110 M. Beudctnt's Travels in Hungary. 



Piombino, in the islands of the Archipelago, as Milo, Nipp- 

 ligo, &c., the resemblance would be so perfect, even in minute 

 particulars, that if the samples of the different collections were 

 confounded, it would be impossible to point out their local 

 origin. 



As to the alunite, or the substance that, from its intermix- 

 ture, furnishes alum by calcination, the samples that I collected 

 at Musaj make it appear that it is a very distinct species, to 

 be determined by its chymical and crystallographical characters. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



.'* /\f 



BRIEF NOTICES RELATIVE TO TRANSYLVANIA AND THE BAN AT. 



-QL'Ofn ufU 2W)u}. >j frtrf}-j*;K i'.jd \ j ; T*g&V'-f ! >ii i W fhf& 

 Towards the central part of the principality, in a westerly 

 direction, on the groupe of mountains that rise above Carls- 

 burg, are a number of mines of salt, and of salt springs. In 

 several places the labours are very considerable, the works 

 being conducted in large galleries. Such are those of Thorda, 

 of Ddes, Kollos, and Szek, also of Viz Akna to the south, in 

 the vicinity of Hermanstadt. 



Near to Sibo, on the banks of the Szamos, gypsum is found 

 in large quantities, either white or more or less coloured ; or- 

 namental articles, of various kinds, are made of it. 



In one part of Transylvania, the country of Kapnik, the 

 mountains in the north, arc pronounced, by Fichtel, to be vol- 

 canic formations ; but this opinion is inadmissible. The rocks 

 which he calls Lavas, are, in reality, porphyric grunsteins. I 

 had positive proofs of this, in the collections of M. Schuster, 

 at Pest. Near to Fekeleto are mining works, from which are 

 produced the red mottled calcairs, known by the name of 

 marble of Grosswardein. There are also variously coloured 

 marble mines about Belenyes and Vasko, and at Funacza is a 

 cavern of'considerable magnitude, wherein the ossified remains 

 of quadrupeds have been found. In general, the mines that 

 form the riches of Transylvania are found in the porphyric 

 grunstein. The mines, in that part called the Banat, are un- 

 commonly rich, and particularly in copper, with an intermix- 

 ture at times with silver and gold. The superb specimens of 

 blue carbonated copper, of Moldava, Oraircza, Dognazka, &c., 

 are well known, and are only inferior to those discovered of 

 late years, at St. Bel, near Lyons. In these mines also are 

 found those beautiful green granets, of which some mineralo- 

 gists are for forming a particular species. 



