1 



NATURAL HISTORY of 'NORWAY. 191 



A clerk of the huts. 



A mafter of the huts. 



An affay-mafter. 



A mafter of the mint. 



An engraver. 



A keeper of the faws. 



A chief forefter. 



Three under forefters. 



A foreft-clerk. 



A phyfician and furgeon. 



SECT. V. 

 The other Norway filver-mine was difcovered in the year The jarirberg 



726, and begun by the families of Hufmann and Cicignon, and fllver " works ' 

 afterwards, in the year 1734, devolved to count Wedel. It lies 

 near Bragnas, and for wood, water, and other neceffaries, is very 

 conveniently fituated ; and its ore likewife is very rich, but with- 

 out fuch folid veins or maffes of pure filver as thofe at Kongfberg, 

 the ore, like that of the German-mines, having a large mixture of 

 lead and copper, which, in the phrafe of the miners, muft be 

 made good, and feparated by fufion. This operation has hitherto 

 been inexpreffibly difficult and laborious, and the profecution of 

 the work has been greatly obftrucled by the tedious labour, and 

 exceffive charges occasioned by the hardnefs of the metal, or ra- 

 ther by the adhelion of the metal, and its intimate conjundion with 

 the ftone. Whether this arifes from a large mixture of arfenic and 

 antimony, or from what other caufe, has been a controverted 

 point, and I muft refer thedeciflon to better judges. The hand- 

 ftones which I have of this, contain, as I have faid, copper, iron, 

 and lead, intermixed with the filver/ yet the filver in fuch abun- 

 dance, that when experience mall have improved the prefent me- 

 thod of fufion and feparation, and this mine comes to be wrought 

 with more fkili and attention, I am of opinion it will prove no 

 lefs profitable than that of Kongfberg itfelf. In the mean time 

 the filver and lead found here, is fold to the royal mint at Kong- 

 fberg at a fettled rate. The names of the mines hitherto found, 

 and now wrought at the depth of forty-five fathoms, are upwards 

 of twelve in number. In copper-mines this kingdom has likewife 

 been providentially and remarkably diftinguifhed, efpecially in the 



Part L Ddd' moun _ 



