VOL. v.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 437 



with on the account of the Royal Society; and in answer to them I shall first 

 acquaint you with what I found and learned of the salt-mines : concerning which 

 I now present you with those two kinds of Transylvanian stone salts which 

 you mentioned; and also with salts out of the mine at Eperies in Upper Hun- 

 gary; together with some account of that mine. Of the sal gemmae I have 

 sent you four pieces, and a stone of salt, as it was taken out of the mine, which, 

 if you please, for your further satisfaction, to break with a hammer, you will 

 find to split in your hand into tables or parallelopipeds. These are accompa- 

 nied by a specimen of that mineral salt which is commonly used at table. This 

 is found in most of the salt mines. 



Half an hour's journey from the city Eperies, there is a salt-mine of great 

 note. From the first place of descent, to the bottom, it is about 180 fathoms 

 deep. Into this the miners descend first by ropes, and at last by ladders to the 

 lower parts. The mine is for the most part in an earthy and not a rocky ground. 

 The veins of salt are large, and there are pieces to be found of ten thousand 

 pound weight. They commonly hew out the salt into long square pieces of two 

 feet in length, and one in thickness ; and for use it is broken and ground be- 

 tween two grind-stones. The mine is cold and damp ; but the salt being a 

 stone-salt, is not easily dissolved, or at least in any great quantity, by damp- 

 ness or moisture : Yet the water of the mine is impregnated with salt in such 

 sort, that being drawn out in large buckets, and afterwards boiled up, it affords 

 a blackish salt, which they give to their cattle in the country. 



The colour of the ordinary stone-salt of this mine is not very white, but 

 somewhat gray ; yet being broken and ground to powder, it becomes as white 

 as if it were refined: And this salt consists of pointed parts or facets. There 

 is also another sort of salt which consists of squares and tables ; and a third, of 

 striae or long shoots. Nor is all the salt of this mine of one colour, but of 

 several ; that which is found grossly mixed with the earth receives some colour 

 from it ; and even that which is most pure and resembles crystal, often re- 

 ceives tints of several colours. 



But to proceed to the gold and silver mines : As to the former, that among the 

 seven mine towns in Hungary, viz. Chremnitz, Schemnitz, Newsol, Konings- 

 berg, Bochantz, Libeten and Tiln, Chremnitz is the richest in gold. They 

 have also at present gold mines at Bochantz and Koningsberg ; and they report 

 in that country, that there has been formerly a rich gold mine at Glashitten, 

 but lost, since that Bethlem Gabor overran those parts, when the undertakers 

 stopped up the mine and fled. They have worked in the gold mine at Chrem- 

 nitz nine hundred years. This mine is several English miles in length, and 

 about one hundred and sixty fathoms deep. Many veins of the ore run to the 



