1810.] 
pieces may be cut of three, four, 
and five, hundred cubic feet. The 
earths or rocks, are of three sorts: one 
#s a marl, of a deep greyish colour, mist 
and solt to the touch, sometimes inter- 
mixed with gypsum,” In this marl 1s 
found the kind of salt catled zielona, or 
green salt; it takes this colour from a 
sinall portion of marl which. it contains, 
Am agst the different varieties of this 
salt ‘he spisa is distinguished; it 1s of a 
greyish colours it is the common salt, the 
lodowaty or frozen salt, and the jarka 
or sandy salt. The second sort of earth is 
a rich unctuous suapy marl, which con- 
tains an infinity of shells. The third 
nature .of the voce offers a mixture of 
impure salt, with gypsum and pyrites ; 
in this mixture caiicd zuber, is round the 
salt-gem or crystals of salt, which are 
either regular cubes, or. rectangular 
prisms. ' 
After these nests of salt, frequently 
very irregular, there is generally found a 
bed of marl and lime before they ar- 
rive at the szybakowa, or the regular bed 
of fossil salt, the most compact and 
pure: these beds are a.ternately mixed 
with white clay, slate, and gypsum; they 
run witha very litde declination in a line 
from west to east: they incline upwards 
towards the south -psincipally, and con. 
sequently towards the Carpathian moun- 
tains, The layers or beds of salt, are 
strongly undulated above; while their 
base presents a flat regular surface. ‘The 
layers, whether of salt or earth, are often 
found interrupted by what the miners 
call coins. In the earth, and even in 
the body of the salt, are found pieces 
of a black sort of ‘wood, which tre- 
quenuy resemble strong branches of 
trees. Mons. de Born cites an instance 
ofa piece of an elephant’s tusk having 
heen taken out of the mine; and headds, 
that al he jaw, teeth, and several bones of 
the same animal, have alsv been found 
there. ; 
To the north-west of Cracow is the 
town of Olkusz, now in a wretched state 
of decay, but formerly flourishing from 
ats mines. The strata follow in regular 
order: first, a marl; then a species of 
marble, slate, silver ore, with a little iron 
and calamine; and then the calcareous 
stone, The public accounts prove, that in 
1558, the royal uthe o! these miues 
Sinica to 1,225 marks, of eight ounces 
each; and to 1,858 guintals of lead; 
which may naturally be supposed to be 
Oue-tenth less than their real yalue, as 
_ copper, 
Account of the Salt-Mines in Upper Poland. 555 
the royal tithe was not levied with any. 
rigour. Adopting for our data however 
the most moderate valuation, the produce 
of the mine amounicd io 476,773. florins 
(Polish) of the then currency, or to 
1,907,100 florins of the present. It has 
frequently been in centemplation to 
resume the working, on aiibeis: and ad- 
vantageous plan. 
AL  Ligots is a mine of cajamine. 
The marbles of tne environs of Czarnowa 
are intersected with vejns of lead; there 
is acurious kind of mixture also found 
there: it is asort of white lead com- 
bined and embodied with the sand: 
this mineral yields in the proportion of 
fiity-four te the hundied .ot pure lead. 
The mines, the most common however 
in this part, are ef iron. At Drzeoica, 
from sixty to seventy guintals of iron 
are produced weekly trom a. mineral 
found ona sandy free-stone; in other 
parts, a sort of muddy iron ore abounds, 
as in the neighbourhood of Konskie, 
The iron of Breri near Wochoc, would 
be most excellent, if, owing to the 
want of care in its preparation, a cdnsi- 
derable portion of copper were not left 
init. A naturalist, on his travels, found 
at Miedziana Gora, /a piece of native i irOlbs 
it is_certain that in the same place are 
_ found pyrices of iron, azure-coloured cop- 
per, malachite, vitriol, and quicksilver : 
this last substance appeais to abound 
here. Itis evident, that this is the mine- 
ral of which the ancient authors speak, 
when they say, “The bishops of Cracow, 
ainong their other possessions, chiefly 
preter the city of Slawkow, on account 
of the celebrated silver.mines which are 
in its neighbourhoed.” 
But the riches of this interesting 
country do not alone consist in metals. 
Muli-stones of a superior quality are 
found at Mniow: and fine marbles, in 
many other places. At Cheucyn, a per- 
peadicniar vein of pyrites of copper, three 
ells wide, traverses a lull composed 
chiefly of marble: from this vein of cop= 
per, according toa Polish naturalist, is 
extracted lazulite; aud the Palatine 
Bidzinsky even offered to Pope Innocent 
IX. a table made of this precious sub- 
stauce. At Muiedzianka, thereisa green 
disseminated 16 smali vems 
througa the marble: near Ostrowice and 
Goria-Wola, the fields are covered with 
an efflorescence of vitriol and slum. 
Generaily speaking, the whole of this 
country appears to consist of rocks com- 
posed of small fragments, fancifully 
mixed 
a es ee 
