As soon as the commodity is landed it is delivered to a number of women and children to be broken into smaller pieces. The good ore is then separated from that of an inferior sort and carried to kilns to be baked. The sulphur forms in what is called flour brimstone by the chymists on the top of the oven. This is afterwards collected, melted in large cauldrons and formed into round moulds for sale.
We understood that the better kind of ore was sent to Neath and other places, and the inferior to the smelting houses at Amlwch. In walking round the premises we crossed a small stream running into some square reservoirs, this water was so impregnated with copper that merely the dipping a key in for two or three seconds rendered it entirely the colour of that metal. The square reservoirs above mentioned was stored with all the old iron that could be collected which are turned monthly the coperas on them sinking in a kind (fol. 104_a_) of red slime to the bottom.
At stated times the pits are emptied and the produce when hardened becomes equally valuable to the richest ore in the mines. We may be sure that every drop of this precious stream is turned to the best account possible indeed so productive is it that they compute it to be worth above three halfpence a quart. On entering the compting house one of the clerks sitting there obligingly gratified us with the sight of a number of drawers full of the most beautiful specimens of minerals I ever saw and moreover requested us to take our choice of what we most admired. We were constrained to be very moderate on account of the weight of the article but if we could have procured a ready carriage I fancy we should have been rather more greedy in our selection. At it was we took nearly five pounds’ weight of the following minerals and mixtures (fol. 105):
First. Mundig containing sulphur and iron.
5. Copper taken from the reservoir of old iron.
7. Zink commonly called black Jack incorporated with copper rock holding a small quantity of lead.
8. Quartz with a little of the Zink and chrystals.
10. Blue stone issuing from the copper rocks.
12. Copper coming from the old iron after it is dried.