Journey from Vienna. <) 



. In the above long conglomerats, which are always more or 

 less ferrugineous, are veins of a very fine matter, wherein the 

 oxyde of iron, or rather the hydrate of iron, is very abundant. 

 Sometimes these veins are conjoined with veins of a siliceous 

 opaline matter, and the two substances get mixed. From them 

 results a true opal jasper, more or less ferrugineous, also opals 

 mingled with iron. The finest stones, such as we have in our 

 collections, mostly come from a variety of trachytic conglo- 

 merat in this mine, as also the opal prisms. In this part the 

 labours have been most considerable. Some years ago an 

 opal of the finest sort was found, of the size of a small crown 

 piece; it was disposed of, according to report, for 30,000 florins, 

 or about 79,000 francs. In the conglomerat the opal, for use 

 in commerce, is found near the surface, as well as at remote 

 depths. 



The environs of Cservernitza are not the only places of 

 these mountains where the opal is found ; there are mines, it 

 seems, at Bunita, at Erdoske, and near Sovar, as also towards 

 the south, at Herlany, at Kenieneze, &c. In these points, last 

 mentioned, large quantities of common opal and of opal jas- 

 per are excavated, erroneously designated by the name of pech- 

 stein. In former times there were also opal mines at Zaniuto, 

 which were rather prohibited than abandoned, and at present 

 very fine stones are, occasionally, discovered there. In general, 

 opals are extremely abundant in all this trachytic groupe of 

 hills, and indices of them unexplored I thought I could dis- 

 cern in various points, but none are so beautiful or in such 

 abundance as in the environs of Cservenitza and what is 

 rather remarkable, a particular character attaches to the con- 

 glomerat that contains it. 



After this excursion I returned to Habsany, intending to 

 proceed afterwards to Kaschau. M. Bujanovicz had obliging- 

 ly provided me a lodging in his house, though he was absent 

 from home. The day after my arrival at Kaschau I found my- 

 self detained by rainy weather, though I had little occasion to 

 prolong my stay. The Abbe Este, professor of physics in the 

 university, for whonr 1 had letters of recommendation, was 

 going to spend his vacation in little journeys among his friends. 

 I had recommendations to several of them, and the Abbe of- 

 fering me a seat in his carriage, we so adjusted matters that 

 for fifteen days, consecutive, we were frequently together; the 

 society of this old gentleman being every way agreeable, and 

 his attentions to me unbounded. 



Kaschau (Kassa, Hung. Kossiec, Sclav. Cassovia, Lat.) is the 

 principal town of Upper Hungary ; it was founded by certair 

 Saxon families that came to settle there in the reign of Geysa II 



