Lead mine in Wales. 18th-century artwork of miners at the top of a shaft for a lead mine near Pont Aberglaslyn (Afon Glaslyn) in North Wales. The Welsh lead mining industry developed from small, seasonal shafts in the 18th century to heavy industry that reached its peak in the 1890s. Horse power would be replaced by steam power. This view looks towards the Bay of Cardigan, from an area that was at the time part of the historic country of Caernarfonshire. Dating from 1798, this coloured aquatint is by British landscape painter John Hassell (1767-1825).