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206 REGNARD’sS JOURNEY TO LAPLAND.
the poets have placed in the centre of the earth, where fhe preferves her treafures,
In thefe galleries men of all countries are conftantly to be found, who labour hard to
find that, which gives fo much delight to the reft of mankind. Some draw carriages 5
fome roll ftones; forne are dividing rocks; and every one has his different employ-
ment. Itis a town below another town: here are taverns, houfes, ftables, and horfes ;
and what is moft aftonifhing of all is a wind-mill, which goes continually in this cavern,
and which is employed in raifing the water. We re-afcend by the fame machine in
which we defcended, in order to fee the various operations nectflary to make filver.
The firft tones which are drawn from the mine are called //7qf, and are placed in a fur-
nace to dry, which burns flowly, and feparates the antimony, arfenic, and fulphur from
the ftone, the lead, and the filver, which remain together. This firft operation is fol-
lowed by a fecond, when thefe dried {tones are thrown into troughs, where they are
piled up and reduced to powder, by means of large hammers wrought by water. This
powder is depofited in water, which runs conftantly upon a plank placed in a flopin
direction, and which carrying off the groffer particles, leaves the filver andthe lead be-
hind at the bottom on a cloth. ‘The third operation feparates the filver from the lead,
which falls to the bottom in drofs ; and the fourth ferves at length to bring it to per-
fection, and to put it ina condition fit for the hammer. One would not fuppofe that fo
many operations were neceflary to produce a metal which is only an excrement of the
earth. ‘he Spaniards at Potofi do not give themfelves the trouble of performing all
thefe operations in order to purify their filver, as they have difcovered the method of
cleaning it with quickfilver, which being an enemy of all the other metals, which it de-
ftroys, except filver and gold, it feparates them of all their grofler and earthy matter, in
order to unite itfelf entirely to them. Mercury is found in this mine; and this metal,
though fome refufe it the appellation becaufe it is not malleable, is perhaps one of the
rareft productions of nature; for being liquid and flowing of itfelf, it is the heavielt
body in the world ; and it changes to the lighteft, and is refolved into vapour, which,
encountering a folid fubftance, or a cold atmofphere, immediately becomes thick, and
reaflumes it former form, without any poflibility of ever being deftroyed. The perfon
who conduétted us in the mines afterwards fhewed us in her pofleflion,a number of
curious {tones which the collected from all quarters ; among others a large piece of
that foft flone, which inftead of being confumed by the fire, aflumes a white colour,
and which the Romans employed to burn the bodies of their dead. She had found it
in this mine, and prefented each of us with a fmail piece of it. We left this little town
the fame day to go to Upfal, where we arrived early next morning.
This is the moft confiderable town of all Sweden, both on account of its univerfity
and its fituation; it is to this place, that all thofe who intend entering into holy orders
are fent, from which profefiion, all the Swedifh nobility are excluded ; for, it is the
policy of this country, left the number of nobles fhould be diminifhed, to employ them
more ufefully otherwife. We faw the library, which contains nothing worthy of notice,
except the codex argenteus manu{cript, written in Gothic letters of filver, by a bifhop
called Ulphila, in Mefia, about the year 370, found at the deftruction of the city of
Prague, and brought away by Count Koningfmark, who made a prefent of it to Queen
Chriltina. We went- afterwards to the church, where we faw the tomb of Saint Eric,
King of Sweden, who was beheaded, ‘They gave us his head and his bones to touch,
which are wholly preferved in a box of filver. We faw in a large chapel behind the
quire, the tomb of Gultavus the Firft, and his two wives, one of whom had in her hand
a whip, on account of her cruelty. They fhewed us in the veftry, an ancient idol
called Thor, which the Swedes adored, and a very beautiful communion-cup, which
was
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