Sect. 8. Of the different Bigness of the Iron Sowes. These masses or Sowes of Iron are not alwaies of one and the same weight and bigness, but there is them of all sizes, from one hundred weight untill thirtie hundred: which difference doth chiefly depend on the different bigness of the furnace and hearth, and partly on the will and discretion of the workmaster or founder, and according as he either stayeth untill the hearth be full, or letteth out the Iron sooner; but ordinarily they do not use to cast, or to open the hearth, under less than twelve houres, nor to stay much longer than four-and-twenty.

And here is to be observed, that even in furnaces of the same bigness, yea in the self-same furnaces, the same quantity of Iron is not alwaies cast in the same space of time: but that varieth both according to the nature of the oar, and according to the different seasons of the year. For within the same compasse of time you shall cast a greater quantitie of Iron out of a rich Mine or Oar, than out of a lean one; and in the summer time, when the coales come in dry and fresh, than in the winter.

Sect. 9. Of the refining of the Sow-Iron, and the hammering it into Barres.

The Sowes are with teams of Oxen drawn to the Hammerworks, where being put into the fire again, they melt them into the finerie, the finer turning the melted stuff to and fro, till it come to be a solid body, then he carrieth it under the hammer, where it is hammered out into such flat narrow and thin bars, as are to be seen every where: the hammers being huge big ones, and never ceasing from knocking day nor night, as being kept at work by the means of certain Wheels, turned about by Water-courses in the same manner as the wheels of the Bellows.

By means of this second melting, and of that mighty hammering, the Iron is freed from a mighty deal of dross and dregs which it kept sticking to it, thorough its whole substance, in the first melting; and so of impure called Sow-Iron, becometh

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becometh to be usefull, such as is accustomed to be delivered unto Merchants, being therefore called Merchants-Iron; one Tun whereof is usually had out of a Tun and a half of SowIron; but if that be of the best sort, and cast of the best Oar, two hundred pounds less of it will yeeld the aforesayd quantity of a Tun of Merchants-Iron.

CHAP. XVIII.

Of the Mines of Silver and Lead in Ireland: and occasionally of the pestiferous Damps and Vapours within the Earth.

Sect. 1. Of the severall Mines of Silver and Lead, and in particular that of Tipperary.

MIN

INES of Lead and Silver in Ireland have to this day been found out, three in number; one in Ulster, in the County of Antrim, very rich, forasmuch as with every thirty pounds of Lead it yeeldeth a pound of pure Silver; another in Connaught, upon the very Harbour-mouth of Sligo, in a little Demy-Iland commonly called Conny-Iland; and a third in Munster. The first two having been discovered but a few years before this present Rebellion, were through severall impediments never taken in hand yet; wherefore we shall speak only of the third.

This Mine standeth in the County of Tipperary, in the Barony of Upper Ormond, in the Parish of Kilmore, upon the Lands of one John Mac-Dermot O-kennedy, not far from the Castle of Downallie, twelve miles from Limmerick, and threescore from Dublin. The land where the Mine is, is mountainous and barren; but the bottoms, and the lands adjoyning, are very good for Pasture and partly Arable; of each whereof the Miners had part, to the value of twenty pounds sterling per annum, every one. It was found out not above forty years ago, but understood at the first only as a Lead-mine, and accordingly given notice of to Donogh Earl of Thomond, then Lord President of Munster, who made use of some of the Lead

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Lead for to cover the house which he then was building at Bunrattie: But afterwards it hath been found, that with the Lead of this Mine there was mixed some Silver.

Sect. 2. The manner of digging this Mine the nature of the Oar, and what proportions of Silver and Lead it yeelds. The Veins of this mine did commonly rise within three or four spits of the superficies, and they digged deeper as those Veins went, digging open pits very far into the ground, many fathoms deep, yea Castle-deep; the pits not being steep, but of that fashion as people might go in and out with wheelbarrows, being the only way used by them for to carry out the Mine or Oar. The water did seldom much offend them; for when either by the falling of much rain, or by the discovering of some Spring or Water-source, they found themselves annoyed by it, they did by Conduits carry it away to a brook adjoyning, the Mountain being so situate, as that might be done easily.

This Mine yeelds two different sorts of Oar; of which the one, and that the most in quantitie, is of a reddish colour, hard, and glistering; the other is like a Marle, something blewish, and more soft than the red; and this was counted the best, producing most Silver, whereas the other, or glistering sort, was very barren, and went most away into litteridge or dross.

The Oar yeelded one with another three pound weight of Silver out of each Tun, but a great quantitie of Lead so as that was counted the best profit to the farmer.

Besides the Lead and Silver the Mine produced also some Quicksilver, but not any Alome, Vitriol, or Antimony, that I could hear of.

Sect. 3. Profits of this Mine. It hath been destroyed by the Irish Rebels.

The Silver of this Mine was very fine, so as the Farmers sold it at Dublin for five shillings two pence sterling the ounce; as for the Lead, that they sold on the place for eleven pounds sterling the Tun, and for twelve pounds at the City of Limmerick. The King had the sixth part of the silver for his

share, and the tenth part of the Lead, the rest remaining to the farmers, whose clear profit was estimated to be worth two thousand pounds sterling yearly.

All the Mills, Melting-houses, Refining-houses, and other necessary Work-houses, stood within one quarter of a mile at the furthest from the place where the Mine was digged, every one of them having been very conveniently and sufficiently built and accommodated by the Officers and substitutes of Sir William Russell, Sir Basil Brook, and Sir George Hamilton, which three persons successively had this Mine in farm from the King, but in the beginning of this present Rebellion all this hath been destroyed by the Irish under the conduct of Hugh O-kennedy, brother of Iohn Mac-Dermott O-kennedy, on whose lands the Mine was situated: which Rebels not content to lay waste the mine, and to demolish all the works thereunto belonging, did accompany this their barbarousness with bloody cruelty against the poor workmen, such as were imployed about the melting and refining of the Oar, and in all offices thereunto belonging: the which some of them being English, and the rest Dutch (because the Irish having no skill at all in any of those things, had never been imployed in this mine otherwise than to digg it, and to do other labours) were all put to the sword by them, except a very few, who by flight escaped their hands.

Sect. 4. This Mine free from deadly vapours, the which other

wise in Ireland are bred within the Earth, as well as in other Countries, as is instanced in a very remarkable History.

I have not heard that any of the Miners hath been stifled in this Mine, a thing ordinary enough in other countries: the reason whereof I conceive to be, because the work was done in wide and open pits, wherein the like noxious vapours can neither be so easily engendred, and when they arise find a free passage into the open air, to the contrary of those close and narrow vaults usuall in the most part of other mines. For else that the Earth of Ireland is subject, as well as that of other countries, to breed dangerous damps within her self,

is undoubted, as evidently it appeared in the year sixteen hundred thirty-seven, by this following accident.

A Maulter living in the suburbs of Dublin in St. Francisstreet caused a Well to be digged three yards deep, which yeelding but little water, and that not very sweet nor clear, resolved to have it made deeper; and injoyned a servant of his, to work at it at spare times, which he doing, and having digged a yard and a half lower, the water of it begun the 24 of August to bubble up in a strange manner, making a great noise; which having continued two dayes, without any notable increase, hardly comming half-way the knees; he went down again into the Well, to digge there according to his custome. But having wrought but a little while, and being taken with a sudden giddiness in his head, and faintness at his heart, made hast to get out, and being revived, returned to fetch away his spade and other instruments; but comming to the bottom he fell into a deadly sown, which being seen by those that were present, one of them went down to help him up; unto whom the same accident happened. All the spectators being greatly astonished, and their tumult having drawn-on a great concourse of people, the place where the Well was being an open yard, looking into the main street; a certaine man, newly come to town, and casually passing by that way, not affrighted by the example of those two, had the courage to go down to fetch the former out, but with as ill success as they themselves. The wonder and amazement being hereby increased among the people, there was nevertheless a Butcher (a bold robustuous man) who having drunk somewhat liberally, would notwithstanding these sad accidents go in, which at the first not being suffered, and he continuing in his resolution, was at last permitted on condition that he let a strong cord be tyed about his wayst to pull him out, if he found himself ill; the which to signifie he was to hold up his right hand. But being come to the bottome; and suddenly taken with a deadly faintness, that he had neither time nor power to give the appointed sign, falling from the ladder; and being haled out with all possible speed, found to be in a deep trance, but with perfect signs of life: wherefore being carried to his own house,