Mr. Weston's p'vydence in bryngynge hys* Dutche myners hether to aplye such busynys in this countrye ys more to be comendyd then his ignorance of o'r countrymen's actyvytyes in suche matters, who owte of all p'adventure be as skylfull in mynyge, as harde and dylygent laborers and as good chepe workmen in that kynde of travell as are to be founde in Europe; wherof to make yow good p'ffe lett the same Mr. Weston's † Germans have some myn assignyd only to them, and lett yo'r Ulryke take suche as he is nowe acquayntyd w'th of owr countrymen, and the sam that wreoght in that worke at Treworthye laste when it was by Burchardys frowardniss gyvyn ov'r, w'che was abowte 23 yerys paste (1560), and let it be consyderyd w'che of them for on hole somers space shall put yow to moste chargys, and gayne yow moste, and soo of them that doo lesse yow shall make yo'r estymacyon by p'ffe. Yo'r Ulryke, as hys dutye ys, wyll advertyse yow what is to be donne in these matters that nott wythstandynge yow shall nott be displeasyd w'the me for shewynge yow that it weere good for yow to ord'r yo'r matters soo, as att the begynny'ge of M'che nexte suche mynys as yow wyll have to be wroghte weere sett upon w'the men well orderyd under ther captaynys and guyders that thaye myghte soo contynew untyll the ende of Octob'r or Novemb'r at farthyste, and that ther wagys maye be dulye p'd them att ev'ye monthys ende and such other necessaryes as roopys, iron, talowe, tymb'r, etc' p'vydyd in dewe tyme that theye lacke it nott att need, wherby ther works shall be henderyd, as by Ulrykys experyence it hathe latlye too well byn p'vyd; soo shall yow by the exspencis of one 1000 merks have good intelligence of the valewe both of owr mynys & men: then maye yow make p'vysyen for erectynge yo'r Meltynge howsys and woodys for cole & fewell as the thynge shall requere to have the same in a redynys a fore hande. *† Dutch is here used synonymously with Germans. Hither, i.e., Cornwall. Mr. Smythe, yow muste not over charge yo'r Ulryke, he is subjecte to infyrmytes and disseasys, and verye carfful & dylygent in hys busynys; by ov'r charginge hym yow maye make hym synke under hys burden. I love the man's vertewe, w'che makythe me wryt thys myche unto yow of hym. I shall nev'r recov'r that w'che I have loste by suche ov'r chargynge, therffore I shewe yow that easye labor maye longe indure. And thus w'th my humble & hartye reco'me'dacyons I doo co'mende bothe yow & yo'rs to the Grace of Allmyghtye Godd. Bokellye in Cornub', this 15 Januarye A'o 1583, an' computatur, by yo'r WILLM. CARNSEWE. [Endorsed.]-To my good frend Mr. Cornce.* II. MR. THOS. SMYTH TO MR. CARNSEWE. 22 NOVEMBER, 1583. I I am very glad that I have spoken w'th you And also † for the twoe sheets of paper † you delivered me, w'ch for yo'r good advise therein I wilbe readie to pleasure you any way may or canne. I find that yo'r opinion carrieth knowledge and skill, w'th experience of the things you write of. I doe determine to followe the same for myn owne parte and will deale w'th my Company, to satisfye them accordingly. There is but myselfe and one more in the cittie and therefore I cannot resolve the entringe into those causes. I doe disburse all the money laid out in the meane while. These causes * It is clear that the letter was written to Mr. Smythe; it was probably sent to Mr. Cornce afterwards for perusal. Indeed, he is personally indicated in the last paragraph but one. † Mr. Carnsewe on the previous page says, he had ridden to London; but though I made diligent search for the "twoe sheets of paper" in the Record Office, I could not find them.-G. G. F. begonne by Mr. Weston and so I entring into it and others by his cariage delivering us some reasonable reasons for th' entring into that acc'on. I will not forgett to putt him and the rest of owr Company in mynd to deale frendly and kindly with yo'r selfe, Mr. Mohun & Mr. Edgecome, whose company I desier as greatly, as the gaine that shall come thereof. Mr. Weston writeth me of yo'r kinde dealinge w'th him and also desireth me to pay you xlli, or to such as you doe appoynt for the same. Now you beinge here, I will deliver the same unto yo'r selfe, w'th thanks for your pleasuring of him. I am also yeld you my hartie thanks for the greate favour and frendshipp you have shewed unto my frend and servaunte Ulricke, who I assure you is a verie honest and skilfull man, and one that I doe much credit for his honesty and his trusty and true dealings. I doe send him by you xli, w'ch I pray you deliver him. I am well assured that Mr. Weston will send him money, for that I have caused a frend of myne to send him twoe hundred pounds in Wales,* parte thereof I am suer he will send to Ulricke. Thus I end with my hartie comendac'ons to yo'r selfe. Yo'r lovinge frend, THOMAS SMYTH. III. MR. THOMAS SMYTH TO ULRICK FROSSE. 17 JUNE, 1584. To my lovinge servante, Ulricke Frosse, overseer of ye mineral woorkes at Perin Sands, &c., in Cornwall. (Receaved the 21th July, 1584.) Ulrick, yow shall understande yt Mr. Weston is latelye com * Probably at Neath, hether, w'th whome I & ye rest of [my company] have sundry times co'ferred towchinge ye p'ceadings & hoped succes of o'r Cornish mynerals. He putteth us in hope of very greate benefite to arise unto us by ye same, havinge set doune a pamphlet ther'of accordinglye where [he trus]teth (God permittinge) to make better than an h'ndreth tonns waighte of p'fecte copper yerely & the same sett of charges. not to stande us in xxvli the tonne w'ch is xxvs. the C. weight. The Partners do greatly like of his [confidential] offers, albeit in very deede I muste stande somwhat doubtfull how the same will fall oute, & yt by sondrye resons, who [managed the] northern mynes* geve us experience at w'ch place I can not lerne was ev'r made in one yere above 1300 of copper . . but lxv. tonn weighte and most yers far les, althoughe o'r copper mine there is reported to yelde plentith of owre. What the charges of o'r owre gettinge and makinge into copper will draw to, I muste suspende my judgmente until I shall hereafter understande the same, by p'ces of time & accompt: yet it is not to be thoughte that o'r owers can be gotten alwaies after one rate, nether in price nor in quantetye, & no doubte many charges will grow about them extraordinary unlooked for. Thus muche have I thoughte good to signifie unto yow w'ch I will yow keep to y'r selfe, onlye make my good frinde Mr. Carnsewe previe therunto desiringe his opinion & advice in the same; and (besids yo'r generall letter w'ch yow ar' to write to S'r W. Winter, † S'r Lionell Ducket & me, of ye state and p'ceadings of these mines, I praye yow fayle not to adv'tice me p'ticulerly & directely) what owrs yow have gotten in all to ye date of y'r next letter, at what mines with ye charges and so nier as yow can ges what * Probably pointing to Keswick Cum. † Winter and Duckett were orig. shareholders in the Mines Royal, see list of them, Post. standeth yow in ye gettinge of a tonn waight of copper owrs, what goodness yow do thinke ye owrs be in ther co'tent of mettall, also ye likelehode of o'r sev'all copp' mines & what the quantetyes of those owers may yerly be gotten, the same beinge supplied w'th sufficient nomber of miners & thinges thereto necessarye, & generally write me yo'r beste knoledge of ye p'ceadinges, with ye state & likely succes of all yo'r woorkes; w'ch like adv'ticements I thought to have receaved from yow ye laste terme, but had not one letter, wherof I mervailed, the rather co'sideringe Mr. Weston was appoynted then to be here, when it had bin well donn that ye Partners might have understoode the state of there mines for the better & open dealinge w'th him in those causes: nevertheles upon ye good co'fidence they repose in his honeste care & cunninge, we have made a new supply & assesment every parte aunsweringe I [100] w'ch w'th suche others as he and his frindes in ye contrye ar to auns were for, dothe make ye supplye hetherto of those woorkes to amount to xxiiij cli, & this I thinke to be a sufficient stoke to maintayne those woorkes thoroughly w'thout farder charging us hereafter; but that we shall now looke after a while to renewer in o'r owre & reape a yerly p'fit, and thus muche ye said Mr. Weston hath firmly p'mised us. Roberte Denham, this berer, is sent now doune to yow w'th ye Companies generall letter & instructions w'ch I shall se folowed with co'venient speede, furderinge the same, & let him se & fully surveigh ye mines, makinge him [acquainted] at large of yo'r p'ceadings therein to thende he maye bringe us up a p'fecte reporte therof accordinge to ye instructions delivered him in charge w'th suche lead owrs as he is appoynted to sende up well and surely packed, and to be directed to me at my house. Mr. Weston himselfe purposeth to be w'th yow (God p'mittinge) aboute the ende of this moneth by whom yow |