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this dreary chamber, puts out his light as if by accident; and after a long time fumbling about, catches the franger by the hand and drags him through a ftrait paffage into the body of the Mine. The amazing ftructure and luftre of this place, is scarce to be imagined. It is an immenfe plain containing a whole people, a kind of fubterraneous republic, with their houses, carriages, and public roads. This is wholly hollowed out of one vaft bed of salt, which is all a hard rock, as bright and ghttering as cryftal; and the whole space before him is formed of lofty arched vaults, fupported by columns of the fame falt, and roofed and floored with the fame, fo that the columns, and indeed the whole fabric, feem compofed of the pureft crystal. They have many lights continually burning for the general ufe, and the blaze of these reflected from every part of the Mine, gives a more glittering profpect than any thing above ground.

Were this the whole beauty of the place, it were a miracle; but this is but a fmall part of it: the falt, though every where as clear and bright as cryfial, is in fome places coloured with all the colours of the precious flones, as yellow, purple, red, green and blue. There are multitudes of whole columns of all thefe kinds; and they perfectly look like malles of rubies, emeralds, amethyfts and fapphires, darting a radiance that the eye can hardly bear, and giving many people occafion to compare it to the fuppofed magnificence of heaven.

Befide the variety of forms of thefe vaults, tables, arches and columns, which are of the workmen's making, as they dig out the falt; for the keeping up the roof there are a vast variety of others of grotefque figures formed by nature, and thefe are ge nerally of the pureft and brightest falt of all. The roofs of the arches are in many places full of falt, hanging down in the form of icicles, which are as long and thick as a man's arm,' and of the colour and brightnefs of all the gems; and the walls' are covered with various congelations of the fame kind, and the very floors, where not too much trod, are covered with globules of the fame beautiful materials.

VOL. IX.

3 B

In

In various parts of this fpacious plain ftand the huts of the miners and their families, fome fingle, and others in clusters, making a fort of villages. They have very little communication with the world above ground; and many hundreds of perfons are born and live all their lives there. Along the midst of the plain lies the great road to the mouth of the Mine; along this there are always a great number of carriages paffing loaded with the masses of falt, cut out of the farther part of the Mine, and carrying them to the place where the rope belonging to the wheel receives them.

The drivers of thefe carriages are all merry and finging, and the falt looks like a load of gems. The horses kept here are a very great number, and when once let down they never fee the day-light again; but most of the men take frequent occasions of going up and breathing the village air. The inftruments principally ufed by the miners, are pickaxes, hammers, and chiffels: with these they dig out the falt in form of huge cylinders, each of many hundred weight. As foon as got above ground, they are broke into smaller pieces, and fent to the mills, where they are ground to powder. The finest sort of the falt is frequently cut into toys, and often paffes for real cryftal: this hard kind makes a great part of the floor of the Mine; and what is moft furprifing, there runs conftantly over this, and through a large part of the Mine, a fpring of fresh water, fufficient to fupply the inhabitants and their horfes, fo that they need not have any from above ground. The horses usually grow blind after they have been fome little time in the Mine; but they do as well for fervice afterwards as before.

After admiring the wonders of this amazing place, it is no very comfortable remembrance to the stranger that he is to go back again through the fame difmal way he came; and indeed the journey is not much better than the prospect; the only means of getting up is by the rope and wheel, and little more ceremony being used in it than the drawing up of a piece of falt.

RARE

RARE FIDELITY.

FLECTIUS, a Nobleman, was made Governor of the city

and castle of Conimbra, in Portugal, by king Sanclius. Anno. 1243, Pope Innocent tranflated the government of the kingdom to Alphonfus, the brother of Sanctius. Hereupon followed a war. The minds of most men were alienated from their natural Prince, but Flectius was ftill conftant, enduring the frege and arms of Alphonfus and the whole nation: nor could he any way be fwayed till he heard that Sanclius was dead at Toledo. Flectius heard, but believed not: he therefore begged leave of Alphonfus that he might go to Toledo, and fatisfy himself, which was granted: and he there found that the king was indeed dead and buried. He opened the fepulchre, and with fighs and tears delivered the keys of Conimbra into the king's hands, with thefe words: "As long, O king, as I thought three living, I endured all extremities: I fed upon skins and leather; I quieted or repreffed the minds of the citizens that were inclining to fedition; and whatsoever could be expected from a faithful man, that I perfifted in. One only thing remains, that having delivered the keys of the city, into thine own hands, I may return freed of my oath, and tell the citizens their king is dead: God fend thee well in another, and better kingdom." This faid, he departed, acknowledged Alphonfus for his lawful Prince, and was ever faithful to

him.

DISINTERESTED

THE

FRIENDSHIP.

HERE was great friendship between Cardinal Pole and a Venetian gentleman, Aloftio Priuli, which continued twenty-fix years without interruption. Cardinal Pole falling fick, and being told by his Physicians he could not live, made

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his Will, and left Priuli heir to all he had. But the Venetian made no use of one penny of it for himself; but gave it all among the kindred of Pole: and was wont to fay, "While my friend lived, we ftrove who fhould do the greatest benefits; but by dying the Cardinal has got the start of me in kindness, in enabling me to do fo much good to his relations in England."

LETTER S.

LETTER

CCCXCVIII.

[From Mr. Jofeph Marshall, to the Rev. Mr. Welley.]

Rev. Sir,

A

Birr, June 23, 1773

S there is nothing that yields more fatisfaction to a Minifter of Chrift, than to hear and fee that the work of God profpers, I fit down to give you fome account of my prefent flate

I can truly fay, I feel a power to love God, in a manner I never did before. I have alfo power over my own will in all things; and can at all times fay, Not my will, but thine be done. My foul is conftantly happy in God. I can every hour, and in the midst of my bufinefs, go to God and fay, Thou art mine, and I am thine! oh the happinefs of living thus to God! I feel the world beneath my feet, and my foul difdains on earth to dwell. I have not a defire to live, but only to glorify that God who has called me out of darknefs into his marvellous light. Marvellous indeed, that I who was a few years ago one of the vileft of finners, fhould now enjoy fuch a deliverance! The communion I feel with God makes me fit at his feet, crying, Why, oh why me! the moft unworthy.

For fome time, worldly bufinefs was a burden to me; but he whom my foul loveth has removed that alfo. He thewed

me

me that I had no other way to fupport a large family, but by induftry; therefore he made me willing to labour, and keeps me in perfect peace, while thus employed.

May you, dear Sir, feel a double portion of his fpirit! and - may your latter days be greater than your beginning!

I am, Rev. Sir, your mofl unworthy Servant,

J. M.

CCCXCIX,

LETTER

[A Letter from the Rev. Devereux Jarratt, to the Rev. Mr. Welley.]

Rev. and dear Brother,

Virginia, June 29, 1773.

TH

HOUGH we have no perfonal acquaintance, yet from what knowledge I have of you from common fame, and efpecially from your useful writings, I am induced to address you upon an affair of the laft importance.

Virginia (the land of my nativity) has long groaned through a want of faithful Miniflers of the gofpel. Many fouls are perifhing for lack of knowledge: many crying for the bread of life, and no man is found to break it to them.

We have ninety-five parishes in the Colony, and all, except one, I believe are fupplied with Clergymen. But, alas!—you well underfland the reft. I know of but one Clergyman of the Church of England who appears to have the power and fpirit of vital religion; for all feek their own, and not the things that are Christ's!, Is not our fituation then truly deplorable? And does it not call loudly upon the friends of Zion, on your fide the Atlantic, to affift us?

Many people here heartily join with me in returning our moft grateful acknowledgments for the concern you have fhewn for us, in fending fo many Preachers to the American Colonies. Two have preached for fome time in Virginia; Mr. Pilmoor

and

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