288 MINING IN THE 



CHAP. X. 



worked in the reign of King John the Third 

 by one Henry Lejel, to whom at length the 

 king conveyed them, but of late years they 

 seem to have been neglected 1 . In Norway the 

 same author speaks of a gold mine which had 

 been known in ancient times, had been again 

 latterly worked for ten years, but then aban- 

 doned because the produce did not cover the 

 expenses. 



The silver mines of Sweden and Norway have 

 continued to be somewhat more productive 

 than those of gold, but even these are now, and 

 probably have ever been, but of small amount. 

 The silver mine of Sahl or Sala is said to have 

 been worked five hundred years ago 2 , and to 

 have yielded in 1506 thirty-five thousand marcs, 

 but to have been revived only so late as 1623; 

 and now, according to Crome, it yields 1700 

 marcs annually 3 . The net profit of this mine 

 in 1767, according to the account of Jars, did 

 not exceed five thousand livres ; but that seems 

 to have arisen from some extra temporary ex- 

 penses, incurred by making or extending a canal 

 to drain the mine. 



1 The Swedish mine at Adelfors yielded in 1736 twelve 

 marcs of gold, each marc being eight ounces. It was not 

 quite sufficient to defray the expenses, on which account a 

 motion was made in the senate to relinquish the working it. 



2 Travels of A. de la Motraye in 171 1, vol. ii. 



3 Crome, Uebersicht der Staatskrafte von den Europaischen 

 Reichen und Landen, p. 123. 



