CHAP. X. MIDDLE AGES. 



mine, and reports it to be in the same state ; 

 but he found in it a date, that of 1316, which 

 shows the period of its activity 1 . 



In the mountains of Cevennes, gold and 

 silver are still found in paillettes in the rivers 

 La Seze, PArdeche, La Gardon, and 1'Eraut. 

 They are supposed to be detached from the 

 filons d'or in those mountains, and brought by 

 the streams through the ravines. This gold 

 was remarked by Agricola more than three 

 centuries before Genssane visited the spot, as 

 well as the peculiarity which still exists, that 

 the gold is only to be found in the same places 

 as those smooth black pebbles resembling touch- 

 stones, called, by those who seek for gold, "la 

 mere de 1'or." 



A great quantity of scoriae, the remains of 

 ancient workings, are observable in this district, 

 especially near the little river Gagnere. The 

 Abbe de Gua, who examined the heaps, thought 

 he discovered proofs of their having been the 

 results of the operations of miners who had ex- 

 tracted gold, but Genssane was rather disposed 

 to attribute them to some extensive workings 

 of mines of antimony. 



Some silver appears to have been separated 

 from the lead which the mines of that metal 

 supplied to the wants of France. Thus at Mas- 



1 Genssane, vol. iv. p. 294. 



261 



