92 BOOK IV. 



1. 100 Rhenish guldens, were distributed to each one hundred and twenty-eighth 

 share. From the Annaberg mine which is known as the HimmeHch Hoz, 

 they had a dole of eight hundred thaler ; from a mine in Joachimsthal 

 which is named the Sternen, three hundred thaler ; from the head mine at 

 Abertham, which is called St. Lorentz, two hundred and twenty-five thaler^*. 

 The more shares of which any individual is owner the more profits he takes. 

 I will now explain how the owners may lose or obtain the right over a 

 mine, or a tunnel, or a share. Formerly, if anyone was able to prove by 

 witnesses that the owners had failed to send miners for three continuous 

 shifts^^, the Bergmeister deprived them of their right over the mine, and 

 gave the right over it to the informer, if he desired it. But although miners 

 preserve this custom to-day, still mining share owners who have paid 

 their contributions do not lose their right over their mines against their will. 

 Formerly, if water which had not been drawn off from the higher shaft of 

 some mine percolated through a vein or stringer into the shaft of another 

 mine and impeded their work, then the owners of the mine which suffered 

 the damage went to the Bergmeister and complained of the loss, and he sent 

 to the shafts two Jurors. If they found that matters were as claimed, 

 the right over the mine which caused the injury was given to the owners 

 who suffered the injury. But this custom in certain places has been changed, 

 for the Bergmeister, if he finds this condition of things proved in the case 

 of two shafts, orders the owners of the shaft which causes the injury to 

 contribute part of the expense to the owners of the shaft which receives the 

 injury ; if they fail to do so, he then deprives them of their right over their 

 mine ; on the other hand, if the owners send men to the workings to dig 

 and draw off the water from the shafts, they keep their right over their 

 mine. Formerly owners used to obtain a right over any tunnel, firstly, if 

 in its bottom they made drains and cleansed them of mud and sand so that 

 the water might flow out without any hindrance, and restored those drains 

 which had been damaged ; secondly, if they provided shafts or openings to 

 supply the miners with air, and restored those which had fallen in ; and 

 finally, if three miners were employed continuously in driving the tunnel. 

 But the principal reason for losing the title to a tunnel was that for a period 

 of eight days no miner was employed upon it ; therefore, when anyone 

 was able to prove by witnesses that the owners of a tunnel had not done 

 these things, he brought his accusation before the Bergmeister, who, after 

 going out from the town to the tunnel and inspecting the drains and the 

 ventilating machines and everything else, and finding the charge to be true, 

 placed the witness under oath, and asked him : " Whose tunnel is this at the 

 present time ? " The witness would reply : " The King's " or " The 



**See Note 9, p. 74, for further information with regard to these mines. The Rhenish 

 •gulden was about 6.9 shilHngs, or $1.66. Silver was worth about this amount per Troy 

 ounce at this period, so that roughly, silver of a value of 1,100 gulden would be about 1,100 

 Troy ounces. The Saxon thaler was worth about 4.64 shillings or about $1.11. The thaler, 

 therefore, represented about .65 Troy ounces of silver, so that 300 thalers were about 

 195 Troy ounces, and 225 thalers about 146 Troy ounces. 



"Opera continens. The Glossary gives scAtcA/,— the origin of the English " shift." 



