Royal Institutions:  
Being Proposals for ARTICLES To Establish and Confirm Laws, Liberties, & Customs OF Silver & Gold Mines, TO ALL The KING's Subjects, in such Parts of AFRICA, and AMERICA, which are Now (or Shall be) Annexed to, and Dependant on the CROWN of England.  
With Rules, Laws, and Methods of Mining, and Getting of Precious Stones; The Working and Making of Salt-Petre; And also, The Digging and Getting of Lead, Tin, Copper, and Quicksilver Oars, in Any or Either of those Countries; Whereby Navigation, and Trade, with the Subjects Interest and Riches, together with the CROWN's Revenues, would be greatly Increased, in a little Time.  
Most Humbly Offered to the Consideration of the King's most Excellent Majesty, & this Present Parliament.  
By Thomas Houghton, of Lime Street.  
Licenced, DANIEL POPLAR.  
LONDON, Printed for the Author, 1694.   

TO THE KING's MOST Excellent Majesty; Together, with the Present PARLIAMENT Assembled this Thirtenth Day of February, 1693/4.  
Great Caesar, and Senators.  
In all Humility, most Humbly I inform You  
THere is nothing more Certain and True, Than that there are many extraordinary Rich Veins, Mines, and Mineral Countries, in some Parts of America, which are now Annexed to and Dependant on the CROWN of England; (the Experience and Truth of which, nothing but want of Skill in Mineral Affairs, and Incredulity, can or will deny); which Veins and Mines, if they was Sought for, and Set to Work, by any that understands them, would undoubtedly, in a little Time, prove as Rich as any the Spaniards have in Peru, or on the North Side of the Aequinox, in New-Spain; and, in a few Years, would produce and raise great Quantities of Silver, Gold, Copper, and other Valuable Things, to the great Content and Satisfaction of the English; provided there was any Regular LAWS, RULES, and METHODS Settled, for Working, and Carrying on the said Mines; by which LAWS, the Enterprisers, or Undertakers thereof, might Enjoy and Secure their Rights, Interests, and Properties therein, to Them, their Heirs, and Assigns, after they have been at the Cost and Charges of Finding and Discovering the said Mines. But, as the Royalties thereof stand, at present, (in their respective and separate Grants from the CROWN) to a few PROPRIETORS, who formerly hath not, at present doth not, nor hereafter, in all Probability, will not use any effectual Ways and Means to Work an Discover the same; whereby this excellent Undertaking hath hitherto been Neglected and Slighted, and is yet rendered Impracticable to all English-Men; and so will remain to Posterity; by which) many Rich Veins and Mines have been, are, & will be of no Benefit; but continue Void, and utterly Lost, unless some further Care be taken, than yet hath been, for Settling and Methodizing the same: The evil Circumstances of which; hath been, is, and will be, if not remedied, an unvaluable Loss to the English Nation, in Neglecting to give all due Encouragement to improve this Honourable Enterprise; which would greatly increase the Revenues of the CROWN, and advance the English Nation's Interest, to an unspeakable Degree, in a little Time. Therefore, that the King's most excellent Majesty, in his Princely Wisdom, together with this Present Parliament, would be Graciously Pleased to take it into Consideration, and amend this Mischief, by making the following ARTICLES, (or some such other, as the Government shall approve off) for Standing LAWS, and CUSTOMS, to be Observed and Practised by all the KING's Subjects in America; whereby the Enterprise would become National to the English Posterity, and every Freeborn Subject have Liberty to Seek, Find, and Enjoy the Fruit of his Labours; Paying to the CROWN, the Duties and Reservations hereafter mentioned, Is the sole Desire, and earnest Request of.  
Your most Humble, Most Dutiful, and most Obedient Petitioner, Thom. Houghton.   

ROYAL Institutions.  

Article I.  
THAT it is the Right and Prerogative of the CROWN, to Elect and Choose an Officer, and Officers, for the Management of the Royal Treasures, when and where Occasion doth or shall require, to take the Care and Charge of the KING's Part, in all Royal Mines; and also, in all Mines of Base Metal, where the Royalties yet remain annexed to the Crown; Which Officer, and Officers, shall be Sworn to do Right and Justice, as much as in Him or Them lieth, (according to the best of his or their Skill and Knowledge) between his Sovereign Majesty the KING, and the Miner, Maintainer, or Venturer; and also, between Miner and Miner, and Miner and Maintainer of such Mines; and shall either Himself, or by his or their Lawful Deputy or Deputies, duly Execute, and faithfully put in Practice, amongst the Miners and Adventurers, and all other of the KING's Subjects, these ARTICLES, as Rules, Laws, and Customs, fit to be kept and observed, in all Parts of Africa, America, or the West-India Islands, where any Silver or Gold Mines, or any other Mines of Tin, Led, Copper, Quicksilver, Precious Stones, and Salt-Petre, shall be Found, Dug, Made, and Discovered hereafter; which Officer shall be called the Bar-Master; and shall remain Overseer and Superviser of the Royal Mines, and other Mines of Base Metal, for the KING's Part, during his Majesty's Pleasure.   

Article II.  
THAT all or any of the KING's Subjects, of what Degree, Quality, or Estate soever they be, shall have full Power, & free Liberty to Dig, Delve, Work, Mine and Break up Ground in any of the Country's aforesaid, to seek for Silver, Gold, Led, Tin, Copper, Quicksilver, Precious Stones, and Salt-Petre, in any Part or Place whatsoever, Houses, Orchards, Gardens, and Enclosures of Sugar-works excepted, upon the Terms and Conditions following: That is to say, He or they who findeth them, or any of them, shall pay to the KING's Officer, for the Use of the KING, in Oars ready dressed, and cleansed from the Earth, Stone, and Rubbish, made fit for Smelting, Melting, and Refining; Of all Gold and Silver Oars, one Sixth Part; And of all Lead, Tin, Copper, Quick-Silver-Oars, and Precious Stones, one Twelfth Part; And of all Salt-Petre, every Twelfth Tunn: For Payment of which Sixth and Twelfth Parts, as aforesaid, every Miner, Maintainer, or any of the KING's Subjects, shall have free Liberty to Dig, Work, & Break up Grounds in any of the Country's aforesaid; except in such Places, as is before excepted.   

Art. III.  
THAT all Rakes, or Veins of Silver or Gold, Led, Tin, Copper, and Quicksilver, and all Pipes and Flat-Works of Precious Stones, or Salt-Petre, shall, in three Days Time next after they, or any of them are found, be possessed with one pair of Stows or more, by the Owners of first Finders thereof; and Notice shall be given, or sent to the KING's Officer, by Word of Mouth or Writing, concerning the same, within three months' Time next after such Veyn or Veins, Rake or Rakes, Pipe or Pipes, Flat-Work or Flat-Works are Found and Discovered; and, for want of such Officer, to the Minister of the Parish, or the next Magistrate, or Justice of the Peace, or Governor of the Place, where such Mines are Found, who shall immediately go or send his Deputy to the said Mine, Rake, Veyn, Pipe, or Flat-Work, and shall there Measure out as many Meers of Ground, as the Owner or Owners thereof have Stows set in quiet Possession; which Meers of Ground he shall deliver to the first Finder, or Owners thereof, and shall Register that Veyn, Rake, Pipe, or Flat-Work, by such Name, as the Owners think fit to give it; the Miner, Owner, or Finder thereof Paying to the Bar-Master, or his Deputy, Ten Shillings for every Mere of Ground he or they shall so Measure out and Register; each Mere of Ground containing Twenty Nine Yards of Ground in Length: Upon every of which Mere of Ground, a pair of Stows shall stand to keep Possession, as aforesaid, within which Length of Ground, no Person or Persons shall presume to Work, Dig, or Break u● Ground, in Order to get Oar therein, without the Leave and Consent of the Owner, or first Finder thereof, whether Gold, or any other Metal whatsoever.   

Art. IU.  
THAT it is, and shall be, Lawful for any Person to Cross, Stow, and take Possession of either of the Extremes or Ends of all Rakes, Veins, Pipes and Flat-Works so found, where the Right and Possession of the next Owner expires, either at the Measuring out of the first Meers of Ground, or before; and he who shall first break Ground by the Making of a Cross or Crosses, and shall Own and Prove himself to be the first Taker at the Finder, or to him or them that Holdeth and Enjoyeth the next Possession, and shall set on one pair of Stows or more, within Three Days Time next after the Making of such Cross or Crosses, or breaking of Ground, shall be Judged and Concluded to have the Right. Interest, and Possession of the next Ten Meers of Ground in the same Rake, Veyn, Pipe, or Flat-Work, there-unto adjoining, at whither End or Side soever it is, or shall be; provided he or they shall and do set on the other Nine pair of Stows, within Three Days Time next after the Making of such Cross or Crosses; and shall Pay the Bar-Master, or his Deputy, Ten Shillings for Registering and Measuring out each Mere of Ground; at which Time, Stakes shall be driven down, or Marks made to determine and show the End of the same. But if he or they, who have made such Cross or Crosses, and broken Ground, Neglect or Refuse to set on One Pair of Stows or more, where such Cross or Crosses was made, within Three Days Time next after the Making thereof; that then it shall be free & lawful for any other Person to Cross, Take, and Set on Stows, and Possess those Ten Meers of Ground, and shall Hold and Enjoy the same to himself, or his Assigns, giving the Bar-Master, or his Deputy, Notice thereof, and Paying for Registering and Measuring these Meers of Ground, as aforesaid. And thus every one shall be served, sooner or later, in the same Rake, Veyn, Pipe, or Flat-Work, whether it be Silver, Gold, Led, Tin, Copper, Quicksilver, Precious Stones, or Salt-Petre, according to his or their Antiquity of Crossing, or Breaking of Ground, and Setting on of Stows, as is aforesaid.   

Art. V.  
THAT after the Ground is Possessed with Stows, Measured, Marked out, and Registered, if any Man's Stows be Stolen off, and taken away by any Malicious Person, or by any Indirect Way or Means shall be Carried or Taken from the Places where they or any of them Stood, That it shall not be Lawful for any Person or Persons to Set his or their Stows, or Possess the same Ground, or to Work therein, or in any Part of it, for three months' Time next after; and at the End of the three Months, he or they who desires to be Owners and Possessors of the same, shall go or send to the Bar-Master, or his Deputy, or to the Minister of the Parish, or to some other Person, as aforesaid, and acquaint him or them therewith; where-upon the Officer or Person, so acquainted, shall Write or send to the late Owner or Owners thereof, to whom the Right of those Meers of Ground did belong, or to some of his or their Agents; and shall give them Notice, That unless he or they set on New Stows upon those Meers of Ground, and Dig or Work in some Part of it, within three months' Time next after such Notice given. That his or their Right in and to those Ten Meers of Ground will be given away: But if the Bar-Master, or other Officer, knows not how or where to Write or Send to such Owner or Owners, nor any of their Agents, to give him or them Notice thereof, Then the Bar-Master, or his Deputy, shall go to that Ground, and shall take Three or Four Persons along with him, and shall there make open PROCLAMATION, upon the Mine, some Time of the Day, between the Hours of Eight of the Clock in the Morning, and Two in the Afternoon, in the hearing of such Persons as go along with him, That unless the late Owner, or Owners thereof, shall set on new Stows, and make Workmanship in some Part of those Meers of Ground, within Three months' Time next after such PROCLAMATION, so that the Mine may be set forwards, and wrought for the Public Good of the KING, and his Subjects: That for such Neglect, those Ten Meers of Ground in that Rake, Veyn, Pipe, or Flat-Work, will be given away to others, and his or their Names, that was late in Possession, will be razed out of the Register, and new Owners put into Possession, and their Names Registered: And this PROCLAMATION shall determine the Right and Interest thereof. And furthermore, Every Person and Persons whatsoever, having Possessed and Stowed up the Ground, as afore said, whether it be Rake, Veyn, Pipe, or Flat-Work, shall do and perform some actual Work, by Digging and Mining, in some Part of that Ground, in Twelve months' Time next after it is so Stowed and Possessed, as aforesaid; or else it is, and shall be, Lawful to and for the Bar-Master, or the KING's Officer, to throw off those Stows, so set on, and to set on the Stows of any other Person that shall desire that Ground; to the End, That the Mines may not lie Waste and Neglected; but that the KING, and the Public, may Receive the Benefit thereof.   

Art. VI  
THAT no Person or Persons, Society or Societies of Men, shall take up or Possess above Forty Meers of Ground together, in any Rake, Veyn, or Pipe-Work, without leaving an Interval, or Space of Ten Meers of Ground at least, for other Adventurers; for the Reason of giving all the KING's Subjects Encouragement to Venture, and to set the Field or Mine more fully at Work, for the Public Good. But in all Flat-Works of Gold, or any of the before— mentioned Metals, Minerals, Stones, or Salts, every Man shall have as many Meers of Ground, as he or they have sett-on Stows, being Twenty Nine Yards Square, upon the Superficies of the Ground, for every Pair of Stows; and for every Man successively, sooner or later, according to his or their Taking, Stowing, and Working the same, as aforesaid.   

Art. VII.  
THAT all Miners, and Adventurers, shall have the Timber of the Country, (where the Grounds are not enclosed) for the use of their Mines, to Work and Uphold the same, and to Smelled and Refine their Oars with, or to do and perform any other Service or Business, their Occasions shall require, in and about the Mines; And Liberty to Dress, Wash, and Cleanse their Oars from the Earth, and Rubbish, whether they be Silver, Gold, Copper, or any other Metal, Stones, or Salt, as , in the most fit and convenient Places they can find; and shall Build, and set up Smelting Mills, or Melting and Refining Houses for the same; and shall have Ways, with free Egress and Regress, to Pass and Repass, to and from the Mines, with any Carriages; and the Benefit of the Water, wherever they shall find it. And when the Oars shall be Cleansed from the Earth, and Rubbish, and made fit for Melting and Refining, before any of the Oar is Removed, Conveyed, and Carried away from the Ground, where it is got, to Smelled, or Refine, or any other Ways to be disposed off by the Owners, Diggers, or Getters of the same; The KING's Officer, or his Deputy, or some such Person, as is , shall be sent for, to Measure or Weigh the same. And when the Bar-Master, or his Deputy, hath taken the Sixth Part of all Gold and Silver Oars, and the Twelfth Part of all Copper, Led, Tin, and Quicksilver Oars, and the like for Precious Stones, and Salt-Petre, as aforesaid, for the Use of the KING; Then the Miner, or Maintainer, shall have Liberty to Sell and Dispose of the Rest, to his or their best Advantage; or to Smelled and Refine the same, as he or they that Owns them think fit; And after it is made into Copper, Led, or Tin, shall and may (if he or they please) Smoke off the Base Metal, or Refine their Oars, before they are Melted, by Quicksilver, or Corrosive-Waters, or any other Way, to the best of his or their Advantage, according as his or their Skill and Judgement shall direct them, either in Oars, or in Metal, as he or they think fit.   

Art. VIII.  
THAT if it shall so happen, that Two Veins of Silver, Gold, Copper, or any other Metal, shall run or go along One by the Side of Another, and shall be parted by a Rither or Rock of Stone Three Foot Thick, or more; That then they shall be Held and Accounted for Two Rakes or Veins; and he or they that Found the First Veyn, shall Hold and Enjoy that in his or their own Right; for each Pair of Stows, a Mere of Ground, as is before-said: And so likewise shall he or they that Found and Discovered the other Veyn or Rake, so running near, and going along by the Side of the Veyn first Found, according to his or their Crossing, Taking, and Possessing of the same with Stows, one Mere of Ground for each Pair of Stows; and so every Man, sooner or later, according to his or their Taking and Stowing. But if these Two Rakes or Veins run One into Another, and continue so, or go so near together, that the Rither or Rock, which parts them, may be got, without Blasting and Blowing down of the same Rock with Gunpowder; Then they shall be Taken, Held, and Accounted for one Veyn; and he or they that was the first Finders, or Owners of the Veyn first Found, shall Enjoy the same, so long as they continue thus together: But if these two Rakes, or Veins, or any other Rake or Veyn, Intersect and Cross one another Diametrically, as thus, + or obliquely, in this manner, He that first comes to, and finds the Place, or Point of Intersection, shall Hold and Enjoy the same: That is to say, He shall Hold and Enjoy his own Veyn, as A.— A. in his own Right, and Three Foot of either Side into the Veyn B— B, as far as the Black Spots .. beyond which, being Three Foot, of either Side, from the Point of Intersection, towards B— B, he shall not Work, upon the Pain of Forfeiting the double Value of the Oar got therein, without any Cost or Charges to the Wronged Person, if that Veyn or Rake B— B belong to any other Person or Persons; and this Point of Intersection shall be called the P, to distinguish it: But if the Veyn B— B be a New Veyn, and no other Person in Possession of it; Then it is, and shall be Lawful for the Finder thereof to Take and Possess it, and Hold it in his own Right. And if any Person shall Work upon the Front and Forefield of another Man's Rake or Veyn, and shall be thought and judged to Work in the same Veyn that another Man, at some Distance, had first in Work, and was Possessed of; Then the Person that thinks himself Wronged, shall apply himself to the Bar-Master, or his Deputy, and desire him to keep an Account of all the Oar got therein; and before the Getters, or Owners thereof, shall carry it, or any of it away, or shall Smelled, Melt, or Refine any of the same into Silver, Gold, or any other Metal, he or they shall give Bond to the Owners of the first Veyn, That, if by Workmanship, in Length of Time, these Two Places proves to be one and the same Veyn, to return the full value of the Oar got therein, to the Owners or Finders of the first Veyn, without stopping or Deducting any Cost or Charges for Getting the same; and if he or they refuse to give Bond, than the Oar shall be Stopped, and Seized for the Use of the first Owners, by the Bar-Master, or his Deputy, till further Workmanship shall make the Truth appear, whether they be one and the same Veyn or no; and to whether of them, the Place in Question and Dispute, doth appertain and belong.   

Art. IX.  
THAT whereas it is most Natural and Customary, for Gold to lie in the Earth in Flat-Work; therefore, when any Gold, Silver, Copper, or the Oars of any other Metal, shall be found to lie in Flat-Work, he or they who first Findeth the same, and Crosseth, Breaketh Ground, and Sets on Stows within Three Days Time next after such Flat-Work is Found, shall have as many Meers of Ground in that Flat-Work, as he or they shall Set on Stows in Three Days Time next Ensuing the Finding, Crossing, and Taking thereof, each Mere of Ground containing Twenty Nine Yards of Ground Square, upon the Superficies; within which Length and Compass of Ground, no other Person or Persons shall presume to Dig, Work, or Carry the same away, without the Leave and Consent of the first Finder, or Owners thereof. But if any other Person or Persons, shall find any other Veyn or Veins, Rake or Rakes, that shall sink Perpendicular or Hadeing, within the Limits or Compass of that Ground so Taken, Possessed, and Stowed up for Flat-Work, as aforesaid; That then it is, and shall be Lawful to and for the first Finders, or Owners of those Rakes, and Veins, to Hold, Work, and Enjoy the same, & all the Product thereof, that shall be got within the Compass and Bounds of those Rakes or Veins, without any Disturbance or Hindrance from or by the Owners or Masters of the Flat-Works; because such Rakes and Veins lie in the Earth after another Manner, and Nature, quite different to Flat-Works, and are Separate Things; And so (successively) every one in the same Rakes or Veins, according to his or their Taking, and Possessing with Stows, sooner or later, shall be served, Hold and Enjoy the Meers of Ground so Taken, and Possessed, in those Rakes and Veins. And if there be no Veins or Rakes Found within that Compass of Ground, so Taken and Possessed for Flat-Work, but the Flat-Work shall continue, and extend itself, bearing Gold, or the Oars of any other Metal, further, and beyond the Limits of the Ground so Possessed with Stows, as aforesaid, for Flat-Works; That then the first and next Taker, Possessor, and Stower of the next adjoining Ground, shall Hold and Enjoy as many Meers of Ground, each Mere containing Twenty Nine Yards of Square Ground upon the Superficies, as he or they have Taken, and Set on Stows for the same Flat-Work, within the Time aforesaid; and so, successively, every other Person or Persons shall be served, sooner or later, according to his or their Taking, Possessing, and Stowing up of the same Flat-Work; be it in Gold Mines, or in Seams and Beds of Salt-Petre, or Precious Stones lying in the Earth, Soil, or Rocks, in Flat-Works, as aforesaid; or any other Metal and Oars, lying in the same manner whatsoever.   

Art. X.  
THAT where any Oars shall be got, made, and run into Copper, Led, Tin, or Quicksilver, all and every Part of those Metals, that shall be used and spent in the Country, where they are got, shall Pay no other Duty to the KING, but only that ; for the Reason of giving the Inhabitants, and Adventurers, all the Encouragement, that may be, to Work the Mines, and to Carry on the Field. But if the Finders, Getters, or Owners thereof, or any other Person, shall have a mind, and finds it for his or their Benefit and Advantage, to Transport and Ship them, or any of them, from the Countries where they are got, to other Places beyond the Seas, he or they that Ships them, shall Pay for every Tunn of Copper so Shipped, Twenty Shillings to the KING's Officer, for the Use of the KING; and the same Sum of Twenty Shillings the Tunn, for Salt-Petre, and Tin; and Five Pounds for every Tunn of Quicksilver so Shipped off, and Transported from the Countries where they are got: For the Payment of which Duties, and the Twelfth Part or Carat of all Precious Stones, as aforesaid, All Diggers, Finders, Owners, Buyers, Adventurers, or Dealers therein, or in any of them, shall have free Liberty to Sell, Ship, and Transport them to any Part or Place whatsoever, to the best of his or their Advantage.  
The End of the Articles.   

ALL which Methods, Rules, and Articles, that they, and every of them, may be Enacted, Established, and Confirmed by the King's most Excellent Majesty, and this present Parliament, now Assembled, as LAWS and CUSTOMS, hereafter to be Practised, Used, and Observed by all the Subjects of the Crown of England, in all Parts of Africa, and America, for the Discovering, Working, and Carrying on any of the Mines , when and where they, or any of them, shall be Found, is the most Humble Petition and Request of a wellwisher to the Nation's Interest,  
T. H.    

Postscript.  
TO THE LORDS Spiritual and Temporal, Together with the COMMONS, Assembled in this present PARLIAMENT.  
Gentlemen,  
IT is Worth your Thoughts & Considerations, to Inquire into the Reasons and Causes, Why not English King, Prince, Nobleman, Merchant, nor any other Person of Heroic Spirit, should not, in all this Time, since America hath been Discovered, endeavour to be Master of Silver and Gold Mines, as well as the Spaniards; there being in many Places of America, now in the Hands of the English, as Rich, and as Plentiful Veins and Mines to be Found, as any the Spaniards have in Peru, or New-Spain. But one Reason of this Misfortune, I believe to be this; He that hath had Substance, to have undertaken this Enterprise, hath wanted Skill, and durst not Trust another with a small Stock out of Sight; nor would not go himself with such as had Judgement therein: Or, He that hath had Skill, hath wanted Money, and Encouragement, to Manage and Carry on this Affair, and so could not undertake it, for want of a Stock; and as yet, no Person hath Petitioned any KING or PRINCE, about it: However, it is plain, and too true, the Mines have been Neglected, which one would think, since all the Kings, Princes, Grandees, and Persons of Estates, in Europe, have known, That for 150 Years last passed, the Spaniards have imported at Cales, from Ten to Forty Millions a Year, in Silver and Gold, besides many Precious Stones, and other Rich Commodities, of great Value. The Knowledge of which, one would imagine, should have strongly induced some other Prince, or Heroick Spirited Men, to have used all their Endeavours to have Found and Discovered such Mines; and have given them sufficient Cause to have pursued the same, by sending such Persons about this Affair, as well Understandeth such Things: But the chief Reason and Mischief, that these Mines have lain so long Neglected, is, Because a few PROPRIETORS (as is before recited in the PREFACE,) having, together with the Land, got Grants from the Crown, of the Royalties, where Mines, and Mineral Countries are; and not using any effectual Means to Discover the Mines themselves, at their Charge, the Enterprise hath remained intricate, and no ways feasable to Others, by Reason of those Grants; all other Persons being prohibited to engage therein. For, to what purpose shall a Man spend his Time, Labour, and Money, to Enrich Others, by Seeking for That, which, when he hath found, neither He, nor his Heirs, shall Enjoy, nor any part thereof: To Engage in this, would be perfect Madness. This is the chief Reason, why the English are not Masters of Silver and Gold Mines, as well as the Spaniards; and not the want of such Mines, being within the English Territories and Dominions; for if this Sore was once Cured, The English would have a Plate-Fleet, in a few Years, Arrive in England, as well as the Flota doth in Spain. How great the Loss of which hath been, and is, and how Acceptable and Profitable the Discovering of such Mines, and an Arrival of a Plate-Fleet Yearly in England, would be, I leave every one to Judge, that knows the Use and Service of Silver and Gold: And the Cause and Causes, why there are no such Mines Wrought in America, but what are Wrought by the Spaniards, are only the Reason's aforesaid; concerning which, I hope, I have said sufficient; and that some better Care will be taken, for the Future, whereby all those Grants, relating to the Mines in America, may be Nulled, Revoked, and made Void, (only in such Clauses as concern Mines,) by the King's most Excellent Majesty, and the Prudence of this Present Parliament; and that the KING hereafter may remain sole Lord of the Field, and Royalties, in all Parts of Africa, and America, that are now, or shall be, Annexed to the CROWN of England, etc. The Indians, both on the South and North Side the Aequinoctial, had Found the Mines, and Wrought in them (after their Fashion) for above Three Hundred Years before the Spaniards came there; or else most of the Mines had lain Undiscovered to this Day, by Reason of the Spaniards Laziness; for the Indians of Peru, having Lived some Hundreds of Years in a civilised Government, before the Spaniards Arrival, had Wrought the Mines, and got great Quantities of Silver and Gold, although they were in no proper way of Working them, nor had any Iron or Steeled Tools, fit for the Service of the Mines; but only Tools of Copper, which they Valued more than Silver or Gold, in regard the Tools and Utensils of Copper were most serviceable for their Domestic Affairs, and all other Occasions, in their Times: So that, for many Years, wherever the Spaniards came, unless they Found Vessels of Silver and Gold in the Indians Houses, or somewhere Wore about them, at their Ears, Lips, Necks, or Noses; or was conducted, by the Indians, to the Mines, and Places, where the Silver and Gold had been got, The best and Richest Mines, the Spaniards now have, lay Void, and for a long Time Unwrought; being no more taken Notice of, than some Mineral Countries now are by the English, in several Parts of America. And the best Method (for Gathering and Taking up Gold,) most of the Spaniards had, for many Years, was only to Cleanse and Scour up the small Rivers and Brooks of the Country, falling from the Mountains; from the Sands whereof, they Gathered much Gold, without the Experience of Digging, Mining, and Sinking of Shafts, to seek for Veins and Rakes: The Knowledge of which hath not been many Years Understood, and Practised by them; nor is yet Understood, Used, and Practised to that Height, and to such Advantage, as it might be. So that, in many Places, which are now in the Possession of the English, there was never any Shafts Sunk, and put down, either by the English, or the Spaniards; their chief Objects, and Places of Trial, being only the Surface of the Earth, with the Brooks and Rivers, as aforesaid. And therefore it remains, without Contradiction, there is all the probable Signs and Symptoms of Rich Veins to be had, and Found, for Digging and Seeking for. And to this Day, the best Method and Way that is Known, Practised, and Used by the Spaniards, and Indians, for Gathering and Taking up Gold, in Flat-Work, is as followeth: The Spaniards set their Indians and Negro Slaves out a Parcel of Ground, Forty or Fifty Yards Square, more or less, as the Patroon or Master thinks fit; which Ground, the Indians and Slaves Dig up as Deep as they Find any Gold in it; and as they Dig it, throw it into Wheel-Barrows; which being done, their other Slaves run it away to the next River, or Running-Brook, and there lays it down, and Returns for more; and in this Manner they Labour, till their Days Work is done, in Digging and carrying of Earth. At the River, or Running Brook, there are also several other Indian Women, Boys, Girls, or Slaves, at Work, having Bowls, or small Treays with Handles; where a Negro Boy or Girl, having first broken and beaten the Lumps of Earth small, where, by Reason of the Heat, it immediately dries; which when it is dry, they put about an English Peck of that small Earth, so beaten and dried, into one of those Treays, as aforesaid, at a Time; and then the Woman shakes and dances it about in the Water, turning the Bowl or Treay about and about, till the Water hath Washed away all the Earth, and Rubbish; and what Gold is in it, sinks, and remains at the Bottom; which not being fully Cleansed from the Earth, is put into a Bowl that stands by, to undergo a second and a third Cleansing. And in this Manner, the Women, Boys, and Girls, renew filling of their Treays and Bowls, with that Earth, till their Days Work is done; and so daily gather more or less Gold, according as it happens, and as that Flat-Work is more or less Plentiful of Gold; Pursuing this Method in Digging, Carrying, and Washing, as long as that Earth hath any Gold in it worth their Labour; and then they remove to another Place. After this Way, they Work out all their Earth and Land, that lies near Rivers, or Running-Brooks, that hath Gold in it; but where the Gold lies at a great Distance from any Running Water, they are obliged to let all alone, or else to lose the greatest Part of the Gold that is small; for in such Places that are remote from the Water, (as on the Tops and Plains of the Mountains, where there is generally the most plentiful Store of Gold) the best Ways they Use or Understand to gather it there, are these: They Dig the Earth, Dry it, then Beat it small, and Sift it; which done, they Spread or Strew it thin upon the Ground, and there it lies, till the next Showers of Rain Wash it; and then they pick out what Gold they can; which being done, they draw the Earth up and down with Coal-Rakes, or turn it with Shovels, and spread it thin again, and let it lie till other Rains wash it, and so pick it over again; which Operation, being twice or thrice Repeated, and having taken what Gold they can out this Way, they then shovel all the Earth together upon Heaps; and if there be no Pools or standing Waters near, they make Ponds or Pools, which when the Rain-Water hath filled, they carry that Earth, so laid upon Heaps, thither, and wash it, with their Treays and Bowls, in those Pools, as aforesaid: And by this Means they get some more Gold, although most of the fine and small Gold is quite lost, because the Water of those standing Pools soon grows dirty and muddy, and thereby rendered unfit to separate the fine dust Gold from the Earth, for want of clear running-Waters; which Error, and Defect, might easily be amended, and all the Gold, though never so small, preserved, if they understood the way of Hushing, and using long Buddles, and Lander: As much Gold might be taken up in a Month, by the same Number of Hands, as they now take up in Seven Years: But, whether this be a proper Place, and a fit Time, to Show and Describe the Way of Hushing, and Using these Buddles and Lander, I know not, till I find what Reception and Countenance these ARTICLES will meet with. And if the Design of this Book meets with Encouragement, I will Publish a Book, Entitled, The Royal Miner; (in which, the whole Method and Progress of Digging, Working, and Carrying on of Mines, from the first Beginning, or Breaking of Ground, to the Melting, Refining, and Making the Oars into Metal, shall be clearly Taught and Described; together, with all the Work-Tools, Instruments, and Materials, Used in and about the Mines: As also, what Incidents, or Accidents, Prejudicial, or Profitable, hath, doth, and may attend the same, as far as Art, or Nature, hath Discovered these things to Humane Reason: In all which, (I may say, without Boasting,) I have had long Experience, and am as capable to Acquaint Posterity with, as any Person extant, having, for Six and Twenty Years past, been universally concerned in Mines, in all, or most of the Mineral Countries of England, not only as a Partner, Master, or Owner of them; but in the Practic Part of their Workmanship, from the Beginning, to the End:) In which Book, I will describe the Method of these Buddles and Lander, for Hushing, and the most proper Way of taking up, and gathering of Gold, with many Useful and Beneficial Directions and Instructions, in and about the Mines, and Mineral Countries of England, and other Places, shall be fully set out and described. In the Interim, If this small Book should fall into the Hands of any Detractors, who, through Ignorance, or Envy, shall exclaim against any thing herein mentioned, or hereby intended; I shall only give such Persons this modest Reproof, Quis nisi mentis inops oblatum respuat aurum? and he may well be reckoned a weak Man, if not a Fool, that will censure, slight, or condemn any thing, in which he never acquired sufficient Knowledge to be a competent and fit Judge.  
Gentlemen,  
I would not have You, or any of You, think, or believe, that Gold, and Silver, or the Oars of any other Metals, lies in the Earth, in such Plenty, or in such a Manner, as to discover themselves to every vulgar or unskillful Eye; however, it is certain, There is great Plenty, and many Rich Veins to be Found in the English Territories; & for what I have mentioned before, concerning a Plate-Fleet coming Yearly into England, if Liberty, and fit Encouragement, be given, I will Undertake to Effect and Perform it. And, if any of You desires further Information in this Affair, I am ready to Acquaint You with it, when You Command me; and to Show You how, where, and by what Ways and Means the same may be Effected; so that, if Liberty and Encouragement may be given; I doubt not, but to have Five Hundred Miners at Work, in Two Years Time; by which, with some Negroes, and other Persons, that I will Cause to be brought to them, in Two Years Time more, I question not, but to make the Mines flourish to a greater Degree, than I shall now Speak of.  
To Conclude; All that I seek herein, is, That the King's most Excellent Majesty, and this August Assembly of Parliament, would be Graciously Pleased, (if in their great Wisdom, it may be thought fit,) to take away, and remove all those Obstructions, which hitherto have Ruined this Honourable Enterprise; and that, for the Future, they would Settle and Confirm either the aforegoing ARTICLES, or some other Fundamental LAWS and CUSTOMS, for the Mines ; whereby all Freeborn Subjects of the CROWN of England, may have Liberty, and full Power, of Using their Endeavours, to improve their own Interests, together with the Revenues of the CROWN: Which is the most Humble Desire, and Petition, of a Wellwisher to his KING, and Country,  
Thom. Houghton.  
FINIS.