CHAP. X. MIDDLE AGES. 



inhabitants fled away." From the representa- 

 tion he gives, it can scarcely be inferred that 

 the mines were either productively or bene- 

 ficially worked, " though occasionally," he says, 

 " there have been pieces of pure virgin gold 

 found, some of which I have seen in the elector 

 of Saxony's repository ; one piece as broad as 

 the palm of my hand, and others less ; but such 

 are very rare V 



M. Jars, who visited the mines of Hungary 

 about eighty years ago, says that in ancient 

 times they were managed by companies, who 

 were successively compelled to abandon them, 

 on account of the wars, pestilence, and famine 

 with which they were afflicted, by which they 

 were prevented from advancing the necessary 

 supplies of money. As these companies acted 

 under grants from the crown, when they could 

 no longer continue the working, the grants were 

 resumed; but as the government determined to 

 conduct the works, they allowed to the former 

 grantees five shares out of each hundred and 

 twenty-eight, upon which plan they were car- 

 ried on when M. Jars inspected the mines. 



Some of these mines he represents as rich in 

 auriferous ore, each quintal of it yielding one 

 hundred ounces of silver, and some gold, and 

 also mercury, in the form of cinnabar. 



1 Brown's Travels through Hungaria, Servia, Bulgaria, 

 Macedonia, &c. &c. 



