The Author's P R e p A c i: $| 



the tenths, the mintage, tlve duties from the huts; 

 from the works of draining § and battery 1, after 

 deducting the profits for the adventurers, come to 

 above twenty four tons of gold, and thus to a 

 yearly income for the prince of almoft a ton of 

 gold. Whence we may eafily fee what the profits 

 to the undertakers were. From 1603 to 1622, 

 a period of nineteen years, the fmelting huts of 

 Friberg brought in to the electoral chamber above 

 1 00000 florins : the works of battery, and the 

 duty on coals and wood in the territory of 

 Schwartzenberg, from 1590 to 1620, a fpace of 

 thirty years, above 150000 florins : the cobald 

 and fmalt works, from 161 1 to 1623, above 

 1 00000 florins : the mintage of the burnt or 

 fined filver of Friberg, from 1620 to 1623, and 

 thus for three years only, above 800000 florins : 

 the mintage at Anneberg, Marienberg and 

 Schneeberg, after a deduction of the profits, for 

 thofe three years, above 60000 florins. 



And did we confider each groove and minfr 

 apart, many of them would be found to yield the 

 like princely, nay royal income. To inftance 



only 



$ Draining at the huts, is the operation of feparating the fil- 

 ver from the bhck copper, or the fort not quite freed of its 

 fulphur, and other impurities. It is performed by fmelting 

 together a quantity of black copper and lead, and tapping them, 

 off into round cakes, which being fet edgewife in a peculiar 

 furnace, and expofed to a gentle fire, fuffer the lead, carrying 

 along with it the filver in the black copper, to drain or trickle 

 from them, leaving the copper honey combed and fpongy. 



r The operation of beating out iron into bars and plates. 



