1798] 
‘The only tin mines that are worked are 
in Gallicia. The ore is in cryftals run- 
ning through a bed of granite. One of 
theie cryftals was found which weighed 
twenty-five pounds. 
The lead mines have been worked with 
great Ciligence ever fince the expulfion of 
the Moors. The potters procure from 
them compact galena, called by. them 
alcohol. The lead cre of Linares, which 
is the richeit, lies in a bed of granite. 
The exploitation of iron mines is chiefly 
carried on in the province of Biicay. 
Antimony is found in Cailile and in 
Gallicia. ; 
Fiftv years ago a rich vein of cobalt 
was found in the valley of Gifiatz, im the 
Pyrenees, and yielded a large quantity 
of metal, which was jent into Swabia. 
In 1780, the author of this memoir 
worked a vein of fteel-grained cobalt ore, 
and in a fhort time collected upwards of 
300 quintals. A manufacture of fimalt 
was in conlequence eftabiifhed at Banneras 
de Lucho, which was foon given up. 
At Serveto, in the fame neighbour- 
hood, there is a brine-{pring and a pit of 
rock-{falt. 
Independently of the Pyrenees, there 
are four diftin&t chains of mountains in 
the kingdom of Spain; namely, the Saz- 
tillanas, which arife in Gallicia, 
ftretch acro{s the province of Leon as far 
as Caftile and Navarre; the Urbans, 
which, running fucceflively along Eftre- 
madura, Leon, and New and Old Cattile, 
terminate in Arragon; the Sierra Morena 
chain, which takes its rife in Portugal, 
and ftretches between Eitremadura and 
Andalutia; and laftly, the Granada ridge. 
Of ail thefe, the Szerra Morena moun- 
tains are by far the richeft m minerals. 
On their fouthern fide there are entire hills 
of a fine pudding-ftone mixed with a red 
mari. 
A perfon of the name of Ferreti took 
up an ancient copper mine, formerly 
worked by the Romans, near the town of 
Molina, in the kingdom ot Arragon, 
‘The gangue was a eompatt limeftone. 
He one day broke into large vaults which 
might have been the refidence of the flaves 
employed in the works. The roof was 
entirely lined with malachite and cryftals 
of azure. Twenty quintals were collected 
pn the {pot, and were principally fold in 
pieces. 
Below Azxuago, there are coal mines 
which fupply the furnaces at Almaden. 
There is a {pring near Aranjuez which 
gentains Glauber’s lalt; andin the Dutchy 
Mines of Spain. 
and | 
32% 
of Minazeli the mountain is almoft en- 
tirely compofed of rock fait. as 
Mott of the provinces in Spain contain 
beds of coal, but they are no where 
worked except in Catalonia. 
The Granada mountains abound with 
beautiful maffes of native fulphur. AIL 
the heights in the neighbourhood of Ca- 
diz are full of fwine-ftone, mixed with 
native fulphur; but it is not permitted to 
build upon them, as all the fulphur, falt, 
and lead, are fold on the king’s account., 
At Alcanis, in Arragon, there are ma~ 
nufactories of alum and fulphate of iron. 
In the bifhopric of Owiedo there 1s a 
great quantity of agate wrought inte but- 
tons. ; 
Calamine is extracted near Alcaras. 
At Villa Deprado ‘the ancient. galleries 
are ftill purfued, and they yield terrugis 
nous garnets and emery. 
On the whole, we may look upon Spats 
to be a country abundantly favoured by 
nature with mineral! riches, but they have 
been hitherto much negleéted. ah 
The annual produtt is as follows :-= 
16,000 quintals of mercury. 
q a 

250 of coppers. i 
3,100 ———— of lead. 
175,000 of iron. 
25,000 of vitriol (fulphate of iron.) 
14,000 — of alum. 
750 — of fulphur. 

Mines of gold and filver yet remain to 
be worked ; many veins are found in Ef 
tremadura, and among the mountains of 
Sierra Morena. 
The fecond part of this memoir treats 
of the quickfilver mines of Almaden.. It 
is proved from the teftimony of Pliny, 
that they have been worked ter upwards 
of 2287 years, and furnifhed the ver- 
million that was fent to Rome in form 
of powder, ‘The country around the 
town of Almaden principally confits of a 
grey argillaceous fchift, mixed with white 
calcareous particles, and with black bi- 
tuminous fchift. There are feven prin- 
cipal veins which crofs this argillaceous 
{chift ; their breadth is from two to three 
toifes, and they are compofed of quartz 
rich incinnabar. Thefe veins fometimes 
approach and crofs each other, fometimes 
they are cut by a flip of the above-men- 
tioned bituminous fchift. They dip to a 
very confiderable depth, and as yet they 
have only been followed as low as 108 
lachts (fathoms). : 
At fome leagues diftance from Alma- 
den there are three other eftablifhments 
for the extraction of mereury from the 
« ; Ore) 
