The Parochial History of Cornwall, Volume 3 (of 4)
History
The Parochial History of Cornwall, Volume 3 (of 4)
Cornwall (England : County) -- History; Geology -- England -- Cornwall (County)
Mr. Tonkin has remarked on the romantic and beautiful vale which
descends from Luxilian Church by Prideaux to St. Blazey Bridge, and in
explaining the phenomena of lofty and precipitous inland cliffs, he
has anticipated the most recent theories of modern geology. See
Principles of Geology, by Charles Lyell.
This parish measures 5,041 statute acres.
Annual value of the Real Property, as £. _s._ _d._
returned to Parliament in 1815 3,768 0 0
Poor Rate in 1831 554 16 0
Population, { in 1801, | in 1811, | in 1821, | in 1831,
{ 875 | 1047 | 1276 | 1288
giving an increase of 47 per cent. in thirty years.
GEOLOGY, BY DR. BOASE.
This parish stretches north and south across the large patch of
granite, which is situated between Bodmin and St. Austell, and also
extends over the slate at its northern and southern extremities. The
extent of surface covered by the northern slate is more than a square
mile; but the southern slate forms only a small triangle north and
north-east of St. Blazey Bridge. The northern half of this parish
corresponds with the parish of St. Dennis in the nature of its rocks;
the southern half with St. Austell and St. Blazey. The most
interesting feature of this parish, in a geological point of view,
consists of its numerous and extensive stream-works. This part of
Cornwall, including the adjoining parishes, has long been celebrated
for the fine quality of its stream-tin, which is, as to the greater
part, either crystalline, or of the kind denominated wood-tin, on
account of its fibrous texture. The gravel containing this stream-tin
rests on the rock, or on its untransported debris; above this occurs a
regular stratum of decayed trees and plants; in the deepest
stream-works these are covered by another bed of gravel containing
tin, having also a superincumbent layer of decayed trees and plants:
but this second stratum of tin, always less in quantity than the
first, is seldom of sufficient value to pay for the labour of
separation. Over all occurs a layer of uncertain thickness, composed
of the debris of adjacent rocks, and sustaining on its surface a
coating of recent vegetable, and forming marshy, arable, or meadow
land, according to the accidental situation of the spot.
THE EDITOR.
The greater part of the valleys in Cornwall having been long since
streamed, exhibit little else than heaps of unsightly rubbish; instead
of displaying, as in other districts, the most pleasing features of a
country. The late Mr. Humphrey Mackworth Praed has, however, proved in
the case of a valley at Lelant, that such deformities may be removed,
and the meadows restored to their natural beauty, accompanied even by
pecuniary advantage to the proprietor. But such improvements are
greatly obstructed by an anomalous property called the right of bounds.
MABE.
HALS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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