ROC 



two inches of white fait, fucceeded by two inches of ftony 

 fait, and a layer of earth. I found others alternately cora- 

 pofed of earth and fait to the very bottom of the mine, 

 which is of gvpfum, undulated like the other layers. The 

 layers of falinc rock are of a dufky blue, thofe of fait are 

 white. 



" This mine is confiderably elevated above the fea, for you 

 afcend continually all the way from Bayonne. 



" The fecond hill is that of Cardona, in Catalonia, near the 

 mountain of Montferrat, fixteen leagues to the N.W. of 

 Barcelona, and a few leagues from the Pyrenees. 



" The village of Cardona is fituated at the foot of a 

 rock of fait, which, from the fides of the river Cardonere, 

 teems nearly mural. This rock is a block of maffive fait, 

 which rifes from the earth about four or five hundred feet, 

 without crevices, chafms, or layers. No gypfum is found 

 near it. This block is about a league in circumference ; and 

 its elevation is equal to that of the furrounduig mountains : 

 as its depth is not known, it is impofiible to fay on what it 

 reits. 



" In general, the fait, from the top to the bottom, is 

 white, though fome parts are red ; fome is alfo found of a 

 fine blue. There are alfo in Spain other repolitories of rock- 

 falt and faline fprings. In La Mancha, at Almengranilla, 

 there is a mafs of fait limilar to that of Cardona ; it is feventy 

 yards in diameter, mixed with fulphate of lime, and covered 

 with the fame (tone, including cryitals of red quartz ; above 

 which are filiceous pudding-Hones, and a ftratum of car- 

 bonate of lime." 



The mines of rock-falt that are wrought at Poza, near 

 Burgos, in Caltille, are remarkably fituated, being placed 

 in a vaft. crater. A French traveller, M. Fernandez, 

 found pumice -ftones, puzzolana, and other volcanic pro- 

 ductions there. 



Rock-falt is likewife found near Aranjuez and Ocanna, in 

 the tranfition hills between Sierra Morena and Madrid. 



On the north fide of the Pyrenees no beds of rock-falt 

 have been difcovered, but numerous brine-fprings occur, par- 

 ticularly at Salie6 : in the department of the Lower Pyrenees 

 the foil is calcareous, and fulphate of lime is found in the 

 neighbourhood of the fpring. 



There are falt-fpring at Salies, to the fouth of Thouloufe. 

 alfo at Salins and Montmorat, in the department of the Jura ; 

 in the fir ft. of thefe the water contains fifteen per cent, of 

 fait. 



There are about twenty brine-fprings in the department of 

 La Meurthe, which contain, on the average, thirteen per 

 cent, of fait. Thefe fprings are at no great diftance from 

 each other ; fome arc at the foot of the chain of Jura, the 

 others at the foot of the Vofges : the product of thefe brine- 

 fprings fupplies Switzerland with fait. There arc falt-fprings 

 in the department of Mont Blanc, in the midlt of the Higher 

 Alps. In the fame department, near St. Maurice, there is 

 a falt-rock near the region of perpetual fnow, which is pro- 

 bably the higheft fituatiun in Europe where this mineral oc- 

 curs. The rockconfifts of gypfum, intermixed or impreg- 

 nated with fait, which is extracted by folution in water ; the 

 infokible part remains porous and light. Various brine- 

 fprings alfo occur in other parts ot France. 



Though there are numerous brine-fprings in the north of 

 Germany, no beds of rock-falt appear on the furface, until 

 we approach the circle of Auflria and the neighbouring 

 countries. The range of falt-rocks commences at Halle, in 

 the Tyrol, paffes through Reichcnthal in Bavaria, and con- 

 tinues to Hallein in Sal/burgh, Halltadt, Ifchcl, and 

 Ebenlcl, in Auftria, and terminates at Auffe in Styria. 



it o c 



The fait at Halle is worked in a peculiar manner : parallel 

 galleries are run into the rock, in thefe dykes are formed, and 

 water is let into them, where it remains from five to twelve 

 months. When the water is faturated, it is drawn off in 

 pipes, and the folution is evaporated. 



On comparing the geological filiation of the greater part 

 of the beds of rock-falt and brine-fprings, it will be feen 

 that they occur molt frequently at the foot of high moun- 

 tainous chains. The mines of rock-falt in Tranfylvania, 

 Upper Hungary, Moldavia, and Poland, may be cited in 

 further proof of this. Thefe mines are numerous, and very 

 important from their extent, and the vaft maffes of fait they 

 contain. They are found along the chain of the Carpathian 

 mountains, and fpread nearly in an equal degree on each fide 

 of the chain accompanying thefe mountains to the extent of 

 more than two hundred leagues, from Wieliczka in Poland, 

 towards the north, to Fokfzian or Rymnickin Moldavia, to 

 the fouth. 



The (trip of land that contains the falt-rock or brine- 

 fprnigs, is near forty leagues broad in fome parts. In it 

 may be reckoned about fixteen mines, that are worked for 

 lalt ; forty-three indieations of mines that have never been 

 wrought ; and four hundred and twenty, or four hundred and 

 thirty, brine-fprings. 



The moil remarkable of thefe commence in the north- 

 eaft, and extend in a foutherly direction, including thofe of 

 Wieliczka, Bochnia, and Samber, in Poland ; and fome 

 brine-fprings in Buchovina and Moldavia, particularly near 

 Ockna. On the fouth-welt of the chain, following the fame 

 direction, are thofe of Sowar, near Eperies, in Upper Hun- 

 gary ; of Marmarofch, in Hungary ; of Dees, Torda, 

 Paraid, and Vifackna, near Herman lladt, in Tranfylvania, 

 &c. 



The falt-mines of Wieliczka, near Cracow, and thofe of 

 Bothnia, which appear to be a branch of them, have become 

 celebrated from the accounts given of them by almoft every 

 traveller who has vilited that country ; many of their defcrip- 

 tions are too highly coloured. They are, indeed, very an- 

 cient, having been worked ever fince the year 1251 ; but 

 have nothing to diltinguifli them above others, except the 

 extent of the works in the beds of rock-falt, the dimenfions 

 of which ltill remain unknown. The ground that covers the 

 rock-falt is compofed, like that over molt other falt-mines, of 

 alternate itrata of fand, pebbles, and marie, including large 

 blocks of fait. You go down to thefe mines by fix (hafts, 

 of four or five yards in diameter. Various ftru&ures have 

 been formed in the body of the fait itfelf. We find there a 

 liable, chambers, and chapels, all the parts of which, as 

 pillars, altars, and ftatues, are of fait. The (hafts and gal- 

 leries are perfectly dry, fo that you are more incommoded by 

 duft than dirt. There are fprings, however, both of fait 

 water and of frefh in thefe mines. It appears that the air it 

 not fo foul in them as in moil fait mines; but the workmen 

 do not refide in them, as fome have afferted. In certain part :• 

 of the mine, hydrogen gas fometimes collects and ex- 

 plodes. 



The fait is cut out in little alcending fteps. It is formed 

 into parallelepipedona, weighing about eighty or a hundred 

 pound;, or into cylinders, which are put into calks. This 

 mine produces about fix thoufand tons of fait every 

 year. 



According to the defcription of Dr. Townfon, the fait in 

 the upper mines does not form continuous itrata, or rocks, 

 but exilts in immenie detached block* or maffes, imbedded in 

 marie. He gives the following account of the ftrata which 

 cover the J il' . 



3 E 2 Vegetable 



