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as you trvael along the banks of the Dahl, till you arrive at a floating bridge, which thelighted carriage caufes to fink in the water. Half a mile from Grodoeu, you pafs theflanks of the little town Hedemora, at which there is a powder-mill, but which containsnothing worthy of remark.
Sccter, an extremely fmall town, contains no more than from three to four hundredinhabitants, and deferves to be vifited merely on account of the mine of Bipjberg, in itsneighbourhood : it is fituated a league diftant from the town, in a diredtion of W N. W.Although of much greater anceftry, it is unnoticed in hiftory before 1420. Before thetime of Guftavus Vafa, it belonged to the two towns Hedemora and Hufby, the Bifhopsof which enjoyed the revenue from them ; but that Prince took it for the ufe of thecrown at the time of his feizing upon ecclefiaftical property. Owing to fome carelefs-nefs of the miners in the feventeenth century, it was entirely deftroyed, and remainedthus in ruins for twenty years; when the crown conceded its right to any who chofe towork it anew; it was confequently worked again in 1697 : at prefent the Angerjleinsare the chief proprietors, Mr. Vahrendorf has a fourth; it does not even pay a tenthto the King. This mine is exceeding rich, yielding annually from twenty to twenty-onethoufand fchippunds of iron, its dividends are 60 to 70, and even 80 per cent. Danne-mora mine does not produce fo rich an ore, although it be more eafy to work ; theveins run from eaft to weft; the greateft depth of the mine is eighty fathoms ; it hasfour galleries or bottoms : the firft, Ben-zelshand , the fecond, Adolphus Frederic, thethird, Guftavus the 3d, and the fourth, Guftavus Adolphus, the Prince-royal, thebreadth of the gallery of the latter name is feventeen fathoms. Independent of thefegrand galleries, there are feveral worked which are fmaller. It has three principal(hafts ; one for the workmen alone, another may be availed of near the hydraulic en-gine, but this is a bad defcent, and only ferves for the workmen employed at the pumps.You defcend to the interior of the mine by tolerably commodious fteps. In afcendingfrom the loweft gallery, you have to go up three ladders of fifty, forty-three, and thirty-four fteps, before you arrive at the ftables; on reaching the (tables, you are fenfible.ofcold, which fenfalion arifes from the vicinity of the pumps. On leaving the ftables,you mount again by three other ladders each of thirty-fix fteps ; you afterwards findfive others of thirty, thirty-fix, thirty, twenty, and thirty fteps, after which you arriveat a door of communication with the pumps ; here being come to day light, the torchesare extinguilhed though you have ftiil two ladders to afcend, one of forty, the otherof thirty-two fteps; the firft is very damp : the whole number of ladders are thirteen,and of fteps four hundred and fifty-two. The mouth by which you defcend is abouttwelve feet over; it takes from two hours to two hours and a half to make the tour ofthis mine. The ore here is found in extreme large metallic maffes not very difficult towork; in many places it is reduced to powder : the works of the mine appear to bevery well underftood, yet did we experience dampnefs in certain parts : there is a gatemidway of the depth of the mine, which is (hut on holidays, which gate we had a diffi-culty in getting through, on account of a pool of water before it. Notwithftanding theimmenfe quantity of ore which is extra&ed from the prefent galleries, three new onesare begun ; thefe are (tiled works of fpeculation. The fubterraneous vaults are largeand handfome, in no part are you obliged to (loop; you mull be cautious in paffingfuch parts where wood has been burnt to mollify the ore, as you may otherwife be fuf-focated with the fmoak and.heat which remains for a long time afterwards; in this opera-tion much wood is ufed and very little gunpowder. No more than thirty workmen areemployed in this mine, twenty of which are conftantly at work : the ore is fent to dif-ferent parts to be melted. The principal place, Nijhyttan, is a mile diftant from the
3 n 2 - mine.