FORTIa’s TRAVELS IN SWEDEN ^ 463
of the mine is not a mineral earth ; the whole of the ore is concentrated in one fpot notin vein, but metallic maffes ; that upon which they are at prefent at work is imagined tobe of conic form, notwithstanding the oppofite affertion of Mr. Jars, in his metallurgi-cal travels, a work in many refpects defervedly efteemed, yet which at the fame time isnot exempt from errors. Of pyrites that anfwer the magnet, found in the mine, thereis none but that of a greyifh caft, nor of any other defcription but the greenifn and thewhitilh yellow ; the firft of thefe two contains copper alone, in the proportion of from24 to 30 per cent; and bn the proportionate mixture of thefe three pyrites, is it thatthe richnefs of the ore depends. Th e lefver Jlag, or greyilhpyrites (mifreprefented bvMr. Jars as reddilh,) never contains any copper.
Beneath is given an account of the expence of the mine from 1779 to 1788 togetherwith its produce.
Years.
/i'ons oi
ore.
Froduce whenroafted.
Free
Mines.
Expence.
Sch.
Ijilpd.
Sch,
Lifpd.
Rix. Dols.
Schil.
1779
i55>3'9
5090
19
50,941
45
1780
156,977
57 2 4
12
57.139
1781
184,492
5758
IO
308
4
88,048
3 °
1782
174,421
5954
7
306
14
66,783
27
1783
163,750
6077
.
224
11
75.572
I T
1784
195,470
5898
19
268
7
73.484
6
1785
194 > 73 z
6350
2
33 z
l 7
67.473
20
. 1/86
'87.975
5390
3
234
6
62,857
42
1787
196,420
6886
9
266
14
67,828
15
1788
164,950
6421
>4
276
. I I
65,766
47
The ore of Fahlun is poor, it was much richer formerly. In the feventeenth centurythe produce of the mine exceeded twenty thoufand fchippunds: at prefent the oreyields no more than two per ceht. of metal. Thegreat mine has four wells by which theore is drawn up, that of Adolphus.Frederick, that of King Frederic, that of the Countde Creutz, one hundred and twelve toifes deep, and that of Count Wrede. The fecondis one hundred and twenty toifes deep. There are fix tubs, two hydraulic engines, andone for the pumps. The machines for raifing the ore are nine in number. The greatmine is divided into five diftricls, which are to be reduced to three. Each di/lrict has.two infpeclors at a,falary of 190 rix-dollars. Thegreat mine and the free mines,(that is to fay thofe which belong, to individuals, and pay no duty to the crown) areunited, (the fecond paragraph, page forty-fix, of the work of Mr. Jars is untrue.) Thecord ufed for the well of King Frederic, weighs feven fchippunds : it might be bettermade. The workmen are prohibited defcending by the means of the tubs, the vitriolicliquid eating the cords, and even the iron chains ; the firft are of leather and lall abouta year. Laft year (1790) two hundred fchippunds of lead were extra&ed from themine, eight hundred marks of filver (the firft trial), and two hundred ducats value of
gold. ...
The ore which contains filver is heated m a reverberating furnace, in,which by theattion of the blaft-pipe on the fire the lead calcines and becomes litharge; the filverwhen fufed falling on the afnes of which the crucible is made..
The mine is divided into one thoufand two hundred (hares for the interior work alone;,the price^of a {hare of late years has been from i 66 to 190 rix-dollars.
Below the product for the laft twenty years is given. The firft lum indicates the divi-dend of each fnare, and the fecond the expence of each fhare holden for the extraction
of