Gents Mag 1751 p.53

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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.
	gazetteer links
	-- (black lead mine, Seathwaite)
	-- "Unnesterre" -- Fleetwith
	-- "Seathwayte" -- -- "Seathwayte" -- SeathwaiteSeathwaite

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