Agricola, Georgius, De re metallica, 1912/1950

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            <p type="main">
              <s>
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              other sand, and scattered far and wide in different directions, or they
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              sink down into the depths of the sea. </s>
              <s>For the same reasons, the sands of
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              lakes can very rarely be washed successfully, even though the streams rising
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              from the mountains pour their whole volume of water into them. </s>
              <s>The
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              particles of metals and gems from the springs are very rarely carried into the
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              marshes, which are generally in level and open places. </s>
              <s>Therefore, the
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              miner, in the first place, washes the sand of the spring, then of the stream
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              which flows from it, then finally, that of the river into which the stream
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              discharges. </s>
              <s>It is not worth the trouble to wash the sands of a large
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              river which is on a level plain at a distance from the mountains. </s>
              <s>Where
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              several springs carrying metals discharge their waters into one river, there
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              is more hope of productive results from washing. </s>
              <s>The miner does not
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              neglect even the sands of the streams in which excavated ores have been
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              washed.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>The waters of springs taste according to the juice they contain, and
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              they differ greatly in this respect. </s>
              <s>There are six kinds of these tastes which
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              the worker
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              14
                <emph.end type="sup"/>
              especially observes and examines; there is the salty kind,
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              which shows that salt may be obtained by evaporation; the nitrous, which
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              indicates soda; the aluminous kind, which indicates alum; the vitrioline,
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              which indicates vitriol; the sulphurous kind, which indicates sulphur;
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              and as for the bituminous juice, out of which bitumen is melted down, the
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              colour itself proclaims it to the worker who is evaporating it. </s>
              <s>The sea­
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              water however, is similar to that of salt springs, and may be drawn into
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              low-lying pits, and, evaporated by the heat of the sun, changes of
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              itself into salt; similarly the water of some salt-lakes turns to salt when dried
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              by the heat of summer. </s>
              <s>Therefore an industrious and diligent man observes
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              and makes use of these things and thus contributes something to the
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              common welfare.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>The strength of the sea condenses the liquid bitumen which flows into
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              it from hidden springs, into amber and jet, as I have described already in
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              my books “
                <emph type="italics"/>
              De Subterraneorum Ortu et Causis
                <emph.end type="italics"/>
              ”
                <emph type="sup"/>
              15
                <emph.end type="sup"/>
              . </s>
              <s>The sea, with certain
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              </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
        </body>
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