The numismatic chronicle and journal of the Royal Numismatic Society

56 NUMISMATIC CHRONICLE.
work. One is " a note of the silver and lead ore gotten at
"
the other is a damaging
Clomyne, and molten at Ross ;
report from "Robert Eecord, surveyor of the mines," to
the Privy Council he ; says (under the date February 28th),
" The wastes of the Almain miners in their washings,
roastings, meltings, and finings are excessive. English
and Irish men can better skill of that work than Almains
can. He hopes to save 2,000 till yearly, the mines can
be sunk deeper, and then the hope is of much greater
gains. The King's charges at this hour are above 260
every month, and the gains not above 40, so his Majesty
loses 220 monthly." I am afraid his accusation of waste
against the miners did not exculpate himself ;
at least, it
appears that Record becomes the object of attack in " a
brief certificate " dated the same month, exhibited by one
Gerrard Harman. So far from thinking ill of the Ger-
of the mines to the ill
mans, Harman " imputes the decay
conduct of Record" himself; and, while he declares "the
mines to be very rich, profitable, and commodious, he
complains of the wilfulness, pride, presumption, and
covetousness of Dr. Robert Record." This counter-charge
receives support from a paper which comes before us a little
later, and appears to be the report of one of the accused
" Almains. After speaking thus of the state of the mines,
" many of our folk have fallen sick, and three are dead for
lack of victuals," Joachim Gundelfinger then tacks on to
the report his own complaint against Mr. Record. The
remaining notices indicate a determination on the part of
the authorities to wind up the whole business. On
June 13th instructions are sent to Williams, Brabazon,
and another, to " view and survey Clonmines, where the
Almains have wrought, and to take an account of the
melting, fining, and assaying the produce and charges of