The Author's Preface. xv 



for the bufinefs of mining and that of fmelting, 

 we have the ableft, mod experienced and ingeni- 

 ous artifts in the whole world : nor this other 

 confiderable advantage, peculiarly our own ; 

 namely, the variety of our ores, than which no- 

 thing is more ferviceable in the bufinefs of 

 fmelting : «as by properly dofing and mixing 

 thefe together, we are able to work to better 

 advantage what would otherwife remain un- 

 fmelted, and be forced off among the flags. 

 And who could ever have imagined, that red- 

 goldijh, and the like rich ores, mould fail to fmelt, 

 if not worked with pyrites ? And yet this is what 

 for fome years paft our neighbours at Nicolas- 

 mine in Bohemia have fufficiently experienced : 

 whence they are obliged, at much expence and 

 labour, to be fupplied with the pyrites from us ; in 

 order previoufly to crude-work their poor, quartzy 

 ores : that is, fmelt them crude along with deful- 

 phu rated pyrites. 



My view in all this is to fhew of what confe- 

 quence the knowledge of ores, or the bufinefs of 

 mineralogy is as a foundation for thofe of mining 

 and fmelting : and that a very ferviceable, im^ 

 portant fubjeft is the matter of my prefent en- 

 quiry. 



