Upon our arrival at Wielitika we repaired to the mouth:
of the mine Having fattened three feparate hammocks,
in a circle round the great rope that is employed in drawing
up the fait,, we feated ourfelves in a commodious manner,
and were let down gently without the leaft apprehen-
fion of danger, about 160 yards below the firft layer of
fait. Quitting our hammocks, we patted a long and gradual
defcent, fometimes through broad- pafiages or galleries
capable of admitting feveral carriages abreaft; fometimes,
down fteps cut in the folid fait, which had the grandeur and,
eommodibufnefs of the ftair-cafe in a palace. We each of
us carried a light, and leVeral guides, preceded us with lamps
in their hands.: the refledtion of theie lights upon the
glittering, ttdes of the mine was extremely beautiful, but'
did not caft that luminous fplendour, which fome; writers
have compared to the luftre of precious ftones.
The fait dug from this mine is called Ziebna or Green
Salt, for what reafon I cannot determine; for. its colour,is
a.n iron grey when pounded it has a dirty afh colour like
what we call brown fait. The.quality of the fait improves-
in proportion to the depth of the mine: towards the ttdes
and furface it is mixed with earthy or ttony particles ;.; lower,
down it is faid to be perfedtly pure, and requires no other
procefs before it is ufed than to be pounded. The fineft of,
this grey fait, however, is of a weak quality when compared
with our common fea-falt: it is therefore undoubtedly
by no means perfedtly pure, but is blended with extraneous,
mixtures, though it ferves very well for common ,
purpofes. Being almoft as hard as ftone, the miners hew
it with pick-axes and hatchets, by a tedious operation, into
* There are two other openings, dow.n one. of which the rclincrs defccnd by Hairs,
dgwn the ojher by lattyiejs.
large.
la rg e b lo c k s , m a n y o f w h i c h w e i g h f ix o r f e v e n h u n d r e d c h a p .
pounds. Thefe large mattes are raifecl by a windlas, but the ' 1 >
fmaller pieces are carried up by horfes along a winding,
gallery, which reaches to the furface of the earth.
Befide grey fait, the miners fometimes difcover fmall,
cubes of white fait, as tranfparent as chryftal, but not in
any confiderable quantity; they find likgwife occafionally
pieces of coaLand petrified wood buried in the fait.
The mine appears to be inexhauftible, as will eafily be
conceived from the following account of its dimenfions. Its
known breadth is 1 I 1 5 feet; its length 6691 feet; and
depth 74 3 ; and the beft judges on the fpot fuppofe, with
the greateft appearance of probability, this folid body of fait
to branch into various diredlions, the extent of which cannot
be known : of that part which has been perforated, the
depth is only calculated as far as- they have hitherto d u g ;.
and who can afcertain how much farther it may defcend ?
Our guide did not omit pointing out to us, what he’ confi-
dered as one of the moft remarkable curiofities of the place,
feyeral fmall chapels excavated in the fait, in which mafs is -
faid on certain days of the year; one of thefe chapels is ■>
above 30 feet long and 25 broad; the altar, the crucifix,,
the ornaments of the church, the. ftatues of. feveral faints;.
are all carved out of the fait. .
Many of the excavations or chambers, from ,whence the ■
felt has been dug, are o f an immenfe fize ; ibme are fup-
ported with timber, others by vaft pillars of,fait, which are
lfeft Handing for that purpofe feveral of vail dimenfions are ■
without any fupport in the middle. I remarked one of this
fetter fprt in particular, which was certainly 80 feet in height,.
and fo extremely long and broad, as almoft.to appear amid .
the.-