180 NATURAL HISTORY of NORWAY. 



The before quoted authentic writer Mr. A. Berendfen, in the fame 

 place, fays, that a large fpecimen of the gold ore found on the 

 fide of Agde, being fent to Copenhagen, the conclufion was, that 

 it would barely anfwer the expence of working it; upon which 

 it was difcontinued. The like may be faid of that fmall mixture 

 of gold, which is often feen, not only in the Norway-fllver, but 

 even in the copper. The charges of feparating and refining it, 

 leaving no profped of further advantage; and therefore the work 

 is negleded. However, my fiibjecl: being rather the nature of 

 things than the benefits of them, I muft here take the liberty to 

 contradict a writer, in other refpe&s of the higheft merit, I mean 

 the celebrated Aleyfius, Count Marfilli, whofe works have gained 

 him fuch an extenfive reputation, who fays, that hungary is the 

 only country where filver is found intermixed with gold ; of 

 which our miners know the contrary *. 



SECT. Ill, 



As to the northern filver-mines, which are unqueflionably one 

 of the greater! diflin&ions of this country, I muff, premife, that 

 exclufive of thofe at prefent in work, namely, Konfberg and Jarl- 

 fberg, fome were found formerly, and more of late, but have not 

 been rightly fearched, or the working of them has been difcon- 



habet materiam, quae quartzum metallurgis appellator, altera pyritis lpeciem, quse 

 kies vulgo dicitur, A. 1644, rei metallic^ in Norvegias prsefectus mineram quoque 

 auri in tractu Necnecenfi (this muft be Nedenecenfi ) prope portam Arndalenfem 

 invenit nigram et talcofam referente Wormio. Here I add, from good information, 

 that fome years fince, perfons fkilled in mining, were by his majefty's order fent to 

 Finmark to examine into the truth of a report, that the river, otherwife famous for 

 its falmon-fifhery, had a kind of gold-fand at its bottom like the Niger in Africa ; 

 but it was found to be a miftake, this fuppofed gold being only particles of fulphur, 

 of a good luftre, but of no value. But about two years ago, a confiderable quan- 

 tity of little bits of gold were found near the diftrict of Salten, in Nordland, among 

 a heap of {tones near Konfviig, formerly the palace of a petty prince •, this having 

 been magnified by report, orders were given for further fearch, but thefe were alfo 

 found not to be of the natural produce of that fpot where they were found, nor of 

 any other in this country, but had been left there, fome ages fince, by the inhabitants 

 in thofe times ; for they were little golden images, but made with a more than Go- 

 thic fimplicity, unquestionably like the Simulacra aurea Bornholmenfia, treated of 

 by Jacob von Mellen, and Chriftopher Democritus, three fuch pieces are in my 

 poffefiion ; the gold is not the belt, and the figures are thin lamins, with golden 

 images on them, one is of about the bignefs of a finger's joint, another bigger, and 

 the third lefs, the firft, has -on the upperpart, a wheel with a ring in it. 



* Hac igitur gaudet prserogativa Hungariae regnum, quod fcilicet in tot regioni- 

 bus, nempe Bohemia, Saxoniis aliifve feptentrionalibus locis argentum folummodo, 

 non vero nobili focietate iftuis metalli (de auro fermo eft) locupletatur. Secus vera 

 in Hungaria. Danub. Panon. Myfic. Tom, II. p. 107. 



i tinued. 



