| Description | (Directed to Mr. Bourdon's, rue de Maurepas.)
My dearest Son,
It is indeed a long time since I had the pleasure of writing to you, and I shall soon begin to think it long since I heard from you. I have realy so many irons in the fire that it requires my utmost exertion and attention to prevent some of them from burning.
About a fortnight ago I was obliged to go to Brosely, Shrewsbury, Bersham, Chester, Hollywell, Conway, Bangor, and to the Isle of Anglesey, where I spent three or four days in inspecting the Anglesey copper mine, which is a tremendous mine for a Cornish miner to behold. It is not like a deep Cornish mine but is an open work like a quarry or a gravil pit, and worked by open day light. The ore is not very rich as it yields about 7 or 7½ per cent. of fine copper, but they can get almost any quantity and have now from 80 to 100 thousand ton of ore upon the bank which they caleine in kilns built of brick in a conical form [here follows a thumbnail diagram of the kiln], and, as it burns, the sulphur arises to the top and is condensed in the form of flowers of brimstone in the condensor B, which is a larg empty space built with brick in the ground. When that is nearly full, it is put into a cast iron cylindrical vessel and melted by a gentle heat into a solid form, and laded out and poured into moulds. This brimstone is sold for the purpose of makeing oyl of vitriol, and they make at Anglesey about 3000 ton (worth £10 per ton = 30,000£ per year),
to which add about 4000 ton of copper per year, £
worth in the cake about 75 per ton = 300,000
and costs the proprietors about 40£ per ton 160,000
140,000
to which add the profits of the manufacturing it into brass and into sheets, wire, nails, &c. &c.
Hence you see what an immense profit arises from one great work-so great that I fear all the mines in Cornwall will be a great loss to me: however, we must look forward (for I consider you and I in partnership) and drive the nail that will go the best.
The person that Jim Watt was with in Germany is willing to take you, and I am perswaded from what Jim says of him that he is a very proper person for you to be with, but I think the winter is too near at hand to attempt the journey, and therefore we must wave it till March.
I should be happy if I could find a Mr. Guyot for you to be with in Paris and that would make it his whole business to attend you to the lectures of chymistry, minerology, and to instruct you in language and science. Under such circumstances I think you might spend six months in Paris to advantage. I will write to Mr. Guyot on the subject.
To morrow evening I set out in the mail coach to Cornwall, where I shall stay about six weeks and then return home or to London. I therefore beg y[ou w]ill write to me at Mr. Matthews's, who will for[ward] your letters to me where ever I am. M[rs.] Matthews is perfectly recover'd by her Soho journey, and joyns with Monsieur in best respects and kindest wishes for you.
Pray tell me if you received a book, &c., sent by Werstein, with a sword hilt which I beg you will present with my best compliments to Mr. Bourdon. I would have sent it mounted but Werstein would not undertake the conveyance. If Mr. Bourdon likes yours better, pray give it him and get the other mounted for your self.
I left your sister well a few days ago. Jane Mynd is to be married to Mr. Roberts next week, and they are to live in Powel's house.
I have much more to say, but 'tis a late hour and I must bid you good night.
I am, my dear Matt, your very affectionate father,
M. Boulton
Your sister sent a present to Miss de Lassert of two volumes entitled Evalina, which I beg you'l borrow and read as I think them the prettyest novel I have read, and were wrote by Miss Burney, daughter of the musician who wrote Musical Travils.
[Edited transcript.] |