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flows through a canal of more than three miles in length. There are three rows ofpumps to the hydraulic engine, for pumping the water out of the mine ; on the fide isa well called kneckt , by which you may defcend the mine by means of ladders to thedepth of eighty fathoms : you perceive afterwards a.number of fteps by which you may godown lower even to the firft gallery, whence you have, again the choice of defcent eitherby means of the bucket or ladders, to the deepeft gallery of the mine; thefe ladders,however, are no wife convenient, and are ufed by thofe workmen only who are employ-ed at the pumps, every body giving the preference to the buckets. There are a num-ber of marks on the rope for the purpofe of flopping the bucket at the galleries workedin Oueen Chriftina’s fhaft. There is a great confumption of wood in this mine forfplitting the rock ; in different parts are lighted fires, which have a fine effed; all thevaults are exceeding hard, the communications very large and extremely neat: youmight drive a carriage through the whole of the firft bottom. There is here a fmallapartment for vifitors to reft themfelves in, and a regifter for the infcription of theirnames.
In the interior of the mine, the fign of there being filver is a fort of calcareousftone mixed with mica, called by the miners noble Jlone; wherever they meet with thisthere is always fome filver: it is in fearch of this chat the fkill of the miner confifts.We had a number of veins of trapp pointed out to us, which prefented fome varietiescurious enough to an amateur: it is found at firft in very thin layers, the thicknefsof which progreffively increafes; it then ceafes all at once, and is afterwards foundagain. What is remarkable in this mine the veins are irregular, and feldom containmetal in a Hate of ore, but in metallic mafles. The workmen here, the fame as at thefoundry, work but every other day, and in each twenty-four hours are allowed eighthours reft : their pay is the fame. The foremen earn 50 rix-dollars, the labourers 16to 25 rix-dollars per month. The Shaft, called Makleufen, the deepeft of any, isabandoned, as is Kongfrumnmg, the oldeft.
Herftenbotten is a mine which fell in three centuries ago ; it fell in by degrees. Tra-dition relates that many perfons loft their lives on this occafion. Satndrumningen ,isanother mine adjoining, which alfo has fallen in. In the neighbourhood of thefe twomines are great heaps of ftones formerly taken out of them. Some people are employ-ed in feleding fuch pieces as contain metal, and extrad from them annually 303 marksof filver. This work was begun in 1753, and it is calculated that the heap will ftillfurnifh work for fifty or fixty years. The King receives no tenth of the produce, ofthefe old mines. A little farther on is a pit communicating with the old mines ; theore from it is drawn up by horfes, three of which are conftantly kept in the mine atthe firft bottom, for the purpofe of raifing ore from the deepeft. The ftones yield agreat quantity of lime, and ftill more might be furniftied could a fale for it be found.
It caufes much wonder to find a mine in nearly a level country, for this is very lit-tle inclined; the traveller to thefe parts fnould provide himfelf with letters for Mr.Staff the diredor of the mine, and Mr. Phyl; the latter fpeaks French fluently, andwas of great fervice to us. The following is a lift of the minerals procurable in thismine : Wei/s gulden ; ore of grey filver, galena in large and fmall cubes; galena, cha-toyante , fcaly, and fteel grained; blende, or sine ore, fcaly, and in fmall grains; na-tive regulus of antimony (it is no longer found), ftreated ore of antimony ; arfenicalpyrites, exceedingly rare ; martial pyrites, occafionally cryftallized; granulated iron ore,extremely rare; finely grained calcareous ftone ; ditto granulated with fait, white andyellow ; calcareous fpath, white and yellow, cryftallized in pyramids and in hexagons(very rare) j white quartz, very unfrequent; rock flint, white and red, in which Harry
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