174? MERCURY. 
The most productive mines of cinnabar are in the 
palatinate of Germany, at Idria in Carniola, and at Al- 
maderi in Spain. Those of Idria are supposed to be 
more valuable than any of the others. Their first dis- 
covery, which was somewhat more than three hundred 
years ago, was made in a very extraordinary manner. 
This part of the country was then much inhabited by 
coopers ; and one of the men, on retiring from work in 
the evening, placed a new tub under a dropping spring, 
to try if it would hold water ; and, when he came in the 
morning, he found it so heavy that he could scarcely 
move it. Examining into the cause of this extraordi- 
nary circumstance, the man observed that it was owing 
to a shining and ponderous fluid which was at the bot- 
tom. The affair was noised abroad, and a society of 
persons was formed to search further, and discover the 
mine from which this quicksilver had flowed. Such 
was their success that the reigning Duke of Austria paid 
them a compensation for the discovery, and took the 
mine into his own possession. The greatest perpendi- 
cular depth of this mine is now more than 830 feet. It 
is descended by buckets, or by ladders placed obliquely 
in a zigzag direction. In some parts of the mine the 
pure metal flows in small streams, so that in six hours a 
man has been known to collect more than thirty-six 
pounds weight of it. In other parts it is found in a 
multitude of little drops, either in ores or in clay. The 
whole produce of the mine is said to exceed a hundred 
tons weight of mercury per annum. 
It has been asserted that, several years ago, in dig- 
ging out clay for the foundation of a house opposite to 
the King's Arms inn, in the street called Hyde-hill, in 
Berwick-upon-Tweed, a quantity of native mercury was 
discovered. The clay, when dug out, lay for some time 
in the place to which it was conveyed ; and the mercury 
was observed to exude from the small fissures or cracks 
that were formed as it dried, It is said that, several 
years afterwards, in making some alteration in the yard 
of the same house, the workmen penetrated into the 
