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REGNARD’S JOURNEY TO LAPLAND. 205
culty ; but when we began to re-afcend, the fulphur choaked us to fuch a degree, that it
was after inconceivable pain that we regained the firft defcent: we were obliged feveral
times to throw ourielves upon the earth, and our knees being unable to fupport us, we
were obliged to walk by the afliftance of our hands. We at length arrived, after dread-
ful exertions, at the mouth of the mine: here it was that we began to breathe, in the
fame manner as a foul drawn out of purgatory. A pitiable object now prefented itlelf
to our fight: they were carrying away one of thofe miferable wretches who had been
crufhed by a little ftone, which the fall from a great height had rendered dangerous.
Thefe poor people expofe their lives very lightly: they receive fixpence a day ; and
there are fix or feven hundred men conftantly employed in this place. I know not
whether we have more reafon to pity the lot of thefe wretches who work in this infernal
place, or to curfe the avarice of thofe men who, for the purpofe of gratifying their lux-
ury, tear out the bowels of the earth, confound the elements, and reverle the order of
nature. Boethius had good reafon to fay, {peaking of his own age,
** Heu! primus quis fuit ille
Auri, qui pondera teéti,
Gemmafque latere volentes,
Pretiofa pericula fodit ?”
And Pliny tells us that the Romans, who had more need of men than gold, would not
fuffer thofe mines to be opened which had béen difcovered in Italy. The Spaniards go
to Guinea for wretches whom they deftine to labour at their rock of Potofi; and there
are fome countries which fend thofe thither whofe crimes have merited death, and who
continue to dig their graves their whole lives.
In this mine of Coperberyt are found native fulphur, blue and green vitriol, and o¢ta-
drons ; the latter are curious {tones, natuarlly cut into an octagon fhape. We departed
from this place the fame day to vifit the filver mine at Salfberyt ; we arrived there next
day, which was Tuefday : its real name is Sala; and its fituation is one of the moft
pleafant inSweden. Next day we went to the mine which is a quarter of a mile diftant
from it: this mine has three large mouths, like pits, of which it is impoflible to fee the
bottom ; the half of a tub, fupported by a rope, is the only ftair which leads to this aby{s:
the water makes this machine move in a curious manner; it wheels about and turns
on both fides, for the purpofe of afcending and defcending. ‘The imminence of the
hazard can eafily be conceived ; you are half in a tub in which you have only one leg ;
a fatellite, black as a devil, with a flambeau in his hand, defcends along with you,
chaunting a mournful fong, made on purpofe for this defcent. ‘The mode of travelling
is pleafant enough ; but one can fcarcely be quite at eafe here, when one fees one’s felf
at the end of a rope, and remembers that one’s life depends entirely on its {trength, or
its weaknefs. When we had reached the middle we began to experience great cold,
which joined to the torrents which fell from all quarters, roufed.us from our lethargy.
We arrived at length, after half an hour’s journey, at the bottom of this abyfs : here
our fears began to dilperfe; weno more beheld any frightful objects: on the contrary,
every object fparkled in thefe fubterraneous regions ; and after having defcended {till
farther, lupported by extremely high ladders, we arrived at a faloon, which is at the
bottom of the mine, fupported by columns of this precious metal : four {pacious galle-
ries next appeared ; and the light of the fires which burned on all fides, and which
fparkled on the vaults of filver, and a clear rivulet which flowed by their fide, tended
Jefs to afford light to the workmen, than to render this the moft magnificent abode
which can well be imagined, and fomewhat like the enchanted palaces of Pluto, which
the
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