Sixteen lives were saved by it at that time, and, not long afterwards, fourteen more people were rescued by it from the insatiable sea; so that the working men of Edinburgh have reason to be thankful for the success which has attended them in their effort to "rescue the perishing." Moreover, some time afterwards, the ladies of Edinburgh--smitten with zeal for the cause of suffering humanity, and for the honour of their "own romantic town"--put their pretty, if not lusty, shoulders to the wheel, raised a thousand pounds, and endowed the boat, so that, with God's blessing, it will remain in all time coming on that exposed coast, ready for action in the good cause. CHAPTER FIVE. DESCENT INTO THE CORNISH MINES. From Lighthouses, Lifeboats, and Fire-brigades into the tin and copper mines of Cornwall is a rather violent leap, but by no means an unpleasant one. In the year 1868 I took this leap when desirous of obtaining material for _Deep Down: a Tale of the Cornish Mines_. For three months my wife and I stayed in the town of Saint Just, close to the Land's End, during which time I visited some of the principal mines in Cornwall; associated with the managers, "captains," and miners, and tried my best to become acquainted with the circumstances of the people. The Cornish tin trade is very old. In times so remote that historical light is dim, the Phoenicians came in their galleys to trade with the men of Cornwall for tin. Herodotus, (writing 450 years B.C.) mentions the tin islands of Britain under the name of the _Cassiterides_ and Diodorus Siculus, (writing about half a century B.C.), says: "The inhabitants of that extremity of Britain which is called Bolerion, excel in hospitality, and also, by their intercourse with foreign merchants, they are civilised in their mode of life. These prepare the tin, working very skilfully the earth which produces it." There is said to be ground for believing that Cornish tin was used in the construction of the temple of Jerusalem. At the present time the men of Cornwall are to be found toiling, as did their forefathers in the days of old, deep down in the bowels of the earth--and even out under the bed of the sea--in quest of tin. "Tin, Copper, and Fish" is one of the standing toasts in Cornwall, and in these three words lie the head, backbone, and tail of the county, the sources of its wealth, and the objects of its energies. As my visit, however, was paid chiefly for the purpose of investigating the mines, I will not touch on fish here. Having obtained introduction to the managers of Botallack--the most famous of the Cornish Mines--I was led through miles of subterranean tunnels and to depths profound, by the obliging, amiable, and anecdotal Captain Jan--one of the "Captains" or overseers of the mine.