incomes and varying
their mode of life.

After leaving Redruth the travellers proceeded over the wildest and most
desolate of moorlands, with blocks of stone scattered about, towards the
wonderful Botallack Mine, on the Cornish coast. No mine in the world is
so singularly placed. Descending to the shore below, on looking
upwards, the view appeared fearfully grand. In one part was a powerful
steam-engine, which had to be lowered almost 200 feet down the cliffs.
Here tall chimneys, pouring out dense volumes of smoke, were seen
perched on the ledges of a tremendous precipice. Here and there also
were the huts of the miners, disputing the ground with the wild
sea-birds, while ladders of great length scaled the rocks in all
directions, enabling them to ascend and descend to their work. In some
parts were paths up which sure-footed mules, with riders on their backs,
were trotting briskly along, where few people unaccustomed to dizzy
heights would have wished to venture even on foot.

As they had determined to visit the mine, they had to ascend to the top
of the cliff and then once more to descend among the rugged rocks to a
ledge about midway between the summit and the ocean, where a small
building, occupied by the mining agent, marked the entrance. Hearing
who they were, the agent at once undertook to guide them, and produced a
couple of woollen mining dresses and two large felt hats.

Each person having fastened four or five candles to his button hole,
while he carried another in his hand, they began to descend through a
trap-like entrance, by a series of ladders, which although strong enough
in reality had a very rickety feeling. On reaching the foot of one
ladder, they were conducted to the top of another, on to which they had
to step, and thus descending ladder after ladder and passing ledge after
ledge, they at length reached the bottom of the pit, where the end of a
pump was seen drawing up the water from all parts of the mine.

They then commenced their progress along one of the numberless
galleries, which was so narrow that two persons could scarcely pass each
other. Now having to step over rough stones and often close to the
edges of fearful pits, now to bend low under masses of overhanging rock,
and sometimes to find themselves crossing unknown abysses by shaky
bridges of planks, while the damp air felt hot and sickly, making the
candles burn dimly. Here miners were at work with pickaxes getting out
th