294 KALM'S ENGLAND. 



opposite to each other, but one is content if only they 

 are somewhat about the same breadth. Thus these 

 stones naturally clear each other perpendicularly on all 

 sides, and form as it were perpendicular sides of cubes 

 and oblongs, but they are never naturally divided horizon- 

 tally, but all horizontal division must be effected 

 artificially. When the carls wish to have a stone broken 

 horizontally of any perpendicular height or thickness, 

 they hew with their picks, hackor, a horizontal line 

 where they wish it to be divided, and then knock wedges 

 of iron into it, by which they spring it loose horizontally 

 to any thickness they please. 



The loosened pieces are afterwards carried out on a 

 low wagon or truck, vagn, which instead of four wheels 

 has two rollers, kaflar, of ash, one at each end. The 

 diameter of each roller is nearly i foot. The body of the 

 wagon is made of solid oak timbers. This wagon, with 

 the stone which lies upon it, is drawn by the carls along 

 the adit till they get it out to the day, and if they after- 

 wards wish to have it up the hill at the entrance of the 

 mine, it is wound up along the road with a windlass, and 

 is so drawn to the place where they intend to hew and 

 work at it. 



The stone, down in the mine, and when it was first 

 hewn, was of a grey or clay colour, and so soft that it 

 could be cut with a knife as easily as a hardened or dry 

 pot-clay, spik-lera. Similarly one could then [T. I. p. 

 291] with the hands and fingers break it in pieces, pro- 

 vided the pieces were not too thick ; but when it had come 

 up to the day, and lain for a time in the open air, it be- 

 came very white, although not quite so white as chalk : 

 for it could be seen that there was a considerable difference, 

 if one wrote with a piece of chalk on a wall built of this 

 stone ; which I tried, and the man who had the direction 

 of the mine, also showed me. Similarly it has also the 



