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is laid upon the poor defenceless Mountain?which is looked upon as barren, and unna-turally robbed of its Character, though, toall after Ages, it shews the strongest Symp-toms of its being the Repository of usefulFossils and Minerals. Sic terrœ perdunturopes.

But let us take a View of the Methodof Mining' used id the more primitiveTimes; let us examine what we find uponRecords concerning it ; let us cast an Eyeupon the Remains of their Works, whichto this very Day bear the Name of RomanWorks ; by these we shall find, that theynever digged for any other Veins, thansuch as discovered themselves on the Sur-face which they worked, as at this TimeDitches and Trenches are made in Camps,and so laid the whole Vein open ; for theyknew nothing of sinking Shafts throughhard Rocks, as we are obliged to do at avery great Expence, they were unacquaint-ed with the Tools now in use, Whimsies,Fire-engines, and all Sorts of Machines for, draining of Pits, were not then invented ;so when they discovered Veins on the Sidesof the Mountains, they worked them byLevels, but in no Shape in a workman-like Manner, comparatively to what theydo now in Sweden and Germany ; nor didthey follow them any farther than theycontinued soft and mild, desisting as soon

as