Agricola, Georgius, De re metallica, 1912/1950

Table of figures

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              The importance of the bearing of the junctions of veins and stringers on enrichment is elabor­
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              ated upon, and veins of east-west strike lying upon a south slope are considered the best.
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              </s>
              <s>From the following notes it will be seen that two or three other types of deposits besides veins
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              are referred to.</s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>In describing silver veins, of peculiar interest is the mention of the association of bismuth
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              (
                <emph type="italics"/>
              wismuth
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              ), this being, we believe, the first mention of that metal, galena (
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              glantz
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              ), quartz (
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              quertz
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              ),
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              spar (
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              spar
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              ), hornstone (
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              hornstein
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              ), ironstone and pyrites (
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              kies
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              ), are mentioned as gangue
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              materials, “according to the mingling of the various vapours.” The term
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              glasertz
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              is used,
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              but it is difficult to say if silver glance is meant; if so, it is the first mention of this mineral.
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              </s>
              <s>So far as we know, this is the first use of any of the terms in print. </s>
              <s>Gold alluvial is described,
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              part of the gold being assumed as generated in the gravel. </s>
              <s>The best alluvial is in streams
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              running east and west. </s>
              <s>The association of gold with pyrites is mentioned, and the pyrites is
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              found “in some places as a complete stratum carried through horizontally, and is called a
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                <emph type="italics"/>
              schwebender gang.
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              ” This sort of occurrence is not considered very good “because the work
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              of the heavens can be but little completed on account of the unsuitability of the position.”
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              Gold pyrites that comes in veins is better. </s>
              <s>Tin is mentioned as found in alluvial, and also in
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              veins, the latter being better or worse, according to the amount of pyrites, although the latter
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              can be burned off. </s>
              <s>Tin-stone is found in masses, copper ore in schist and in veins sometimes
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              with pyrites. </s>
              <s>The ore from veins is better than schist. </s>
              <s>Iron ore is found in masses, and
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              sometimes in veins; the latter is the best. </s>
              <s>“The iron veins with good hanging-and foot­
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              walls are not to be despised, especially if their strike be from east to west, their dip to the
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              south, the foot-wall and outcrop to the north, then if the ironstone is followed down, the
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              vein usually reveals gold or other valuable ore”. </s>
              <s>Lead ore is found in
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              schwebenden gang
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              and
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              stehenden gang.
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              </s>
              <s> Quicksilver, like other ore, is sometimes found in brown earth, and
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              sometimes, again, in caves where it has run out like water. </s>
              <s>The classification of veins is the
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              same as in
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              De Re Metallica.
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                <emph type="sup"/>
              12
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              The book generally, however, seems to have raised Agricola's
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              opposition, for the quotations are given in order to be demolished.</s>
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            <p type="main">
              <s>
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              Probierbüchlein.
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              </s>
              <s> Agricola refers in the Preface of
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              De Re Metallica
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              to a work in German
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              on assaying and refining metals, and it is our belief that it was to some one of the little assay
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              books published early in the 16th century. </s>
              <s>There are several of them, seemingly revised
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              editions of each other; in the early ones no author's name appears, although among the
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              later editions various names appear on the title page. </s>
              <s>An examination of these little books
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              discloses the fact that their main contents are identical, for they are really collections of
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              recipes after the order of cookery books, and intended rather to refresh the memory of those </s>
            </p>
            <p type="caption">
              <s>
                <emph type="bold"/>
              Probier büch
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                <emph.end type="bold"/>
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              lein/auff Bold/Silber/tupffer/
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              vnd Sley/Unch allerlay Metall
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              wie mandie zů nus arbayten
                <expan abbr="vñ">vnm</expan>
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              Probierenſoll.</s>
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            <p type="caption">
              <s>
                <gap/>
                <expan abbr="llẽ">llem</expan>
              Müngmayſtern/Warbeytt/Bdt
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              werc
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              ern/Berc
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                <expan abbr="leuten/vñtauff">leuten/vnntauff</expan>
                <expan abbr="leütẽ">leütem</expan>
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                <gap/>
              er Metall zů nus mitgroſſem fleyhzů
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              ſamengebracht.
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                <figure id="fig4" number="309"/>
              </s>
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          </chap>
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