. A U S T R I A N D OM lN r a , - N S. -
T h e mineralogy o f the Auftriari dominions being tw far-the m o ft.
various and inttei]éfting o f apfy in Europe, It yyill be proper to cp'nftder it
with fome attention., T h e re is fcarcely a province o f this - extenfive
territory, from the -frontiers o f Swifferland to t-hofe of T u rk ey , which
c an n o ti^o afto f advantages in the. m ineral kingdom ; and as it were by
a deftihy attached to the houfe o f A uftria, even the acquisitions in? Poland
contain one o f th e moft remarkable mines, in Europe, the faline
excavations o f Wielitfka. T o begin on the N. W . and afterwards p u r-
fue the defcription towards the S. and E., th e mines o f Bohemia have-,
been celebrated from ancient times.11 Silver is found at Kuttenberg,.
and at Joachinfth'al, on the weftern frontier towards Saxony,, probably
a'continuation o f the. .veins o f that country : this mine was. difcoyered
in 1516, and nex t year were ftruck from it the crowns o f Joachim J
O th e r places o f this province alfo produce this precious m e ta l: a n d
gold has been difcovered at Keonftock. Gne o f the moft fmgular p ro -
dhbts of this province is tin, which is found at Zinwald (that is the tin
foreft), alfo on the fro n tie r. o f Saxony,, near Krauppen, at Schlacken-
wald or. Slauka, a few miles to the N. o f Carlfbad, and at Lauterbach
and Schoenfeld in the fame diftridt; fo th a t this metal is reftridted to
th e weftern part o f B o h em ia : where is alfo found, at Dreyhacken, a
mine o f very pure copper. L e a d . occurs- at Bleyftadt, or. P leyftadt, in,
the fame q u a rte r; and Büfching reckons quickfilver among,the p ro -
dudts of-Bohemia, along with iron, magnet, alum, fulphur, vitriol, te rra
figillata-, talc, and coal. But th e precious ftonès which he mentions
feem to be only coloured cryftals. T h e garnets o f Bohemia are h ow ever
among the moft beautiful o f the kind. T h ey are. chiefly found in.
clay, mingled with mica, at M e ro n itz jn th e 'rnpuhtam o f Stiefëlberg,^
whence th e y are carried to Bilen.*3 There,-;are other mines o f garnets,
in -the fame region, on the weft o f th e .highway leading from Prague to
Drefden, where th ey are found w ith balls o f bafalt formed, o f .concentric
layers, and fome jacinths, and chryfolites. The. women wafh the
clay in which the garnets are found ; after which th e y are lifted an d
arranged according to fize ;. and fold by the pound weight from about
three to ten {hillings. M an y workmen are occupied in cutting and:
~f* jBnfcliing, vo1.,tu. 326. French edit. 8vo,. ■ "' !
CH A P . Ü N A T U R A L G E O G R A P H Y . 373
piercing them, for necklaces,’and other ornaments : they are polilhed Mineralo-
iri facettes,- w ith emery on a piece o f freeftone, and pierced with a
fih a ll} diamond. T h is branch o f conmiefo'eris o f great antiquity 'at
Carlfbad, and at Walkirk in Suabia, where twenty-eight mills:are-.occu-
pied in this article
... N o r is Mbravia deftitute o f minerategic advantage's, producing not
only iron in -great abuhdange,|butjdupa, fu lp h u r,'an d faltpetre. Gold-
\iyak formerly found in th e ,^i.|hribjs,©4p ^ qQ y q 'O ti^ n a iil; .^fidifdver was
lately w orked in that vof ftglaup froth o h -the; qqnfiires-of Auftria.14
*^'§TheTertile;'arbhduehy p f A uftria d ifp la y s fhw ’minerals, Ithough-there'
be -mipes ,of g o ld , n e ar the ahbey>^loettwig;:!and o f almp near Kremsttc
.faltpetre .is however prepared- in abunkd a i a . e e | $ f a * little di'ftance from
St. A n n a b e l - n e a r the frontiers?offSririai, 'anrieh ;minecg%£ilver .ivas:-
fbppned,-,m 17.54?, -T h eT e h tb e ra .p rd v ih e q s pfrStiria,- Carinthia,. and- .
Chrnio%y afford many important minerals, .nTherirbnrof Stiri'aTupplies
th e fineft fteel, and great quantities are imported-into England : it l s \ . .
ehUfly found at Eifenerft and Vorderberg ; the .former, r ^ ^ t d i f t r i d t *
©f Enfthal, To called' from t|i'e rivpt; EnV, were dif£o|»ered in the y e ar
’ L712 ; an d the\>thers*are in thejtfame q u a r te r ? ^ , Thefe are^conft’derahle
lead mines near Pegau on the riv e r M o h r, yielding about 5000. tp e fr j®
yparly,.; (a n d ,a t k ey rin g were ftlver u n d e r iw a te rrli^ e »the y e ar *
x j ^8. Stiria alfo affords coal- at different places ;\ not.to mention minerals
o f mere beauty or curiofity, among which may perhaps bemamed
the fmgular blue granite, which according to fome is: found at Kruglah,.
©r Krigloch, about tw en ty miles to the E - o f Bruch-.: but others fay
near Villach, in Carinthia. Mr. Kirwanfr obferves-that the felfite, o r
blue felfpar-, w h ich conftitutesithis granite,, was. lately, difcovered near
Krieglach in Stiria by Mr. W id e nm an ;. though in another place'7 he
call it the blue'granite o f Carinthia- • This .-beautiful mineral' may however
be. th e production, o f b o th .countries.,
On .the E. of Stiria extends, the duchy o f Carinthia, alfo yielding excellent
iron, the mines o f Friefach on the N.' being particularly fam o u s,.
as well as thofe near the fources' o f the Lyfer. In the, neighbourhood;
f Hutching,. va.>42Q»> 16 MinsraL i. 326.
,s ' P- JT*
■’^P- 339» I