438 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO I67O. 



north and to the east. They work also towards one, two and three o'clock, as 

 they speak: for the miners direct themselves under ground by a compass, not of 

 32 points, such as is used at sea, but by one of 24, which they divide, as we do 

 the hours of the day, into twice 12. Of the gold ore some is white, some black, 

 red, or yellow : that with black spots in white is esteemed the best, as also the 

 ore which lies next to the black veins. Pieces of pure gold have been found in 

 this mine; some of which I have seen in the Emperor's treasury, and in the 

 Elector of Saxony's repository ; one piece as broad as the palm of my hand, 

 and others less, and upon a white stone many pieces of pure gold; but these 

 are very rare. The common yellow earth of the country near Chremnitz, al- 

 though it be not esteemed ore, affords some gold. 



Some passages in this mine cut through the rock, and long disused, have 

 grown up again; and I observed the sides of some, which had been formerly 

 wide enough to carry their ore through, to approach each other, so as we 

 passed with difficulty. This happens in moist places. The passages unite not 

 from the top to the bottom, but from one side to another. 



There is vitriol in this mine, white, red, blue and green ; and also vitriolate 

 waters. There is a substance found, which sticks to the gold ore, of small 

 pointed parts like needles, called by them antimony of gold. There are crystals 

 found here, and some tinctured yellow. 



The miners will not allow any quicksilver or brimstone to have been found 

 here, yet in the lately mentioned antimony of gold there is evidently sulphur, as 

 you will perceive by burning it. The quicksilver mine mentioned in the answer 

 to Kircher's Inquiries in his Mund. subterraneus, is an Hungarian mile, or 

 seven English miles, distant from Cremnitz, and is not wrought in at present. 



There is a vitriol mine in these hills near the gold mine ; the earth or ore of 

 it is reddish, and sometimes greenish. This earth is infused in water, and 

 after three days the water is poured off and boiled seven days in a leaden vessel, 

 till it becomes a thick granulated whitish substance, which is afterwards re- 

 duced to a calx in an oven, and serves in the making of aquafortis, or the 

 separating water used at Schemnitz. 



They have divers ways of taking the gold out of its ore; by burning the ore, 

 by melting, by adding silver ore and other minerals, sand and lead ; as they 

 find the ore in a fluid or solid state. But to avoid prolixity, I will set down 

 that way only, which they proceed in without lead. They break and pound the 

 ore in water, very fine ; wash it often, and lay it in powder upon cloths, and by 

 the gentle oblique descending of the water over it, and their continual stirring 

 it, the earthy, clayish, and lighter parts are washed away, while the heavier and 

 metalline remain in the cloth. These cloths are afterwards washed clean in 



