talum, which has hitherto heen found no where else, except in a single
specimen from America, which was analysed by Mr. Hatchett, the
original discoverer of this metal, to which he gave the name ofcolum-
bium. Cobalt, nickel, molybdenum, manganese, and cerium, were
originally discovered to be peculiar metals in Sweden. Of these the
most abundant and valuable in that kingdom is cobalt, which occurs in
the mine of Tunaberg, and in some mines in Westmanland, and probably
also in Nerike. Nickel is a very scarce metal, and has been very
rarely found in Sweden. The same observation applies to the manganese
o f Sweden which is rather scarce. I have enumerated several
localities in the preceding part of this work. As to molybdenum and
cerium they are likewise scarce; but as they have not hitherto been
applied to any useful purpose, little attention has been paid to ascertain
their localities. The same observations apply to titanium and tungsten.
Arsenic occurs as usual united to other metals, especially to cobalt;
but it is not applied to any useful purpose. Neither is zinc, which is
found along with the ores of lead, and sometimes mixed with magnetic
iron ore, as in the mine o f Dannemora. Tin has only been found in
the state of minute crystals at Fahlun, and of course can be considered
only as a curiosity. Mercury is equally uncommon. It was found in
the state of amalgam of silver in the lead mine of Sala. The same observation
applies to antimony, which likewise occurs in the mine of
Sala occasionally in a metallic state. Gold has only been found in the
gold mine o f Adelfors in Smoland. Silver has been occasionally found
native, and it is always mixed, in a greater or smaller amount, with
galena.
The only metals which occur in any considerable quantity in Sweden
and the ores of which are worth working, are lead, copper, and iron.
Lead is the scarcest of the three; though there are several mines o f it
wrought in Sweden, the most important of which is the mine of Sala.
Copper is more abundant. The great depot o f copper in Sweden is
Dalecarlia. But several other places where it occurs have, likewise
been mentioned in the preceding work. The ore o f this metal which
usually occurs in Sweden is copper pyrites.
But iron is the metal in which Sweden is peculiarly rich, and which
may in fact be considered as its staple article. Ores o f iron occur in
every country, and in every formation. But. from the example of
Sweden it would seem that the best ores occur chiefly in the primitive
classes of rocks. The worst ores o f iron are the bog ores. These are
very common in France; but they yield bad iron. Clay ironstone,
which is the ore chiefly wrought in Great Britain, yields good iron ;
though probably inferior in quality to the ore furnished by the magnetic
ironstone, employed in Sweden. To give the reader an accurate
idea o f the number o f iron mines and forges in Sweden, I insert the
following table.
Counties.
Iron mines.
I Produce of
the ore in
Skeppunds.
Smelting
furnaces.
For-ges.
Privileged iron works till
the 15th June, 1803.
Total proIron
bars, in duce in iron.
Skeppunds.
Coarse iron
utensils, in
Skeppunds,
Vesterbotten........ ? 2 2000 4 7 2595 2595 N orbotten............ 5
Wester Norrland. . . . 5 15 9539 1469 11008
2 9 22 12134 1469 13603
6 5751 6 5 10970 10970
Upsala . . . . ............... 19 72940 I 13 9 24646 1585 26231
Vesteros . . . . . . . . . . . 17 100516 pH 49 42339 1077 43416
Nykoping................... 12 81482 8 22 12854 . 1946 14800
Örebro..................... .. 55 164431 82 64 53548 5167 58715
Carlstad ................... 35 126818 35 69 66214 1974 68188
Stora Kopparberg .. 2 0 146000 72 56 32712 4932 37644
Gefleborg................... 6 21168 30 . 47 43365 905 44270
277
Linköping................. 3 3000 13 1 25 13693 1906 15599
Kalmare ................... 10 13 6505 6505
Ibnkoping................. 1 8000 14 11 4775 517 5292
13
2
Elfsborg............. 10 5289 3949 9238
Gotaland.......... 4 ' 52 78 39671 6807 46478
176 338 421 338453 25862 364315
New works since the
l:5th June, 1 8 0 3 ... 47257 19565 . 66822
Grand total .. 385710 45427 4 3 1 1 3 7
N. B. A skeppund is three hundred weight nearly.
3 F 2