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 whereof called Segen-Gottes in der North, is 652 feet perpendicular. The matrix of the ore is the saxum of Linnaeus. 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, seldom weighing more than four or five pounds. Sometimes, indeed, but extremely rare, masses of a considerable bulk have been discovered; and one in particular which weighed 409 marks, and was worth 3000 rix-dollars, or 600l. This piece is still preserved in the cabinet of curiosities at Copenhagen. Formerly these mines produced annually 350,000 rix-dollars, or 70,000 l.; and in 1769, even 79,000l.; at present they seldom yield only from 50,000l. to 54,000l. 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 expense, 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 expenses generally equal, and sometimes exceed, the profits. Government, therefore, draws no other advantage from these mines, than by giving employment to so many persons, who would otherwise be incapable of gaining their livelihood, and by receiving 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 Kongberg itself change for a bank note is with difficulty obtained. The miners are paid in small bank notes, and the whole expenses are defrayed in paper currency. The value of 13,000 rix-dollars, or 2600l. in block silver is annually sent to Copenhagen; the remainder of the ore is coined in the mint of Kongberg, and transferred to Copenhagen. The largest piece of money now struck at Kongberg is only eight shillings or four pence.