Welsh Journals

The Natural Resources of Wales. By F. J. North, D.Sc., F.G.S., Department of Geology, National Museum of Wales. PROFESSOR J. F. Rees, in a recent essay upon "The Smaller Welsh Iudustries," (1)* drew attention to the fact that modern industrial development in Wales has been so dominated by coal that we are apt to over- look other industries," and as examples of those other industries, mentioned the quarrying of slate, and the typically rural industries connected with the use of wool, leather, and similar materials. There is also another group of industries of considerable importance to the Principality: it comprises those concerned with the mining of material other than coal, and with the quarrying of material other than slate. Altogether they give employment to about 8,500 men-the precise number is difficult to determine because official returns give no particulars concerning small quarries less than 20 feet in depth; these are, however, not sufficiently numerous materially to affect the case. The number may, at first, be considered small, for it represents onlv one per cent. of the male population of the Principality between the ages of 16 and 69, f but it is neces- sary to bear in mind that although 8,500 men only are directly employed in mines and quarries (excluding those producing coal and slate), the number directly or indirectly concerned in hand- ling and preparing the material they make available is much greater. For example, in Glamorgan, about 230 men are engaged in quarrying material for cement and lime works that give employment to over 1,800, while in Flint and Denbigh 170 men work in clay and marl pits producing material for bricks and terracotta works that employ 1,780 men. The industries with which we are concerned may be divided into two groups-those relating to mines and those relating to quarries. With one exception the former are now comparatively unimportant, and will be dealt with first. Metals, the ores of which have been mined in Wales, include lead, zinc, copper, silver, gold, iron, and manganese, and there has also been Note.-Numbers in parentheses refer to papers mentioned in the Bibliography with which the present paper concludes. t The figures quoted in this paper are derived from the latest available sources, such as Reports of the Mines Department, and Census returns, but they are, of necessity, approximate, on account of the frequent changes which take place in elf industries. an output of non-metallic minerals of commercial importance such as calcite (calcspar) and barytes, either as by-products from metalliferous mines, or from separate undertakings. LEAD AND ZINC MINES.-Since it is not neces- sary here to discuss the origin and distribution of metallic ores, the mines producing lead and zinc can be considered together, especially as the ores frequently occur in association, and the economic history of the mines is much the same in each case. The silver which has been pro- duced in Wales was derived from the ores of lead, and does not call for separate discussion. Lead and zinc have been successfully mined in several parts of North and Central Wales, especially in North Cardiganshire and the adjacent parts of Merionethshire, in Flintshire and Denbighshire, in the eastern parts of Car- narvonshire, and in Anglesey. In some places they have been worked more or less continuously since the time of the Roman occupation. The history-geological and economic-of these mines is a subject of great interest, and it is fully discussed in several recent publications, including those of the Geological Survey (2, 4, 5, 7, 13), which have been consulted in the preparation of the following notes. The period of maximum activity for the mines was between 1850 and 1880, when about 27. tons of ore were produced in a single year (1865), but after that the industry rapidly de- clined in importance; at the present day it is almost extinct, and provides employment for little more than 100 men. Various causes combined to bring about this decline; some of these were external and un- avoidable, but others which were probably the most important, arose from unwise and avaricious control. Unfortunately, at one time mining was regarded purely as a speculation-indeed, the early mining concerns called themselves "Mines adventurers "-and the working was undertaken with a view to large and Immediate profits, often with an entire disregard for the future. This is reflected in the literature of mining in Wales during the 17th and 18th centuries. One finds works such as: Some account of Mines and the advantages of them to Mine-adventure in Wales," 1707, and A familiar discourse or dialogue concerning the Mine-adventure," by William Waller (1700), while the minute book of one of the companies contains entries such as Att the first select committee of The Fortunate Adventurers, held at Durham Court, in Great Trinitv Lane, London, on Wednesday, the 10th day of May, A.D. 1669, present Sir Humphrey Mackworth, Deputy Governor and others." When prices were at their highest, just after the middle of the last century, every effort was directed towards securing the maximum output, and all the profits were distributed; little, if any, attempt was made to secure future pros-