COXe’s TRAVELS IN NORWAY.

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cobalt works. As it was extremely dark and cold, and at fome diflance from any houfewhere we could be accommodated, and more particularly as the roads we juft palledhad proved lb dangerous, we ventured to knock at the infpeSor’s door, and requeft ad-mittance for two Englilh travellers who were benighted. The family being in bed, wewere for a Ihort time in anxious expectation for the anfwer; and no knight-errant wasever more agreeably Iheltered from darknefs, wind, and weather, than we were, on beingadmitted over the hofpitable threlhold.

The next morning a good breakfaft being fpread -for us, and compliments .delivered from our hoft and hoftefs, with an invitation to pafs the day with them, an-nounced their attention and civility. We now found that the name of this parti-cular houfe was Folium, and a colledlion of fmall adjacent cottages was denominatedModutn,

The gentleman, who kindly received us at fo undue an hour, and without previousacquaintance, was Mr. Bornftein, a native of Germany , lately appointed infpetftor of thecobalt works. Having paid our refpedls to our hoft and his amiable wife, whofe po-litenefs we lhall ever recollect with gratitude, we ftrolled about the grounds, and ad-mired the fituation of the houfe, placed near the rivulet Simora, in the midft of a de-lightful valley, fertile in pafture and corn, hemp and flax, and bordered by high rocksrichly clothed with wood.

The infpebtor himfelf politely accompanied us to the works : we had an opportunityof obferving the whole procefs, from the firft calcination of the ore to its final reductioninto the powder-blue, and were furprifed to find that it paffed through two hundred andfeventy hands.

The mine was difcovered about eight years ago on the fummit of a rocky mountain,near Skutered, a fmall village a few miles from Foffum, where the works are eftablifhedon account of the numerous water-falls which are neceflary for turning the mills. Amile from the mine has been lately found a vein of the moft beautiful quartz; a fortu-nate difcovery, as quartz is neceflary to mix with the cobalt-ore, in order to obtain thepowder-blue. The ore being calcined, reduced to powder, and refined, yields the bluepowder fo much ufed.

The fabric employs thirty-fix men, and the mines three hundred and twenty. In1783, fourteen hundred or fifteen hundred weight was obtained, which fold, accordingto its finenefs, from 2-1. 10s. to 12I. the hundred weight, and yielded io,oool. Theex-pences in that year amounted to 12,cool, becaufe the numerous buildings and ma-chines neceflary for carrying on the works were ftill conftructing. When thefe are fi-nifhed, the expences will not exceed 4000I. and the infpettor allured me, that he fhouldthen be able to make double the quantity that he can at prefent. Therefore the cleargain to the crown will fcarcely fall Ihort of i6,oool. per annum. The difcovery of thismine is a great acquifition to Denmark , as befides giving employment to many hands,it prevents the importation of powder-blue.

Six miles from Foifum, we flopped at the-fmall village of Skutered, and afcendedthe mountain, on the fummit of which are the mines of cobalt. There are two mines,called the north and fouth, each with four pits or openings; the deeped is no more thanfourteen fathom, becaufe the ore is ftill in great plenty near the furface. It is found inveins, and blown up with gunpowder. In our way we paffed the fine mine of quartz,which fupplies the cobalt works, fo neceflary, becaufe twelve parts of quartz are mixedwith one of cobalt, to produce the Pruflian blue. The quartz is as white as alabafter,and contains large veins of marten glafs, or Ruffian talc, which in fome countries is ufedfor windows. 8f

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