Qiap. V. Hungary, Thessaly, Macedonia, 77.7 
where they work, they work eight Hours naked, if 
they can hold it fo long, and then reft eight Hours. 
They ftiewed me a Place, where fix or feven Perfons 
were (lifted by a Dampj to prevent which for the Fu- 
ture, they have placed a Tube there y the like they have 
.over all Doors and Paffages where they intend to dig 
for a great Space, and have no Paflage through, whereby 
they let in, or let out the Air, or carried about accord- 
ing as the Miners under Ground ought to be ventilated. 
The blackifh Ore is generally the richeft, much of it 
is mix’d with a fliining yellow Marchafite, which if not 
in too great a Quantity, is very welcome, becaufe it 
renders the Ore fluid, and eafy to be melted y but if this 
is found in too great a Proportion, they are of Opinion 
that it preys upon the Silver in the Mine, and in the 
Furnace over-volatilizing it, and whilft it is a melting 
carries it upwards with the Smoak ; for which Reafon 
they call it the Robber. There is alfo frequently found 
a red Subftance. growing to the Ore, call’d Cinnabar of 
Silver, which being ground with Oil, makes a Vermi- 
lion equal to, if not furpafling the common Cinnabar 
made by Sublim.ation. 
30. Thefe Mines alfo produce Chryflah^ Amethyjis, 
and Amethifiine Mixtures, fometimes in the Clefts of 
the Rocks, fometimes near or join’d to the Ore j as alfo 
a natural chryftalliz’d Vitriol, particularly in a Mine 
in Paradife- Hill. There is alfo great Variety in the 
Silver Ore, in refpecl of its Richnefs, or Proportion of 
Silver : A hundred Weight of fome Ore yields not 
above half an Ounce of Silver, , fometimes two Ounces, 
three, four, five, even unto twenty Ounces j what is 
richer is very rare, though fome have been found to 
hold half Silver, and I myfelf have feen fome lb rich 
as to be cut with a Knife. 
To difcover the Richnefs of the Ore, a certain Ofti- 
cer is appointed, whom they call the Probieter., (Eftay- 
Mafter) which, he does in this Manner. They bring 
him a Specimen of each Sort of Ore digg’d out of the 
Mine, of all which Sorts he takes an equal Quantity, 
and (the Ore being firft dry’d, burn’d and pounded) 
adds to all an equal Proportion of Lead, melts and 
purifies them, and then, by exadl Scales, takes the Pro- 
portion between the Ore contained in if, of which he 
gives an exad. Account to the Work-men employ’d in 
the great Melting Furnaces ; who, according to his 
Report, add or diminifh the Quantities of thofe Sub- 
ftances, which are to be mix’d with the Ores, to melt 
them in the melting Furnaces ; as for Inftance, to a 
100 Centen., or io,oco Pound Weight of Silver Ore ; 
a hundred Pounds Weight, or a Centen of which con- 
tains two Ounces and a half of Silver, they add forty 
Oenten of ILeich (which is Ore pounded and wafhed) 
200 Centens of Iron-Stone, which is not Iron Ore, but 
Stone found in thofe Hills of a Liver Colour (perhaps 
the Lapis Hematites) a certain Quantity of Kis (a Sort 
of Pyrites) in Proportion as there is a greater or lefs 
Quantity of Xvlarchafite mix’d with the Ore, and of 
the Slacken as much as they think fit. This laft is no- 
thing elfe but the Scum taken off from the Top of the 
Ran, into which the Metals run, and is a Subftance 
made out of the former mentioned, by Fufion. 
Whatfoever is melted in the m.elting Furnace, is let 
cut through a Hole at the Bottom into the Pan, faftned 
in the Earth before it; and thus expos’d, it acquires, 
as it cools, a hard Scum, Drofs or Cake, which beino- 
continually taken away, the remaining Metal become^ 
purer ; unto this they add Lead, which carries all the 
Silver down to the Bottom, and after fome Time the 
melted Metal is taken out, and afterwards melted again 
in the driving Furnace, where the Lead, or what elfe 
remain’d mix’d with the Silver, is driven off by the 
blowing of two great Pair of Bellows ; and runs over 
from the melted Silver in Form of Litharge of Silver ; 
but that which comes laft, being longeft m the Fire,, 
turns red, and is call’d Litharge of Gold., though both 
be driven from the fame Metal. Moft of the Schemnitz 
Silver-Ore contains fome Gold : This they feparate af- 
ter the Silver is melted, by granulating it, and afcer- 
W'ards dilTolving it in Aqua fortis made out of a pecu- 
liar Vitriol, prepared at Chremniiz. whereby the Gold 
,,VoL. II, 122.. , 
is left at the Bottom, and is melted afterwards, and the 
Aqua fortis being feparated from the Silver by Diftii- 
lation, fcrves again for the fame Ufe. 
But it is Time to quit the Subjed; for Fear of en- 
tangling myfelf too far in a Bufinefs, the accurate De- 
fcription of which would require entire large Volumes, 
as well as thofe of Mifnia^ fo exaclly defcribed Agricola, 
Lenys in his Works concerning Minerals, are alfo worth 
Reading, and Lazarus Erker has given a very nice Ac- 
count of the principal Ores and other Mineral Bodies. 
But after all, it muft be confelTed, that there are few 
Places in the World to be compared v/ith this, where 
Art and Nature ftrive to fhew their utmoft Force, to 
procure Riches. The Emperor Rudolphus being a great 
Encourager of Mines, they work to this Day much 
after the fame Manner, eftablifiied in his Time, except 
that many of their Engines and Inftruments are much 
improved fince. It feems to be fomewhat odd, yet is 
neverthelefs very true, that in a Place where every 
Week a vaft Quantity of Silver is digg’d up, and car- 
ried away by Cart Loads, I could not meet with one 
pure Silver Piece. This happened to me at Schemnitz ; 
for being defirous to fee what Alteration feveral of thofe 
Mineral Waters in that Country would make upon 
Metals, I would fain have had a Piece of pure Silver, 
which, however the whole Town was not able to furnifii 
me withal, the current Money of the Country being 
all mix’d with Copper ; fo that I was forced to borrow 
fome Silver Croffes and Medals, to try the intended 
Experiment. 
31.. Near to Schemnitz (where old Schemnitz flood) 
I law a high perpendicular Rock, Part of which from 
the Top to the Bottom is of a fhining blue Colour, 
with fome green and yellow Spots, which appear’d as 
beautiful to the Eye, as if it had been one entire Mals 
of Lapis Lazuli., finely polilhed : I was not a little fur- 
prized at the Sight thereof, and lliould have been more 
lb, had I not heard before from a certain Spaniard 
who had lived a confiderable Time in ihtJVehf- Indies % 
That there is a’ Rock like this near the Silver Mines 
of Peru, 
At Glaf-Hitten (about- feven Englifh Miles from 
Schemnitz) there was formerly a rich Gold-Mine, but 
is loft ever fince the Inroad made by the Pranfilvanian 
Prince Bethlem Gabor into thofe Parts, when the Inha- 
bitants flying, the Entrance was (lopp’d up, and has not 
been known fince. The Owner thereof has however 
thought (it to leave fome Direflions and certain Marks 
behind him, whereby in Time the (ame might be dif- 
covered again ; with the Figures of h.is Inftruments up- 
on the Barks of the Trees; which Inftruments having 
already been found by Digging, thus much is intimated. 
That where they find a Stone on which a Face is car- 
ved, they are near the Entrance of this rich Gold- 
Mine.; and to open the FalTage into it, they are only 
to remove a certain Part of the Rock thereabouts, which 
was made ufe of by the Owner, to (lop up the Entrance 
into the Mine. 
■ Glaf-Hitten h alfo a Place very well known and 
much frequented by Reafon of its natural Hot-Baths, 
of which five are conveniently built with handlbme 
Steps into them, ai)d cover’d with fair and lofty Roofs. 
■The Springs are very tranfparent, having a red and 
green Sediment ; the Wood and Seats under Water, 
being cover’d with a (lony Subftance, and Silver is gilt 
by being left in, them. But that call’d the Sweating- 
Bath excels- the reft, its Spring being drain’d through 
a Hill- before they i(Tue forth into the Bath ; at one End 
of which is a Cave, into which you afcend by leverai 
Steps, which being heated by xht Pherma, like a Stove, 
by chufing yoijr Seat either higher or lower, you may 
enjoy either a pore remifs or more intenfe Degree of 
Sweating at PLaLre. The Sides of this Stove, \s well 
as thofe of the Bath, by the continual Exhalations of 
the hot Springs, ke cover’d with a red, white and green 
Subftance. 
Whilft I was bathing myfelf in the largeft of thefe 
Baths, a certain Fellow who was (hewing Tricks of Ac- 
tivity to the Men and Women that were then in the 
Bath, gave me a fatisfaflory Account concerning feve- 
9 M ral 
