92 M. Beudant's Travels in Hungary. 



tions, by which this mine is distinguished, have been, with less 

 difficulty, executed. 



Several of these cavities contain considerable collections of 

 water, and even large lakes, into which, as they are cleared 

 and emptied, portions of the saliferous argile are thrown. 

 Boats and radeaux are in use on several of them. 



The dryness generally remarked in this mine, has not es- 

 caped the attention of naturalists, but the same phenomenon 

 occurs in all salt-mines. It often contrasts, in a striking man- 

 ner, with the excessive humidity that pervades works that pass 

 through earths of another description, previous to arriving at 

 the salt. 



Organic remains have been occasionally discovered in this 

 mine. Remnants of cray fish, and the shells called chamites, 

 have been found in the heart of the saliferous argile. It is not 

 unusual to meet with ammonites, and other marine shells, 

 even in the salt itself, and in the argile, petrifications, and pit- 

 coal. M. Townson noticed little bivalve shells in the argile 

 that incloses the spiza salt. Some have mentioned elephants' 

 teeth, and the ossifications of quadrupeds, but these have 

 rather been found in the lands, increased by river slime of the 

 adjacent plain, than in the saliferous depot. 



It may be further observed, that this mine lies at the foot of 

 a great chain of mountains, consisting of free-stone and argile, 

 that reach to the Buckawine, and the mountains of Marmaros, 

 and that all the depots of salt, and all the salt springs of Galicia 

 and Hungary, are exactly in a similar position. 



The greatest depth of the labours in the mine of Villiczka is 

 about 960 feet below the surface. The descent into the mine 

 is about 150 feet below the level of the sea. 



As to the organic remains peculiar to these mines, they con- 

 gist of lignites, or fossile carbonised wood, scattered through 

 the salt, and marine shells inclosed in the saliferous argile. 

 The fossile wood is so abundant in the spiza salt, that it is 

 hardly possible to break off a piece wherein some will not 

 appear. Some have nearly passed into a state of jet by trans- 

 formation, others are altogether bituminous, and retain their 

 figure. There are very large trunks and fragments, as well as 

 very thin branches of trees. I have been informed that leaves, 

 in the form of cords, have sometimes been found. I observed, 

 in the director's collection, a fruit of a round form, of the size 

 of a nut, in tolerable preservation. 



This fossile appeared to be of a ligneous description, some- 

 thing like the shells of nuts ; but I could not distinguish to 

 what- genus of plants it belonged j it had passed into the bitu- 

 minous state. 



