194 NATURAL HISTORY of NORWAY. 



of the ore requires a frefh fire, fix, feven or eight times. That 

 there are in this place, which not very long fmce was a wild de- 

 fert, great numbers who now earn a comfortable fubfiftence is 

 obferved by M. Peter Abildgaard, in his before-mentioned Jubilee 

 fermon, where he fays, " It is not much above a hundred years 

 fince the only inhabitants of thefe parts confifted of feven or eight 

 families, making about thirty or forty perfons, and thefe led a 

 favage life, and derived all their fupport from hunting; whereas, 

 now, the number of this congregation exceeds two thousand, ex- 

 clufive of the neighbouring, which contain many more; and all 

 fubfift by the working of the mine." 



To the Roraas copper-work belong feveral founderies, which 

 for the conveniency of a ready fupply of wood are built at a dis- 

 tance from each other, and in places, to which in winter, when 

 the moraffes and rivers are frozen, the ore may be conveniently 

 carried. Particularly at one place called Tolgen, four miles from 

 Roraas, are three founderies, and of the copper for fome years 

 Regaum fob- melted in them, I mail here fet down an account taken from 

 ™ m ' Mr. Schwedenborg. 



Year. Ship pounds of pure copper. 



1698 - - 700 



1700 - - 1 140 



1702 - - 975 



1704 - - 1510 



1706 - - J A-^7 



1708 - - 1460 



1712 - - 1353 



1718 - - 933 



1722 - - 1087 



1723 - - 1102 



1724 - - 1128 



Thefe founderies annually confume betwixt 12 and 15000 lafts 

 of coals, and 5 or 600 fathoms of wood. 



SECT. VII. 



The medal Next to Roraas is tne medal or tykken copper-work, four Nor- 

 orLykken' -i es an( j a half from Drontheim. It is faid to have been 



copper-work. vvt V . , _, , 



difcovered in 1654. Its founderies lie near Svarkmae, and Grud- 

 2 fetter, 



