It is true that by the time we hear about the troubles at Grambler mine, it is on the edge of insolvency. That, of course is why the meetings are mentioned. However, don't forget that six or seven years have passed by then. In the interim, there must have been profit, even if a diminishing one. Ross was supposed to get dividends, transferred by his father's Will, from the time Joshua died in 1783. 'Tis all there in the Prologue. That there is never a mention of it elsewhere might mean they weren't received or perhaps they were too paltry to count for anything. Or maybe WG forgot!
When reading the books, it's easy to forget how much time passes; the first four volumes cover ten years.
Topic by Dark Mare transferred across from WLock Ross Poldark....
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Rereading Chapter 6 of "Demelza" (the so-called missing chapter -- I'm soooooooo happy with my new-to-me Ward Lock copy), I get the impression that by then, no one was getting anything to speak of in the way of dividends from Grambler. The small investors all favored closing the mine. Only three of the larger investors, Mr. Trencrom, Mr. Sugden and Mrs. Trenwith, were willing to put up the money to keep the mine going for three more months. The Warleggans agreed to forgo the interest on their loan. Francis' concession was to abandon work at the eighty-fathom level.
-- Edited by Ross Poldark on Thursday 10th of August 2017 10:57:00 PM
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"Perfection is a full stop .... Ever the climbing but never the attaining Of the mountain top." W.G.