KONGSBERG, a town of Norway, belonging to
Denmark, and celebrated for its silver mines, whose
produce has been considerably exaggerated by most of
the travellers that have published on this subject. The
town, which stretches on both sides the river Lowe,
contains about 1000 houses, and including the miners
6000 inhabitants. The mines, which lie about two
miles from the town, were first discovered and worked
during the reign of Christian IV.; and of their present
state the following account is given by Mr Coxe*.
There are 36 mines now working; the deepest where-
of, called Segen-Gottes in der North, is 652 feet perpen-
dicular. The matrix of the ore is the saxum of Lin-
naeus. The silver is extracted according to the usual
process, either by smelting the ore with lead or by
pounding. The pure silver is occasionally found in
small grains and in small pieces of different sizes, fel-
dom weighing more than four or five pounds. Some-
times, indeed, but extremely rare, masses of a con-
siderable bulk have been discovered; and one in par-
ticular which weighed 409 marks, and was worth 3000
six-dollars, or 600l. This piece is still preserved in
the cabinet of curiosities at Copenhagen. Formerly
these mines produced annually 350,000 rixdollars, or
70,000l.; and in 1769, even 79,000l.; at present they
seldom yield above from 44,000l. to 50,000l. Formerly
above 4000 men were necessary for working the
mines, smelting and preparing the ore; but a few
years ago 2400 miners were removed to the cobalt
works lately established at Fossum, and to other mines;
and the number is now reduced to 2500. By these
and other reductions, the expence, which was before
estimated at 5760l. per month, now amounts to only
4400l. or about 52,800l. per annum. Yet even with
this diminution the expences generally equal, and some-
times exceed the profits. Government, therefore, draws
no other advantages from these mines, than by giving
employment to so many persons, who would otherwise
be incapable of gaining their livelihood, and by re-
ceiving a certain quantity of specie, which is much
wanted in the present exhausted state of the finances in
Denmark. For such is the deficiency of specie, that
even at Kœnigsberg itself change for a bank note is
with difficulty obtained. The miners are paid in small
bank notes, and the whole expences are defrayed in
paper currency. The value of 13,000 rixdollars, or
2600l. in block silver is annually sent to Copenhagen;
the remainder of the ore is coined in the mint at
Kœnigsberg, and transferred to Copenhagen. The
largest piece of money now struck at Kœnigsberg is only
eight skillings or fourpence.