258

MINING IN THE

CHAP. X.

the chief object of which was said to have beento promote the working of mines in the Ma-connois and in the Lyonnois.

It appears, however, by letters patent whichCharlemagne granted in 786 to his two sons,Charles and Louis, that gold and silver were thechief objects whose search engaged the atten-tion of that monarch. The grant referred towas of certain districts with the royalties of thecrown. “ Plus tractum regionis in saltu nostroThuringiaco , ad 20 milliaria in longitudine et10 in latitudine, jure hereditario possedendum ;et facultatem damus in territorio districti illiusdominationis qucerere et fodere aurum argen-tumque, atque omnia metalla .”—In Goldasti.—It appears that the right of coining moneywas a privilege conveyed with the grant of themining-district, from the expressions in it, “ in-super ut debeatis et possitis aureos, grossos, et

denarios monetare . ut bona moneta tan-

quam nostra &c.

The archives of Lorraine contain some in-timations of mines. It is there recorded thatGerrard, the 34th Bishop of Toul, in the year975, granted several estates to the church ofDiez, but reserved to himself decimas mince ar-genti, the tithes of the silver mines.

It is related in the Chronicle of Lenones, thatin the year 997 two very distinguished menarrived at Belmont, and opened mines; “ qu°~