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Wee looke dayly for the Copper Refiner from

Keswicke, and have in readines as much copper roste and blake copper as will mak a 20 tonne lotte of good fine copper.

Wee have done noting all this winter for lake of ewre. Wee are able to melt it w'th two fornises in the space of 40 weekes the quantitie of 560 tonne of ewre if wee might have it, and if the ewre be clean and well sorted the mor copper it will yeld. I doe not doubt but te bring out all that is in the ewre. I did befor Mr. Martin, melte 24 c. of our first melted sinder w'ch doth com of the ewre, and did not find in it the weight of halfe one onz of copper stone, w'ch is a saigne that we bring out all. I would glatly see your worshipp her to see our melting, no doubt you would liket well in nough, for I tare stand the tryall of it, who so ever will take in hand, to bring out as much as any other will doe, and w’th as little charges.

We will melt in the space of 7 houres the quanttitie of 24 C. of ewre, and spend not above 8 or 9 seks of chare coles, and thre horslod of sea coles, and if the ewre be well and clean sorted the mor copper stone will it yeld; melting many sorts of ewres to gither is the most proffet, and will melt a greattayll souner.

All my care is, and ever was, to have ewre enough, and then no doubt we will make copper good store, by the Grace of God, having good ewre and clean sorted, as is afor sayd, but hither to we have ben greatly hinderit for lack of ewre, w'ch the Parteners do finde. If lake of ewre hath not ben wee might have hath by this time above 40 tonne of copper, w'ch must be for seene hereafter, o'r els it wilbe long befor they Parteners will com to their owne againe.

This I reste to troble yow, and so, w’th my humble service comended to your Worshipp, unto good Mrs. Carnsewe, your

* The "Copper Refiner" would be a most important addition to the Staff at Neath.-G. G. F.

sonnes and doughters, w'th the rest of your houshold, beseech God to send yow and all yours long lyff and prossperius health, and so commit yow to God. From Neath, this 7th of March, 1586.

Your Worshipps to command,

ULRICKE FROSSE, M. Mr.

I hop to see your Worshipp this somer in Cornwall with God's healp, and then we shall hav som larger conference touching our melting of the severall ewres. Wee doe not doubt what ewre so ever do com to my hands, and it be never so strong to melt we will over com it, for a metchen* that wee have fond out by change, and if it hath not been for that, the rich copper ewre w'ch we call the plen ewre at † St. Youste would put us to harte shifte for melting of it, a very strong ewre to melte as ever I did see o'r did com to my hands, but I thank God wee are able to master it well in nough. God send us anough of it, for the metchen* we have for it doth not only healp to melt it easye but also to melt it speedelye, and w'th small fewle and bringes out all that is in it, this may your worshipp give me credit to be the trought. I thank the Lord for it; God send the mynes to prospere, and to mak good greement amongst the Parteners in setting this work forward, whereby they may have p'fitt, and the comone wealt may be maintained to God's honner.

Befor the insealing hereof I hath news out of Cornwall, how that Mr. Trevinian hath discharged all the workmen at

St. Youit, and taken away all their tooles, and given charge to his officers that no ewre should be caried away, I must therefor desyre your worshipp to tak som orther, that our bark, being now at § St. Dyves, may have her lading of ewre, for this time, away with her. Understanding by a gentleman w'ch * This word was probably slang amongst the workmen for ability to overcome, or matching, equal to.

† St. Just.

St. Just,

$ St. Ives.

did com from London of late, that Mr. Martin, and Denham wilbe in Cornwall very shortly.

[Endorsed]

To the Right Worshippfull Mr. William Carnsewe, esquier. Delyver this at his house at Bockellye, in Cornwall.

XII.

ROBERT MARTYN TO MR. CARNSEWE.
8 APRIL, 1586.

[Headed.]

(Robert Martyn's retorne to my wrytynge, W. C.)

S'r,-By yo'r note in wrytynge I doo p'ceve yo'r travell hathe bene greate, and your chardge not a litle, beside those things delliv'd to Mr. Weston at Perin Sands for the furtherance of o'r woorke. I hope when the P'tners shalbe informed therof in such sorte, as I see good cause the should, thaye will use considerac'on accordingly.

I will cause R. D.* to waight uppon you withe all the co venient sped he maye, beinge right sory that my busines will suffer me no longer to remayne, the cause therof I have mad knowne unto yo'u accomptinge my departuar to be a hinderaunce unto my self, not knowinge where to spend tyme to bett'r purpoze.

I praye God to send you health and strengthe to p'form yo'r i'tended journy into Walles, † no man shalbe more gladder to se you ther then myself.

I am right sory the wante of 100li. frome the P'tners should hinder so good a purpoze. I do not mystrust but at my next beinge in London they will bett'r consider of the

same.

If it be not my chaunce to offer my dewtifull service to Mr. Edgcom befor my dep'ture, I beseche yo'u vouchsafe to †This of course was to the New

* No doubt Robert Denham.

Works at Neath, then busily occupied.-G. G. F.

remember the same. I hope his Wo. will thinke good we doo not want.

And so I pray God to contynue yo'r health, with increase of many happy dayes.

The foregoing Letters are not only extremely curious and interesting in themselves as shewing the manner of conducting important matters of business in the time of Queen Elizabeth; shewing too, that there was then, as there is now, a gentle feeling between master and servant, and that there was also the same difficulty of getting means to carry on the work, the same generous trust and advance between friends in a common cause-and as if to prove that "there is nothing new under the sun "-there was thus early, an appreciation of practical knowledge tending to a commercial success such as cannot be surpassed in the present day, for Dr. Percy, in his "Metallurgy" of 1861, says

"The smelter, by having at command a variety of ores, may render an ore profitable which otherwise would. have no value. Frequently copper can be extracted at a less cost by smelting several ores in a mixture, than by smelting one ore by itself."

Ulrick Frosse, writing more than 250 years ago, had ascertained the same economic law, for he told his friend Denham to

"Send such ores as you have, not caring what ore it is; when you do send, if you can, send of all sorts; the better it will melt and with more profits."

I trust that I have at length definitively settled the Origin of Copper Smelting at Neath, in what is now known as "The Swansea District." It is clear that to "the right worshipful Thomas Smyth, esquire, principal Customer of London, and his friend and loving servant Ulrick Frosse, that very honest and skilfull man," we are indebted for the "great Staple" which, founded in

the days of Elizabeth, has grown to such gigantic proportions in the reign of Victoria. IN JULY, 1584, it was announced that the ores would be transported out of Cornwall to "the new Melting House at NEATH IN WALES, then ready," and it was "thought good that about the Michaelmas following, Ulrick should live at Neath to take charge of it and the things there." See p. 9 and elsewhere, ante, as to these facts.

It is further proved that whatever was the metallurgic talent of native workmen, the Germans (or, as they were often in those days called, the Dutch)† were the skilled workmen who forced on the art to a higher perfection than it had hitherto attained in this country; for not only Ulrick, in July of the very next year, 1585, writing as to melting 24 cwt. of ore every day with one furnace, the Lord be thanked," but we shall just now have further incontestable evidence of the rapid strides made by Jochim Gaunse and Stembarger, of whose German origin there can be no question.

From Keswick, in Cumberland, came those pioneers of the trade "the Copper Refiner, the Copper maker, the under Melter, and the Dutch carpenter† to serve and ready Ulrick in these causes;" and I purpose now to show how they conducted their work, and what were the difficulties they had to overcome in "the corrupt humors" with which they contended in converting the Cornish ores into marketable Copper. Probably few Trades can shew such a clear and concise description of their modus operandi as will be found in the following confidential communications to the then Secretary of State (Walsingham, one of Elizabeth's most astute councillors,) who not only was probably interested in the concern himself, but had to look after the good Queen's * Vide page 13, ante.

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† At page 3, ante, it will be seen that Mr. Carnsewe describes "Dutche myners as Germans, and at page 23, is a like description, "the Dutch workmen which have been sent from Germany."

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