MINES OF SCHEMNITZ. 383 
information; and kindly invited us to ac- chap. 
V 
company him upon his visit to the Mines of ^ - . 
Cremnitz. Being told that we had recently 
returned from an expedition thither, he men- 
tioned several things concerning those mines, 
which added to our stock of information. We 
then set out for the JVind-schadt Mine, one of "y"*!- 
schadt 
the most considerable in the neighbourhood ^i'"^- 
of the town. In our way thither, the Count de 
Sporck informed us that there are 42,000 in- 
habitants in the environs of Schemnitz, almost Papula- 
tion. 
all of whom are employed in the mines. This 
estimate rather exceeded the account given 
of their population by the persons resident in 
Schemnitz, who affirm that there are within 
the town 25,000 inhabitants, and about the 
same number of individuals employed in work- 
ing the mines situate in the environs. Both 
males and females begin to labour so early as 
six or seven years of age, and continue the 
employment until they die. Upon our arrival 
at Wi7id-schadt, we entered the mine by a level 
floored the whole way with planks, and so 
spacious, that three persons, with ease, might 
walk abreast of each other. The entrance 
to the mine was adorned with garlands, in 
honour of the tivo Princes; and a discharge 
of artillery announced the moment of their 
