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Gentleman's Magazine 1751 p.53
is scarce equal to that of a pigeon cote, and its height
much less. We now entered another narrow valley, which
winded thro' mountains that were totally barren, and in
about an hour we arrived at Seathwaite, which is just under
the mines, and, as near as I can compute, about 10 miles
distant from Keswic. The scene that now presented itself was
the most frightful that can be conceived; we had a mountain
to climb for above 700 yards, in a direction so nearly
perpendicular, that we were in doubt whether we should
attempt it; however, recovering our resolution, we left our
horses at a little house that stood by itself, on the utmost
verge of the county, and approached the mountain. The
precipices were surprisingly variegated with apices,
prominences, spouting jets of water, cataracts, and rivers
that were precipitated from the cliffs with an alarming
noise.
One of these rivers we passed, over a wretched foot-bridge,
and soon after began to climb; we had not ascended far
before we perceived some persons at a great distance above
us, who seemed to be very busy, tho' we could not
distinguish what they were doing; as soon as they saw us,
they hastily left their work, and were running away, but by
a signal made by our guide, who probably was but too well
acquainted with them, they returned, to the number of 18. We
came up to them after an hour of painful and laborious
travelling, and perceived them to be digging with mattocks,
and other instruments, in a great heap of clay and rubbish,
where mines had been formerly wrought; but tho' they were
now neglected by the proprietors, as affording nothing worth
the search, yet these fellows could generally clear 6 or 8
shillings a day, and sometimes more.
The black lead is found in heavy lumps, some of which are
hard, gritty, and of small value, others soft and of a fine
texture. The hill in which it is found is a dirty brittle
clay, interspersed with springs, and in some places shivers
of the rock. The hazel grows in great plenty from the bottom
to the height of above 300 yards, but all the upper part is
utterly barren.
The mineral has not any of the properties of metal, for it
will not fuse but calcine in an intense fire: before its
value was discovered the farmers used it as those of the S.
counties do ruddle, to mark their sheep; it is not the
petroleum, the melanteria, nor the pinguitis of the
ancients, nor does it agree with any description in Pliny,
or Aldrovandus.
About 150 yards above this rubbish is the miner's lodge, to
which the ascent is very steep, and here the facts related
in the news papers must have happen'd, if at all, for the
principal heap of rubbish, where several fellows and girls
were then at work, is within pistol shot of the hut.
We had now reached the summit of the black lead hill, but
were astonished to perceive a large plain to the West, and
from thence another craggy ascent of 500 yards as near as I
could guess.
The whole mountain is called Unnisterre, or, as I suppose,
Finisterre, for such it appears to be; myself and only one
more of our company determined to climb this second
precipice, and in about another hour we gained the summit:
The scene was terrifying, not an herb was to be seen, but
wild savine, growing in the interstices of the naked rocks;
the horrid projection of vast promontories; the vicinity of
the clouds, the thunder of the explosions in the slate
quarries, the dreadful solitude, the distance of the plain
below, and the mountains heaped on mountains that were piled
around us, desolate, and waste, like the ruins of a world
which we only had survived, excited such ideas of horror as
are not to be expressed. We turned from this fearful
prospect afraid even of ourselves, and bidding an
everlasting farewel to so perilous an elevation, we
descended to our companions, repassed the mines, got to
Seathwayte, were chearfully regaled by an honest farmer in
his puris naturalibus, returned to Keswic about 9 at night,
and got home by 11.
This expedition, which we happily accomplished, was last
year attempted by the ingenious Mr Bowyer, but he got no
higher than the chapel. I would have gone with him,
notwithstanding the fatigue and danger that I had already
experienced, but some business obliged me to decline the
happiness of his company, which would have been a
compensation for both.
P.S. The lumps of black-lead found in the rubbish seldom
exceed half a pound in weight, but those found in the mines
are said to weigh six or seven pounds, they work forward for
it, and the pits resemble quarries or gravel pits.
We shall soon give a Map of this place, the only one that
was ever drawn.
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