122 C. Keferstein on JVJiite Copper. 



Report of MM. MUller and Keferstein to the Natural 

 History Society of Suhl, respecting the Locality of White 

 Copper. 



About five hours' journey from hence are the two places, 

 Unterneubrunn and Ernstthal, in the Hildburghausen terri- 

 tory, at about the distance of a gun-shot from each other. The 

 Schleuse flowing from the former to the latter village carries 

 the white copper in its sand ; and the ore is partly massive, 

 partly, in appearance, in brownish yellow grains, partly 

 finely disseminated in slags, and, finally, occurring partly 

 as cement copper. The metal shows itself only in this con- 

 fined space, and is perceived by the practised eyes of several 

 persons, who search for it at the clear bottom of the Schleuse ; 

 and it is frequently brought up in particles by means of rakes. 

 The source of this metal, however, is becoming more and 

 more exhausted, so that at present but little is found, and the 

 price of a pound of such white copper slag costs, on the spot, 

 two dollars Prussian currency. Some years ago it was found 

 more abundantly, as the slag had been used for filling up 

 buildings, and also was met with frequently here and there, 

 in the same manner, as is still the case with such slags as are 

 thrown away as useless. As every repository however, in which 

 such slags were supposed to exist, in Unterneubrunn, as well 

 as in Ernstthal, has been searched and exhausted, the present 

 source is merely the Schleuse. 



This metal occurs, for the most part, as has already been 

 mentioned, inclosed in slags, but partly also as cement cop- 

 per; and as we have not been able to meet with any re- 

 cords respecting its origin, we are obliged to content our- 

 selves with what tradition has preserved. According to this, 

 there has been at some early period a copper smelting work 

 at .Unterneubrunn, as well as at Ernstthal, which latter 

 had in later times been converted into a wire-mill, where not 

 long ago a vessel was dug up filled with different sorts of 

 wire, but half decayed. These copper-works were owned 

 by merchants of Nurnberg, (as was the case with most of 

 the similar works in the Thiiringerwald,) who there smelted 

 the ores, which were obtained from the following copper- 

 mines, not far distant, viz. 1, the Gabel, on the Prussian 

 side; 2, the lower Gabel; 3, the upper Gabel; both in the 

 Hildburghausen territory : 4, the Bohrbach ; 5, the Tanne. 

 It is said that at all these places there are old mines to 

 be met with, and undoubted traces of mining works. 

 We ourselves have examined the old mine at the Gabel 

 on the Prussian side, which, by its extent, plainly shows 

 that there must have been a large produce of ore. We have 



endeavoured, 



