The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1922-04-13
MINING LAWS ADOPTED
BY THE ROMAN EMPIRE
STRIKING SIMILARITY WITH Gus.
TOMS THAT PREVAIL AT THE
PRESENT DAY.

1dbtelS recently discovered I'm Fort
ugal give various rules and regulations
governing mining under the Romans
These have been the subject of an in
teresting paper by Prof Henry Lewis,
and that portion of his discussion deal
ing with mining regulations is publish
ed in the February number OF the
Mining Magazine of London Com
menting upon one of these tablets
which is Of special interest from the
mining point of view. Professor Lewis
says that in all probability it is por-
ton of the law applied to the mines
throughout the colonies of the Roman
empire. possibly with minor Qualifica-
tons to suit local conditions and that
it was drawn up in Rome itself and
was distributed to the various colo
MES. If this view is correct there is
here an example of the legislation that
governed mining in Great Britain 1900
years ago
The first line of this tablet begins
in the millde of sentence. and deals
with the penalties TO be imposed upon
anyone who smelts any ore before he
has paid the price thereof as previous
ly stated Ohis is not known. as the
conditions We're evidently contained in
the tablet preceding). The penalty is
that the owner of the shaft who COM
mits this breach of the law shall have
his share of the shaft confiscated. and
that the warden shall put the whole
shaft up for sale Furthermore, the
informer who proves that the ore has
been smelted before the owner has paid
the price of the half share belonging
to the state shall receive a fourth part
as a reward.
The rest Of the inscription is suffi- !
GENTLY important to deserve transla-
ton in full as follows: CD Silver |
bearing shafts shall be worked in the |
manner contained in this law; the
prices thereof according to the gener- /
Osity of the Most Sacred Emperor Ha- |
drain Augustus shall determine in such !
a manner that the ownership of that |
share that shall belong to the treasury |
may belong to him who first offers the
price for the shaft and pays into the
treasury the sum of 1000 sesterces.
go Whoever out of the number of
five shafts shall have sunk one down
to the ore shall work without inter
mission in the others as is written
above; unless he shall do so others
shall have the power of occupying the
same
CD If anyone after % days given to
for the expenses shall
have forthwith commenced to carry
out some work but shall afterwards
have ceased from working for ten con-
secutive days. others shall have the
right of occupation.
90 A shaft having been sold by the
treasury and having lain idle for six
months, others shall have
the right of occupation provided that
when ores are drawn from the same
one-half share shall according to cus-
-om be reserved 10 the treasury
co The owner of the shafts shall be
allowed to have such partners as he
nay desire provided that the latter
shall contribute to the expenses for
hat share by which each is a partner ,
Should he not do So he who has made {
he disbursements shall for three sue s
essive days in the Forum and in the {
most frequented parts. cause the I
mount of the disbursements made by 1
lin to be published, and he shall init I
nate by crier to his partners that each S
hall contribute to the expenses ac- I
ording to his share. Whosoever shall /
ot contribute, or with evil intent shall Y
ave done something so that he may q
ot contribute, or whereby he may de- {
Give one or more Of his partners, shall q
e deprived of his share in the shaft, C
nd that share of the partner shall .
elong to those partners in proportion S
s they shall have paid the dsburse- O
rents. v
Cd And those mine owners who shall O
ave made disbursements in that shaft f
l which there shall have been several u
artners shall be entitled to recover
rom their partners what shall be
hown to have been expended in good
nth
(S) The mine-owners shall be allow
d to sell among each other also the
hares of the shaft, which they may il
ave bought fro mthe treasury and 4
aid the price thereof, for as much as V
hey can obtain; whosoever wishes to d
ell his share or to buy must make /
eclaration before the warden in O
barge of the mines; it shall not be Il
lwful to sell or buy in any other wise a
vhosoever is in debt to the treasury p
hall not be allowed to give away his IL
hare. "
90 The ores lying close to the shaft
louth shall be transported to the p
melting works between sunrise and p
inset Whoever is convicted of hav- Il
lg transported ore from the shafts
fter sunset shall pay a fine of 100 ses- fl
,rces to the treasury. p
professor Louis translates the word u