Journey from Vienna. 59 



erogalion, sacrificing time snatched from other business. 

 Here is no difference between the engineer and the miner; 

 the same lessons serve for both, and are unsuitable either for 

 one or the other. For a laboratory, there is a hail without 

 any of the necessary implements, and for a collection, a con- 

 fused heap of samples, ill selected, confusedly thrown together, 

 and covered with dust. Such is the state of this once cele- 

 brated school. Among the officers of the mines are men of 

 merit, but their efforts are paralysed by the lucrative spirit 

 that pervades the superior management. The quantum of the 

 products is, in some measure, prescribed beforehand, and the 

 chamber refuses to advance the disbursements requisite even 

 for improvements that would augment the profits. 



A country as important as that of Schemnitz, from its mine- 

 ral riches, which for ages has been the object of subterraneous 

 labours the most extensive, might readily be considered as 

 well known with respect to its mineral constitution. But the 

 authors that treat of Hungary, notice Schemnitz but slightly, 

 though its district forms a type of comparison for all others of 

 the same kind. 



As to the nature and position of the soil or earth, Becker 

 and others consider the whole mineral mass as entirely formed 

 by water ; others consider it as the production of volcanic 

 depots. There is a great contrariety among authors 5 M. de 

 Buch, however, has demonstrated, that there have certainly 

 been volcanic depots in Hungary. Admitting this, my own 

 opinion is, that the mines of^Schemnitz are not of igneous 

 origin. 



CHAPTER IV. 



DIFFERENT EXCURSIONS IN THE COUNTRY OF SCHEMNITZ. 



Within this range, there are several mining works of greater 

 or less celebrity, as in the flanks of the mountain of Szalas, in 

 the valley of Eisenbach, in the lower part of the valley of Ho- 

 dritz, to within a little distance of Unter Hamer, some hours 

 journey from Schemnitz. To the south also, the mountains 

 that rise behind Schemnitz give vestiges of numberless exca- 

 vations and subterraneous labours. But the mining country 

 is surrounded with a number of sterile tracts. 



Those mine works, in general, within the country of Schem- 

 nitz, appear included within a space nr-arly quadrangular. 

 The valley of Eisenbach seems to be the most interesting in 



