262 THE KEDABEG MINE. 



times. This is rendered probable by its position in 

 the neighbourhood of the large Goktcha lake and of 

 Mount Ararat rising on its western shore, a region. 



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which has indeed often been regarded as the cradle 



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of the human race. A legend even runs that the 

 beautiful valley of the Shamkhor river, which belongs 

 to the forest district of the mine, was the site of 

 the biblical Paradise. At any rate the number of old 

 works, which crown the summit of the metalliferous 

 mountain, testifies to the antiquity of the working of 

 the mine , as does also the occurrence of native 

 copper, and finally the circumstance that extensive 

 pre- historic burial-grounds exist in the vicinity of 

 Kedabeg , in the investigation of which Rudolph 

 Virchow has shown such great interest. 



The mine has a beautiful, really paradisiacal en- 

 vironment, with a temperate climate. It lies about 

 2400 feet above the great Caucasian steppes, which 

 extend from the foot of the spur of the little Cau- 

 casus - - termed the Goktcha chain - - to the Caspian 

 Sea. The working of it, when the primitive pit- 

 sinking, subservient to operations on the exposed ore, 

 could no longer be continued, came into the hands 

 of the Greeks, whose slantingly sunk stair- case like 

 shafts, by which they carried up ore and water on 

 their backs, were still in use at the time of brother 

 Walter's taking possession. Operations in accordance 

 with modern principles were commenced by us with 

 very sanguine expectations - - as is usually the case 

 with such undertakings under the direction of a 



