262 MINES 



been long celebrated. The school of mines established at Freiberg has been consi- 

 dered the most complete in the world. This is a, small city near the most important 

 workings, 8 leagues W.S.W. of Dresden, towards the middle of the northern slope 

 of the Erzgebirge, 440 yards above the level of the sea, in an agricultural and trading 

 district, well cleared of wood. These circumstances have modified the working of 

 the mines ; and render it difficult to draw an exact parallel between them and those 

 of the Hartz, which are their rivals in good exploration. They are peculiarly re- 

 markable for the perfection with which the engines are constructed both for drainage 

 and extraction of ores, all moved by water or horses ; for the regularity of almost all 

 the subterranean labours ; and for the beauty of their walling masonry. In the por- 

 tion of these mountains belonging to Saxony, the underground workings employ 

 directly from 9,000 to 10,000 men, who labour in more than 400 distinct mines, all 

 associated under the same plan of administration. 



The silver mines of the Erzgebirge are opened on veins which traverse gneiss ; and 

 though quite different in this respect from the argentiferous veins of Claustkal, 

 Guanaxuato, Schcmnitz, and Zmcof, present but a moderate thickness, rarely exceed- 

 ing a few feet. They form several groups, whose relative importance has varied 

 very much at different periods. 



For a long time back, those of the environs of Freiberg have been much the most 

 productive ; and their prosperity has been always on the advance, notwithstanding the 

 increasing depth of the excavations. Many of the mines now exceed 220 fathoms in 

 depth, and with a view of relieving them of a part of the height through which the 

 water has to be raised, an Adit Level from the valley of the Elbe at Meissen, a 

 distance of above 18 miles is brought up. The most productive and the most 

 celebrated in the present century have been the mines of Himmolsfiirst, Himmelfahrt, 

 and that of Beschertgliick. 



Among the explorations of the Erzgebirge there are none which were formerly so 

 flourishing as those of Marienberg, a small town situated seven leagues SS.W. of 

 Freiberg. In the 16th century ores were frequently found there, even at a short dis- 

 tance from the surface, which yielded 85 per cent, of silver. The disasters of the 

 Thirty Years' War put a term to their prosperity. Since that period they have con- 

 tinually languished ; and their product now is very small. 



Our limits do not permit us to describe in detail the silver mines that occur near 

 Ehrenfriedcrsdorf, Johann-Georgenstadt, Annaberg, Obcrwicscnthal, and Schneeberg. 

 Those of the last three localities produce also cobalt. 



The mines of Saint-George near Schneeberg, opened in the 15th century as iron 

 mines, became celebrated some time after as mines of silver. Towards the end 

 cf the 15th century, a mass of ore was found there which afforded 400 quintals of 

 silver. On that lump, Duke Albert's dinner was served at the bottom of the mine. 

 Their richness in silver has diminished since then ; but they have attained more import- 

 ance during the last 200 years, as mines of cobalt, than they ever had as silver mines. 

 Saxony is the country where cobalt is mined and extracted in the most extensive 

 manner. It is obtained from the same veins with the silver. Smalt, or cobalt-blue, 

 is the principal substance manufactured from it. A little bismuth is extracted from 

 the mines of Schneeberg and Freiberg. Some manganese is found in the silver 

 mines of the Erzgebirge, and particularly at Johann-Georgenstadt. 



The mines of Saxony produce a little argentiferous galena and argentiferous grey 

 copper ; but the ores of lead and copper may be regarded almost as only accessory 

 products of the silver lodes, from which 78,000 centner or cwts. of the first of these 

 metals are annually extracted, and 341 cwts. of copper. The actual minerals of silver 

 are the more important ores. They were treated partly by amalgamation, at the excellent 

 establishment of Halsbriicke, which was closed in 1859, and partly by smelting processes, 

 the principal works for which are on the Mulde, near Freiberg. The average richness 

 of the silver ores throughout Saxony is only from 3 to 4 oz. per quintal ; viz. nearly 

 equal to that of the ores of Mexico, and very superior to the actual richness of the ores 

 of Potosi. The silver extracted from them contains a little gold. The Saxon mines 

 produced, in 1856, 55,500 Ibs. of silver. Of these, the district of Freiberg alone 

 furnished 54,000 ; and among the numerous mines of that district, that of Himmelsfiirst 

 of itself nsed to produce 10,000 marcs. 



Silver mines exist also on the southern declivity of the Erzgebirge, which belongs 

 to Bohemia, at Joachimsthal and JBleistadt, to the N.E. of Eger. Argentiferous 

 galena is principally extracted from the latter, from lodes in the crystalline slates. 



The mines of Joachimsthal have been explored to a depth of 650 yards. They 

 wore formerly very flourishing ; but in 1805 they were threatened with an im- 

 pending abandonment. More active operations have recently been commenced ; and 

 the minerals raised are various ores of silver, and ores of cobalt, nickel, uranium and 

 bismuth. The ancient mines of Kuttenberg, situated farther east, near Gitschin, 



