and all Loyal Subjects, Safety, Strength,
Wealth, and. Honour by our Ships, and Men of War, Fishing, Navigation,
and Merchandizing, unto Foreign Nations; but more especially, to and
from the Territories of Great Brittain, our North Indies abounding in
Mines and Minerals, that they that are of the Honourable Corporations
of Mines Royal, and Batteries, or any others, would lay in a Common,
or Joynt Stock, fully to set the Mines at Work, by imploying our idle,
and burdensom supernumerary people therein. Iron, Tin, Lead, Copper,
Quicksilver Silver and Gold, besides many other minerals and Marcesit’s,
Lapis Calaminaris, Antimonie, Manganes &c, also many Mineral Earths
and Precious Stones: Did I call Great Brittain our North Indies? give
me leave to repeat a passage till further satisfaction, of King Josina
of Scotland, a great Phylosopher, Physitian, and Herbalist, living before
Christ. 161 years, at which time, two venerable Phylosophers and Priests
passing from Portugall to Athens, their Ship and Company, and Marriners,
all perished at Ros, they only saved; after refreshing. and good Entertainment,
the King desired of them what they understood by their Science of the
Nature of the Ground of Scotland; after deliberate advisement, said,
There was more Riches and Profit to be gotten within the Veins of the
Earth of Scotland, then above, for the winning of Mines and Metals;
They knew this by the Influence of’ the Heavens: This you may see in
the Chronicles of Scotland
My Dear Master, our Sacred Martyr, Charles the First of
ever Blessed Memory, did animate the Authour by Granting him a Pattent,
Anno 14 of his Reign, for the making of Iron, and Melting, Smelting,
Extracting, Refining, and Reducing all Mines and Metals with Pit-cole,
Sea cole, Peat and Turf which was Extinct, and Obstructed by reason
of the War; and had not this unnatural and unparalleled war been, His
late Sacred Majesty himself had set at work many of His mines, and.
much good had been produced to Great Brittain before this time.
At present, the Authour is in good hope, and incessantly
prayes, that the Mines be set at Work in his dayes, by the Honourable
Corporation of the Mines Royal, for he verily believeth the time to
be near, when the Omnipotent God, before he Judge the World in Fire,
will shew His Omnipotency unto the Nations, by revealing of the wonderful
and incredible things of Nature. of which the Learned do believe very
many to be, in the Mineral Kingdome, by working of Mines and Fusion
of Metals, gotten by honest labour under ground, profitable to Man,
and Acceptable with God.
I might here speak somewhat of Superiour Planets producing
Metal, Saturn, Lead: Jupiter, Tin: Mars, Iron: but these abound in Great
Brittain, so do the Inferiour Planets produce Venus, Copper: Mercury,
Quicksilver: Luna, Silver.
If God permit me health and leasure from Sutes and Troubles,
not onely to write of them, but also the manner of the Melting. Extracting,
Refining, and Reducing of them with Pit-cole, Sea-cole, Peat, &c.
In the interim to let you know that Great Brittain abounds with Copper
Mines, much neglected, yet of great use for Ordnance, at Land, and also
at Seas, and for the making of Brass, with our Lapis Calaminaris, so
much Exported by the Dutch, which doth hinder our manufactories of Brass,
and causes the Dutch and Swedes to raise the price of Copper and Brass
ever since our small loss at Sea by the Dutch. Mercury, Quicksilver
is not wanting, but few Artists have made any Experiment of that Mine
in this Kingdome.
Luna, Silver doth abound in Great Britain, especially
a very Rich Vein, Rake, or Fibrey thereof was wrought at Binnyhills
near Lithgo in Scotland, in the Authors dayes, some part of which he
hath, is malleable Silver in the Oare or Mine, yet neglected. And so
are many of our richest Mines in England and Wales, &c. the cause
is conceived to be the want of a general and joynt-stock for the imploying
our idle people in getting, and working of the Copper. and Silver Mines.
Of the Planet Sol, Gold: I may not be silent, whose Golden,
Glorious, Pure, Sulphurious, Percing, Spirit, communicating his virtue
mineral unto all things in the Mineral Kingdom, as well as to the Animal
and Vegetable Kingdom, whose pure influence producing Cold, caused the
poor indigent people of Scotland, which the Author did see, Anno 37,
at Shortlough, six men to dig and carry with wheele-barrows, the common
Earth or Mould. unto Rivolets remote, out of which those men did wash
Gold-grains, as good as in the sand of the rivers, in which Rivers may
have gotten Gold, and seen grains of Sol, near one ounce weight, both
in the Low-lands, and. in the High-lands, also he hath seen Gold gotten
in England., but not so plentiful as in Scotland. For Sir James Hope,
An. 1654, brought from Scotland, Baggs of gold grains unto Cromwelll,
some of which Grains were very large, and as fine as any Gold in the
world, that is in Mines; thus I came to see the Baggs, taking a view
of the Low-lands and. High-Land of Scotland, Anno 37, in which year.
I spent the whole Summer (in opening of Mines, and making of discoveries)
was at Sir James Hopes Lead Hills, near which I got Gold, and he coming
to London, imployed Captain David Acheson, a Refiner, whom I met with
in Scotland, Anno 37, to find me out~ when I came unto Sir James Hope,
dwelling in White Hall, he produced the Baggs unto me, and poured the
Gold out upon a board, in which was one large piece of Gold, which had
to it adjoyning a large piece of white spar very transparent, which
Cap. David Acheson yet living at Edinburgh saw; but I would never Act
with Sir James Hope, hoping of these times to see good things acted,
for I believe God is about to reveal many of his secrets, unto his Israel
in this latter Age, which made me not to Answer the Letter of Sir James
Hope, as followeth.
Edinburgh 26. June 1654.
Sir, If I had found the opportunity before my parting,
I purposed to have been a sutor to yon, and I perswade myself you are
so kinde and generously disposed, that you would have answered my desire,
and therefore a/so even at this distance adventure to offer it: And
it is that you would confer upon me one breviate of your journey through
the North of Scotland, as to the. discovery of Minerals upon some account,
and at first view, this may seem as unreasonable of me desired, as improbable
that you should grant it, but the circumstance of time and persons and
substance of the things considered, I am not altogether out, of hope
of it; onely, I shall say, if you condescend to me in this, though it
be more in satisfaction, to my curiosity, then for any designe 1 have
upon the matter; yet you shall singularly oblige me to indeavor and
be ready as opportunity shall offor, to expresse my thankfulnesse, in
what way you will prescribe, that is in the power of;
your very affectionate brother
and Servant, James Hope.
This Sir James Hope, was a Judge at the City of Edinburgh,
and by Cromwel made Lord Marshall of Scotland.
My hope now is, that the Honourable and ingenious Corporation
of the Mines Royal will set the Mines at world that my Inventions, in
which I have spent much time and charge, in melting, smelting extracting,
refining and reducing of Mines and Mettals with Pitcoal, Seacoal and
Peats; and have made with the same Fuell many hundred Tuns of good Merchantable
Iron, into cast works and Bars: may by the inventioner be enjoyed according
to the Act of Parliament. 21. Jacob. Seeing the Authour can make it
appear he hath been much obstructed by lawsuits and the Wars hitherto:
Desires that his Talent of Undoubted truths (may not be buried) for
the general good, but be brought to light, after all the sad Sufferings
of the Authour, whereby he may add unto his new inventions, what he
conceives fit to be done: That not onely this so exhausted Kingdome
may enjoy the benefit thereof but also Scotland and Wales which abound
with Coals, Iron, Stone and Mines of all sorts, minerals and precious
Stones, &c.
Yet from England’s Granery, Scotland making no iron, and
other Territories, have their thorow supply, not onely of Iron, but
of iron manufactories many, so hath Wales; yet might Scotland and Wales
not onely supply themselves, but supply His Sacred Majesties other Territories
with iron and Iron Wares and Steel also, by Iron and Steel made with
Pit-coale, Sea-coale and Peat; and thereby be helpfull unto themselves
and England, and all Plantations of his Majesties, on this side and
beyond the line.