in rotation; and ten centinels are continually stationed around the mine to defend it from the depredations of the peasantry. Several clerks are employed in an office built at the entrance to the mine, and the whole is under the direction of an Intendente or Inspector, who wears the uniform of an officer in the Spanish army; for the mine is the property of the crown, and is most rigidly guarded. Notwithstanding the rigour with which depredators are punished, the peasantry frequently attempt to deceive the vigilance of the guardians of the mine. When detected, the usual punishment for a peasant is, even on the first offence, two or three years labour among malefactors in some of the public works in the province. A soldier is however less severely punished when he commits a similar transgression; he is generally sentenced to a few days solitary confinement in a dungeon of the castle. On asking an overseer the reason of this disproportion in the punishment of different offenders, he replied, that the soldier's poverty was supposed to extenuate his crime, while the peasant of Catalonia enjoyed comparative wealth, and could afford to purchase salt for the consumption of his family.

Such is the boldness of the smugglers and the jealousy of the government, that it is dangerous to visit the mines without formal leave from the Intendente; as the centinels have orders to fire on any one seen loitering about them.

'The workmen here receive considerable wages, and are all free laboure:s; each man receives

daily twelve reals vellon, which at the rate of exchange last year equals three shillings sterling: lads are paid at the rate of eight reals, or two shillings; and boys receive six reals, or one shilling and sixpence.* The hours for work are from six in the morning to seven in the evening, (in summer); with the intervals of half an hour, between eight and nine o'clock, A. M. for breakfast, and two hours, from twelve to two, for dinner, and its usual sequel in Spain, the siester.

The produce of the mines is pulverized by grinding it in mills, on the exact construction of our common water mills. This ope ration reduces it into an excellent culinary salt of a snowy whiteness. In this state it is sold to the peasantry of the surrounding districts, at the rate of thirty reals vellon, or seven sh. six d. sterl. per fanega of five arrobas of Catalonia, which equal 116 pounds avoirdupois.

As there are no roads practicable for wheel carriages in this part of Catalonia, the salt is carried from Cardona on mules or asses; the only beasts of burden that could travel in safety the rugged defiles in which this district abounds. It seems a part of the perverse policy of the Spanish government to discourage the formation of proper roads,

*This may be considered as liberal wages where the necessaries of life, with the exception of bread, are cheap; at Cardona, mutton and beef costs 1 real vell. per 12 oz. Bread of the best quality costs 1 real vell. per 12 oz. Wine of the country (a very good red sort) is retailed at 6 quartos per bottle, or about two pence sterling.

lest

lest it should facilitate the operations of the smuggler.

It would not be difficult to connect Cardona, by means of a canal, with the ocean; and thus the valuable produce of its salt mines might increase the revenues of the crown, and the trade of Barcelona. The channels of the Cardonero and Lobregat always contain a large body of water, and might easily be rendered subservient to the purposes of inland navigation. augmenting the value of the mines of Cardona, such a plan by facilitating the intercourse with the interior of this fine province, would stimulate the exertions of a people who only require an equitable government to become highly industrious.

Besides

It yet remains that I offer a few remarks on the nature of the country around Cardona, as materials for its geology.

Its general appearance is mountainous. The mountains are abrupt, but generally wooded. The vallies are narrow, and, where the declivities will permit cultivation, they produce abundance of good grapes and some corn. In coming from Barcelona, the traveller leaves, at a small dis tance on the left, the majestic Montserrat; and gradually approaches a mountain chain proceeding from its northern extremity, which declines as it stretches towards Manresa. This chain consists of similar materials to Montserrat; viz. of vast beds of farcilite, composed of rounded masses of quartz, with angular pieces of siliceous slate, and fragments of clayslate united by a

basis containing calcareous earth. The fragments of this farcilite become smaller as we go northward, and at last bear a striking resemblance to coarse greywacké; to which formation I am inclined to assign the puddingstone of Montserrat, and the chain of which it forms a part.*

On descending the rugged mountains of puddingstone into the valley of the Lobregat, before coming to Manresa, we observe strata of a bluish grey rock with interposed layers of a softer material of the same colour, which crumbles into sandy clay by exposure to the weather. These strata have some resemblance to sandstone-flag; but an attentive consideration convinced me that they ought to be considered as stratified greywacké approaching to greywacké slate. Above these we again find the farcilite, which is the prevailing rock about Manresa. All the rocks hitherto mentioned effervesce slightly with acids; a circumstance which connects them in some measure with the extensive limestone country to the south-west of Montserrat ; and they all shew a tendency to split vertically into columnar

It may not be improper here to remark, that the common descriptions of Montserrat, are in several respects erroneous. It is not an insulated mountain, as generally represented; but is the highest point of a considerable chain. Its insular appearance, as seen from the high road between Igualada and Martorel, has deceived those who have never examined its north-eastern side. The touchstone men

tioned by Bowles and others, as entering into the composition of its puddingstone,

appears by its fracture to be only a dark

coloured common siliceous slate.

masses.

masses.

Beyond Manresa the farcilite occurs till the traveller crosses the ford of the Cardonero, when it is succeeded by a limestone of a dirty iron brown colour, and dull, almost earthy, fracture. Beyond the village of Suria, a sandstone, which slightly effervesces with acids, makes its appearance. This rock constitutes the sides of the valley which contain the fossil salt.

The immediate vicinity of the salt mines shews no other rock than a yellowish grey sandstone much charged with scales of mica.

We find thus that the salt rock of Cardona is accompanied by clay and sandstone, like our Cheshire salt formation. Limestone also is found near it; but the usual concomitant gypsum appears to be wanting, as well as foetid limestone. The great compactness and purity of this salt merits examination.

Though the country around Cardona is mountainous and rugged, it is inferior in elevation to the districts between it and the Mediterranean; as well as to those which bound it on the north. Immediately behind Cardona the mountains begin to ascend with increasing boldness until they unite with the grand chain of the Pyrenees.

I relinquish to others the difficult task of giving a probable explanation of the formation of rock salt; contented if my observations on the mine of Cardona can add any thing to the mass of facts which should guide us in the obscure but captivating speculations of geology.

VISIT TO THE MUMMY PITS.+

(From Legh's Travels)

The pits we had examined at Thebes were full of human munmies, but in no place had we yet seen any marks of those of crocodiles. With this intention we continued our voyage down the Nile and halted at Manfalout situated on the left bank of the river, for the purpose of making preparations for a journey to Amabdi. Our party consisted of my friend Mr. Smelt and an American of the name of Barthow, who had traded many years in the Red Sea, spoke Arabic extremely well, and whom we had engaged as a dragoman at Cairo, when we first began our travels in Upper Egypt. We took with us, be sides, an Abyssinian merchant, of the name of Fadlallah, and three of our boat's crew who were Barabras, whom we had brought with us from the Cataracts. Having provided ourselves with asses and torches, we crossed the ferry of Manfalout, at five in the morning of the 30th. March. We wandered about till nine o'clock in search of the village of Amabdi, near which we at length found four Arabs employed in cutting wood. They appeared at first unwilling to give us any information about the object of our search, and we observed them consulting together, and overheard them muttering something about danger, and thought we heard the expression, "If one must die,— all must die." This excited our suspicions, but did not deter us from proceeding, as we relied on

our

our number and strength to resist any act of treachery.

We were bent on going, and the Arabs at last undertook to be our guides for a reward of twentyfive piastres. After an hour's march in the desert, we arrived at the spot, which we found to be a pit or circular hole of ten feet in diameter, and about eighteen feet deep. We descended without difficulty, and the Arabs began to strip, and proposed to us to do the same: we partly followed their example, but kept on our trowsers and shirts. I had by me a brace of pocket pistols, which I concealed in my trowsers, to be prepared against any treacherous attempt of our guides. It was now decided that three of the four Arabs should go with us, while the other remained on the outside of the cavern. The Abyssinian merchant declined going any farther. The sailors remained also on the outside to take care of our clothes. We formed therefore a party of six; each was to be preceded by a guideour torches were lighted-one of the Arabs led the way-and I followed him.

We crept for seven or eight yards through an opening at the bottom of the pit, which was partly choked up with the drifted sand of the desert, and found ourselves in a large chamber about fifteen feet high.

This was probably the place into which the Greek, Demetrius, had penetrated, and here we observed what he had described, the fragments of the mummies of crocodiles. We saw also great numbers of bats flying about, and hanging from the roof of the chamber. Whilst holding up my VOL. LVIII.

torch to examine the vault, I accidentally scorched one of them. I mention this trivial circumstance, because afterwards it gave occasion to a most ridiculous, though to us very important discussion. So far the story of the Greek was true, and it remained only to explore the galleries where the Arabs had formerly taken refuge, and where, without doubt, were deposited the mummies we were searching for. We had all of us torches, and our guides insisted upon our placing ourselves in such a way, that an Arab was before each of us. Though there appeared something mysterious in this order of march, we did not. dispute with them, but proceeded. We now entered a low gallery, in which we continued for more than an hour, stooping or creeping as was necessary, and following its windings, till at last it opened into a large chamber, which, after some time, we recognized as the one we had first entered, and from which we had set out. Our conductors, however, denied that it was the same, but on our persisting in the assertion, agreed at last that it was, and confessed they had missed their way the first time, but if we would make another attempt they would undertake to conduct us to the mummies. Our curiosity was still unsatisfied; we had been wandering for more than an hour in low subterranean passages, and felt considerably fatigued by the irksomeness of the posture in which we had been obliged to move, and the heat of our torches in those narrow and low galleries. But the Arabs spoke so confidently of succeeding in this second trial, that we were induced once more 2Q

to

to attend them. We found the opening of the chamber which we now approached guarded by a trench of unknown depth, and wide enough to require a good leap. The first Arab jumped the ditch, and we all followed him. The passage we entered was extremely small, and so low in some places as to oblige us to crawl flat on the ground, and almost always on our hands and knees. The intricacies of its windings resembled a labyrinth, and it terminated at length in a chamber much smaller than that which we had left, but, like it, containing nothing to satisfy our curiosity. Our search hitherto had been fruitless, but the mummies might not be far distant, another effort, and we might still be successful.

The Arab whom I followed, and who led the way, now entered another gallery, and we all continued to move in the same manner as before, each preceded by a guide. We had not gone far before the heat became excessive ;for my own part I found my breathing extremely difficult, my head began to ache inost violently, and I had a most distressing sensation of fulness about the heart.

We felt we had gone too far, and yet were almost deprived of the power of returning. At this moment the torch of the first Arab went out: I was close to him, and saw him fall on his side; he uttered a groan-his legs were strongly convulsed, and I heard a rattling noise in his throat-he was dead. The Arab behind me, seeing the torch of his companion extinguished, and conceiving he had stumbled, past me, advanced to his assistance, and stooped. I

observed him appear faint, totter, and fall in a moment-he also was dead. The third Arab came forward, and made an effort to approach the bodies, but stopped short. We looked at each other in silent horror. The danger increased every instant; our torches burnt faintly; our breathing be came more difficult; our knees tottered under us, and we felt our strength nearly gone.

There was no time to be lostthe American, Barthow, cried to us to "take courage," and we began to move back as fast as we could. We heard the remaining Arab shouting after us, calling us Caffres, imploring our assistance, and upbraiding us with deserting him. But we were obliged to leave him to his fate, expecting every moment to share it with him. The windings of the passages through which we had come increased the difficulty of our escape; we might take a wrong turn, and never reach the great chamber we had first entered. Even supposing we took the shortest road, it was but too probable our strength would fail us before we arrived. We had each of us separately and unknown to one another observed attentively the different shapes of the stones which projected into the galleries we had passed, so that each had an imperfect clue to the labyrinth we had now to retrace. We compared notes, and only on one occasion had a dispute, the American differing from my friend and myself; in this dilemina we were determined by the majority, and fortunately were right. Exhausted with fatigue and terror, we reached the edge of the deep

trench