VOL. v.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 4ZQ 



several tubs, and the water, after some settling, poured off from its sediment ; 

 which sediment is again washed and stirred up in several vessels and troughs, 

 till at length they sprinkle quicksilver upon it, and knead it well together for an 

 hour, and then washing it again in a wooden vessel, after the separating of 

 much of it which the quicksilver touches not ; by striking this vessel against 

 their leg, they bring the gold and quicksilver together, in an amalgama, to one 

 corner of it. From this amalgama they strain as much of the quicksilver as 

 they can through coarse cloths first, and then through fine: they put the mass 

 remaining upon a perforated plate, which they set over a deep pan placed in the 

 earth; in the bottom of which pan they also put quicksilver: This pan they 

 cover and lute the cover well, and then make a charcoal fire upon it; they drive 

 down the quicksilver yet remaining in the gold to the rest in the bottom of the 

 pan ; then taking out the gold, they cast it into the fire, that it may still be- 

 come purer.* 



Concerning the silver mines, there are divers of them at Schemnitz in Hun- 

 gary, as the Windschacht, the Trinity, of St. Benedict, of St. John, of the three 

 Kings, and several others of lesser note. The chiefest and most wrought are 

 those of Windschacht and Trinity. They have no river here, but much water 

 in the mines, which is a double inconvenience to them, viz. to want water above, 

 and to be glutted with it under ground, so that they are constrained to send 

 much of their ore to Hodrytz and other places, where are small rivers, by which 

 their bellows and hammers may be moved, their ore pounded, washed, and other 

 works requisite performed. Nor do they want engines to pump the water out 

 of the mines, moved by wheels drawn about continually by horses, 12 horses at 

 a time to each wheel. In Windschacht mine, deep in the earth, is a large wheel 

 of 12 yards diameter, turned about by the fall of subterraneous watei*s. This 

 wheel moves engines, which pump out the water from the bottom of the mine 

 up to the cavity, wherein this wheel is placed. The water, which moves this 



* Within these few years great improvements have been made by Baron Born and other metallur- 

 gists, in the amalgamation of gold and silver ores. The savings which result from these unprove- 

 ments are immense, not only in respect to the recovery of the quicksilver employed in the amalga- 

 mation, but also in regard to fuel and labour. In Baron Bom's process, the combination of the 

 quicksilver with the precious metals was effected in copper vessels, aided by a moderate heat; but 

 Mr. Gellert found that this combination might be accomplished without the aid of fuel, by trimrat- 

 ing the prepared ores with quicksilver, in wooden cylindrical chums provided with perforated cast- 

 iron pistons, moved quickly up and down by a crank motion. From the amalgama obtained in either 

 of these ways, the superfluous quicksilver is separated by pressing it with the hands through a strong 

 linen bag; the other portion which remains in the amalgama balls is expelled from them by distilla- 

 tion per descensum in cast-iron pots, the receiving pot being constantly cooled by cold water, for the 

 condensation of the quicksilver vapour. 



