68 M. Beudanfs Travels in Hungary* 



M. Heron de Villefosse computes the products of all the 

 mines of Hungary at 2600 marcs of gold, 80,000 marcs of 

 silver, and 6000 quintals of lead. The gold and silver would 

 then furnish an annual sum of 6,344,000 francs. But these 

 numbers, which represent, pretty well, the mean annual pro- 

 ducts of times more remote, are much superior to the products 

 of the present day. 



Hungary (higher and lower) supplies about half the gold 

 that the mines of Europe produce. Transylvania furnishes 

 nearly the other half. 



The total quantity of gold extracted from the mines of 

 Europe may be calculated at 5300 marcs. How immense 

 the difference compared with the produce of America, which 

 rises to 70,647 marcs ! 



The quantity of silver drawn annually from the mines of 

 Hungary, is somewhat more than one-third superior to what 

 is yielded by the mines in the rest of Europe, the total of 

 which may be estimated at 216,000 rnarcs. 



In these products France can enter into no sort of compa- 

 rison. The quantity of gold drawn from our rivers is incon- 

 siderable, and our mines of argentiferous lead do not yield 

 above 7500 marcs of silver. 



Generally speaking, the mines are wrought at Schemnitz as in 

 other countries, but on a larger scale. The pits and the galleries 

 are very well executed, and quite compact; the reservoirs of 

 waters are disposed with much art ; several fine arrangements 

 evince the care and grandeur of conception manifested under 

 the special protection of the sovereigns. If science and their 

 improvement of the art were more attended to, Schemnitz 

 would again become one of the finest establishments in 

 Europe, and rival that of Freyberg, in Saxony. 



CHAPTER V. 



THE COUNTRY OF NEUSOHL. 



The district of Newsohl formed one part of my scene of 

 observation ; the road lies through the valley of Koselnick. 

 Here the declivities are less abrupt ; vegetation has not lost 

 its strength and beauty, but covers the face of nature ; the 

 gloomy fir trees disappear. From Altsohl to Neusohl, the road 

 winds along the banks of the Gran, in the bottom of a broad 

 valley ; approaching the town, we arrive at the foundry to 

 which the minerals of Schemnitz arc conveyed. 



