Diarist: James Bennetts Williams
Diary Dated: 1883-87

As we discovered last month, the diarist recounts his emigration from Cornwall to Bolivia to work in the silver mines; his move followed the decline of Cornish tin-mining in the second half of the nineteenth century.

‘Thursday 8 November 1883:
[…] 4 or 5 of the men went on shore yesterday without leave & stayed all night & when they came on board in the morning they were drunk & soon got their discharge. I hear some of them have joined the Chilian [sic] Navy. Went to bed about 8 p.m.’