_Mercury_ is this: They take of the Earth, brought up in Buckets, and put it into a Sive, whose bottom is made of wires at so great a distance, that you may put your finger betwixt them: 'tis carried to a stream of running water, and wash'd as long as any thing will pass through the Sive. That Earth which passeth not, is laid aside upon another heap: that which passeth, reserved in the hole, G. in Fig. 1. and taken up again by the second Man, and so on, to about ten or twelve sives proportionably less. It often happens in the first hole, where the second Man takes up his {23} Earth, that there is _Mercury_ at the bottom; but towards the farther end, where the Intervals of the wires are less, 'tis found in very great proportion. The Earth laid aside is pounded, and the same operation repeated. The fine small Earth, that remains after this, and out of which they can wash no more _Mercury_, is put into Iron retorts and stopt, because it should not fall into the Receivers, to which they are luted. The fire forces the _Mercury_ into the Receivers: the Officer unluted several of them to shew us; I observed in all of them, that he first poured out perfect _Mercury_, and after that came a black dust, which being wetted with water discover'd it self to be _Mercury_, as the other was. They take the _Caput mortuum_ and pound it, and renew the operation as long as they can get any _Mercury_ out of it. This is the way of producing the _Mercury_, they call _Ordinary_, which exceeds that, which is got by washing, in a very great proportion, as you will perceive by the account annext. All the _Mercury_ got without the use of Fire, whether by washing, or found in the Mines (for in the digging, some little particles get together, so that in some places you might take up two or three spoonfuls of pure _Mercury_) is call'd by them _Virgin Mercury_, and esteem'd above the rest. I inquir'd of the Officer what vertue that had more, than the other; he told me that making an _Amalgama_ of Gold and _Virgin Mercury_, and putting it to the fire, that _Mercury_ would carry away all the Gold with it, which common _Mercury_ would not do. The Engins, employed in these Mines, are admirable; the Wheels, the greatest that ever I saw in my life; one would think as great as the matter would bear: all moved by the dead force of the water, brought thither in no chargeable Aqueduct from a Mountain, 3 Miles distant: the water pumpt from the bottom of the Mine by 52 pumps, 26 on a side, is contrived to move other wheels, for several other purposes. The Labourers work for a _Julio_ a day, which is not above 6 or 7 pence, and indure not long; for, although none stay {24} underground above 6 hours; all of them in time (some later, some sooner) become _paralitick_, and dye _hectick_.