other on the Eaft. They each have a parallel direction,
at about a thoufand paces diftance, running from North
to South and inclofing the plain between them.
There are two other modern mines, but o n e ja f them
does not enter into the plain, and the other is fo low,
that it will be difficult to work for any time, as there is
no iffue for the water, neverthelefs the former miners
extrafled from hence the lead which was fold to the king
before his majefty took thofe mines into his hands, and
one may fee by their labours that they were exaft imitators
of their predeceffors the Moors, following their method,
and making the fame range o f ihafts in purfuit of
the vein on the hill, almoll as far as the village o f Linares.;
No mine o f the kingdom o f Jaen is found in calcareous.
rock, that o f lead abovementioned is in common
grey granite, at times fixty feet deep, at others only one ;
with every gradation between thefe extremes,, the itra.-
tum in which the ore is enveloped is generally clay,
though fometimes it runs through granite which puzzles
the miners, for want o f a regular method to follow it;
however they are right in general when they tell us that
Tegular veins have two- ftrata, one lying above called the
Toof, and the other underneath termed the floor, both,
together forming the trunk o f the vein, it being; thought
the roof ferves to. cheriih it, while the floor anfwers the
purpofe
purpofe of a bafis : in Jaen they fometimes find the ore
in fragments or mafles, for which no certain rules can
be given; it is fortunate to meet with thefe mafles, Don
Guillermo Bowles fays that one was found in his time,
fo remarkably rich that in four or five years it yielded an
extraordinary quantity o f lead, in a fpace about fixty
feet broad and as many in length ; adding that though he
did not recolleft the exafl number o f quintals, he could
aver that more lead was obtained from that lingle place,
than from the mines of Freyberg in Saxony, or thofe of
Clonfthal in the mountain o f Hartz, in the courfe of
twelve years. It is a true Gahna[a), of a large grain,
yielding from 60 to 80 lb. of lead per quintal, and they
fufe it in the open air for want o f a laboratory at Linares.
The firft ufe made o f the lead is to run it into fhot of
all fizes for fportfmen, which is fold every where in
Spain for the king’s account. The potters are next
fupplied, who ufe it to varnifh their wares, another
part is pulverized for writing fand, the remainder is
font to France and fold at the fair o f Beaucaire : though
it is a Galena, as it only contains three quarters o f an
ounce o f filver per quintal, it is not worth while to co-
pel it.
(a) Galena is the name of a lead ore conhfting o f cubic particles, and fometimes teflallated.
It is the moft common ore o f lead, if the cubes are large the mineral is richeft, and when
fmall and grey, contains a little Elver, but in fuch fmall quantities, as not to be worthy o f
notice.