M U R I A. 
223 
whole extent of thete famous mines, there is not a tingle 
fpring of water. In the thaft or entrance called Lefzno, 
Auguftus III. caufed a winding ftair-cafe to be made of 
four hundred and feventy fteps, which coft forty thoufand 
Polifli florins in completing. It is by the (hafts or en¬ 
trances of the Danielowitz, that travellers defeend by 
means of ropes. On their arrival at the fir ft mine, they 
are ftruck with the grandeur, elegance, and regularity, of 
thecolumns and vaulted roofs : in many of thofe excava¬ 
tions are feveral little chapels and altars, cut out of the 
rock, that is to fay, the fait; and adorned with a crucifix, 
or the image of fome faint, before which a lamp is conti¬ 
nually burning. The chapel of St. Anthony is thirty 
feet high ; there are feveral very fpacious apartments in 
it; fome of them ferve as ftore-houfes for barrels of fait 
ready packed ; fome for the forage of the horfes, and 
others as ftables for thofe animals, about twenty or thirty, 
according to the demand for the article. In tome fpots 
where water has been, the tides and bottoms are covered 
with cryftallized pieces of fait, hanging over eac-h other 
in clufters of thoufands ; many of thofe pieces weigh half 
a pound and more, and form a brilliant fpebtacle where 
many torches are held near them ; but much lefs fo than 
many ancient enthufiaftic travellers have deferibed it. In 
the chapel of St. Cuneg'onda, there is a ftatue of Au¬ 
guftus III. entirely of ftdt. 
The air is particularly wholefome, although it is chiefly 
compofed of a nitrous gas,“which rites towards the roofs 
of the paflages, where it fometimes is fet on fire by the ap¬ 
proach of torches; it burns flowly, with a clear reddiih 
flame : the miners call it falctra. The number of perfons 
employed in the mines, is generally about (even hundred. 
No one paffes his life in them, although travellers have 
aflerted the contrary. Accidents but rarely happen : at 
certain diltances, large pillars of fait are left (landing to 
lupport the weight of the folid roof. In the year 1745, 
however, a coniiderable part fell in. Owing to negleft, 
the mines took fire in 1644, and in 1696, and continued 
to burn for a long time. 
In the two firft ftrata, the fait is found in huge un¬ 
formed mattes, from which pieces may be cut of three, 
four, and five, hundred cubic feet. The earths, of rocks, 
are of three forts : one is a marl, of a deep greyifti colour, 
moift and foft to the touch, fometimes intermixed with 
gypfum. In this marl is found the kind of fait called 
zielona, or green lalt; it takes this colour from a (mail 
portion of marl which it contains. Ainongft the different 
varieties of this fait, the Jpifa is diftinguifhed ; it is of a 
greyith colour: it is the common fait, the lodowuty or 
frozen fait, and the jarka or fandy fait. The fecond fort 
of earth is a rich undtuous foapy marl, which contains an 
infinity of (hells. The third kind of rock offers a mix¬ 
ture of impure fait with gypfum and pyrites ; in this 
mixture, called zuber, is found the falt-gem, orcryftals of 
fait, which are either regular cubes, or rectangular prifms. 
After thefe nefts of fait, frequently very irregular, there 
is generally found a bed of marl and lime before they 
arrive at the J'zybuhoica, or regular bed of foflil fait, the 
mod compaft and pure : thefe beds are alternately mixed 
with white clay, date, and gypfum; they run with a very 
little declination in a line from weft to eaft: they incline 
upwards towards the fouth principally, and confequently 
towards the Carpathian mountains. The layers or beds 
of fait are ftrongly undulated above ; while their bafe pre- 
fents a flat regular furface. The layers, whether of fait or 
earth, are often found interrupted by what the miners call 
coins. In the earth, and even in the body of the fait, are 
found pieces of a black fort of wood, which frequently 
refemble ftrong branches of trees. Monf. de Born cites 
an inftance of a piece of an elephant’s tuik having been 
taken out of the mine ; and he adds, that the jaw, teeth, 
and feveral bones, of the fame animal, have alto been found 
there. 
Pallas fpeaks of rock-falt in the neighbourhood of the 
River Jaik, which is fometimes fo hard astofnap the pick- 
axes made ufe of in quarrying it: he adds, that this fait is 
generally white; often as tranfparent and colourlefs as 
cryftal ; and that it readily breaks into cubic fragments. 
Heobferves that the fouthern parts of Ruflia, Siberia, and 
Grand JL artary, are as rich in common fait as any trad of 
land in the known world. Bruce mentions that in fome 
parts of Abytlinia cubic mafles of rock-falt pafs as cur¬ 
rent coin. 
3. .Muria impura, or muriat of alumine : fixed, decre¬ 
pitating in the fire, dry, producing fulphat of foda when 
faturated with fulphuric acid; mixed with various earths. 
Found in the Nevil Holt waters, and in the frit-pits of 
Saltfburg ; and is acoarler variety of the iaft from its being 
much mixed with gypfum, common mould, clay, and 
other earths : its tafte is aftringent. 
4. Muria febrifuga, or muriat of potaflr : fixed, decre¬ 
pitating in the fire,- forming muriat of potath with ful¬ 
phuric acid. Found in the environs of Madrid, and in 
fome mineral waters in Normandy : it has a difagreeable 
bitteriih tafte, and when diflolved and cryftallized forms 
cubes which are often irregular: it was formerly known 
in the (hops by the name of febrifuge or (ligejiive fait. 
Specific gravity 1-836 ; contains acid 31, potafh 61, water 8. 
5. Muria ammoniaca, muriat of ammoniac, or fal am¬ 
moniac : of an acrid pungent urinous tafte ; when heated, 
fubliming into a white fmoke ; rubbed with quicklime, 
exhaling an alkaline odour; its cryftals deliquefeing in 
the air. Found in coal-pits in various parts of Britain, 
but principally in the interior parts of Afia and Africa, 
and in the neighbourhood of volcanos ; rarely pure, white, 
and tranfparent, generally of a yellowifli-grey, apple- 
green, or brownith-black, colour : it diflolves in about 
three times its weight of water, and when flowly eva¬ 
porated forms flexible fpicules connected together like the 
web of a feather. Specific gravity 1-42; contains acid 
42-75, ammonia 25-00, water 32-25. 
6. Muria barytes, or muriat of barytes: fixed, decre¬ 
pitating in the fire, of an acrid aftringent tafte, precipi¬ 
tating fulphat of barytes when dropped into a weak wa¬ 
tery (olution of fulphuric acid. Found in fome mineral 
waters of Sweden ; and when evaporated forms four-fided 
prifms whole bafes are fquares, or tables. It is fometimes 
ufed in fcrofulous afteftions in dofes of from five to twenty 
drops ; but much precaution is necefiary in its exhibition, 
as, like all other barytic (alts, it is poifonous. 
7. Muria ftrontiana, or muriat of ftrontian : of a tharp 
penetrating tafte ; when heated undergoing a watery fu- 
fion, and afterwards becoming a white powder ; precipi¬ 
tated from its watery (olution by muriatic acid. Perhaps 
never found naturally combined, but is prepared by dif- 
folving carbonatof ftrontian in muriatic acid: its cryftals 
are long (lender fix-fided prifms, which are foluble in two 
parts of water, and alio in alcohol, to whole flame they 
give a purple tinge. 
8 . Muria calcarea, or muriat of lime: of a bitter tafte, 
fwelling and melting and lofing its water of cryftalliza- 
tion by heat, and after having been expofed to a violent 
heat Ihining in the dark. Found in mineral waters, but 
generally combined with common fea-falt, to which it 
gives a bitteriih tafte, and which it caufes to attraft moif- 
ture and melt fpeedily in the air: its cryftals are fix-tided 
ftriate prifms terminated by very (harp pyramids : its 
earth is precipitated by fulphuric acid. 
9. Muria magnefiata, or muriat of magnefia : of a very 
bitter tafte, foluble in its own weight of water, its latu- 
rated folution quickly forming a jelly on which if hot 
water be poured fpongy mafles are tormed. Found in 
fait and other mineral lprings, and abounds in the waters 
of the fea : its folution is precipitated by cauftic alkalies, 
and not vitibly by the fulphuric : it very fpeedily deli- 
quefces in the air, and when dried in a high temperature 
is very cauftic; fo much fo as to a£t upon iron, and in 
time to loften it. 
For 
