rdians of mines.

"You remember the story in Selden's Table-Talk of Sir Robert Cotton and
others disputing about Moses's shoe. Lady Cotton came in and asked,
'Gentlemen, are you sure it _is_ a shoe?' So the first thing is to
convince mankind that there is a set of creatures, a degree or so finer
than we are, to whom we have given the name of _Knockers_ from the sounds
we hear in our mines. This is to be done by a collection of their
actions well attested, and that is what I have begun to do, and then let
everyone judge for himself."

The preceding remarks, made by an intelligent and reliable person,
conversant with mines, and apparently uninfluenced by superstition, are
at least worthy of consideration. The writer of these interesting
letters states positively that sounds were heard; whether his attempt to
solve the cause of these noises is satisfactory, and conclusive, is open
to doubt. We must believe the facts asserted, although disagreeing with
the solution of the difficulty connected with the sounds. Miners in all
parts of England, Scotland, Wales, Germany, and other parts, believe in
the existence of _Knockers_, whatever these may be, and here, as far as I
am concerned, I leave the subject, with one remark only, which is, that I
have never heard it said that anyone in Wales ever _saw_ one of these
_Knockers_. In this they differ from Fairies, who, according to popular
notions, have, time and again, been seen by mortal eyes; but this must
have been when time was young.

The writer is aware that Mr. Sikes, in his _British Goblins_, p. 28,
gives an account of _Coblynau_ or _Knockers_ which he affirms had been
seen by some children who were playing in a field in the parish of
Bodfari, near Denbigh, and that they were dancing like mad, and terribly
frightened the children. But in the autobiography of Dr. Edward
Williams, already referred to, p. 98, whence Mr. Sikes derived his
information of the Dwarfs of Cae Caled, they are called "_Beings_," and
not _Coblynau_.

Before concluding my remarks on Fairy Knockers I will give one more
quotation from Bingley, who sums up the matter in the following words:--

"I am acquainted with the subject only from report, but I can assure
my readers that I found few people in Wales that did not give full
credence to it. The elucidation of these extraordinary facts must be
left to those persons who have better opportunities of inquiring into
them than I