twenty-four, forty-eight, or seventy free miners, under
the auspices of the Constable of St. Briavel's Castle, or his deputy,
enacted such mine laws as the interests of the body seemed to require,
administering them without any appeal, or permission to resort to another
court of law. The witnesses in giving evidence wore their caps to show
that they were free miners, and took the usual oath, touching the Book of
the Four Gospels with a stick of holly, {149a} so as not to soil the
Sacred Volume with their miry hands. These singular usages explain the
observation of the Rev. H. Berkin that "the inhabitants are completely
_sui generis_," and "their exact situation can scarcely be understood
except by those on the spot," as likewise the sentiment which the Rev. H.
C. H. Hawkins expresses--"by altering the character of the Foresters, a
curious relic of antiquity might be destroyed, to my regret I must own,
as I feel desirous to preserve so singular a specimen in all its purity."

In the year 1832 the Rev. C. Crawley stated, "I think the moral character
of the inhabitants has been much improved by the building of churches;
heinous offences are very rare in the Forest:" and in 1849 Mr. Machen
said, "A great change has been wrought in them; there is a very great
difference in their habits now, certainly." {149b}

The Forest miners of the present day are well acquainted with the
geological structure of their neighbourhood, more especially with the
out-crop, succession, and dip of the mineral veins. In short, their
natural endowments are fully equal to the general standard, and only
require cultivation, as frequently appears from the quickness with which
they detect the bearings of any pecuniary transaction, and their
proneness to litigation. Many superstitions, however, still linger
amongst them, such as the use of charms and incantations, a belief in
witchcraft and an evil eye, a resort to "wise men," and even to the
minister of the parish as being a "Master of Arts," or for some of the
offertory money, out of which to have a charm-ring made. They are
likewise inclined to give credence to tales of apparitions, and to regard
sickness and accident as fated and inevitable. From their having been
for so many generations an isolated and peculiar people, most of them are
ignorant of the rest of the world, and have of course a correspondingly
exaggerated idea of their own importance. It is pleasing to observe the
sympathy they