The Subterranean World

Diamonds--Diamond Cutting--Rose Diamonds--Brilliants--The Diamond District in Brazil--Diamond Lavras--The great Russian Diamond--The Regent--The Koh-i-Noor--Its History--The Sta...

Perils of the Miner’s Life—Number of Casualties in British and Foreign Coal Mines—Life in a Mine—Occurrence of Ores—Extent and Depth of Metallic Veins—Mines frequently discovere...

The Age of Coal—Plants of the Carboniferous Age—Hugh Miller’s Description of a Coal Forest—Vast Time required for the Formation of the Coal-fields—Derangements and Dislocations—...

Volcanic Mountains—Extinct and Active Craters—Their Size—Dangerous Crater-explorations—Dr. Judd in the Kilauea Pit—Extinct Craters—Their Beauty—The Crater of Mount Vultur in Apu...

Iron the most valuable of Metals—Its wide Diffusion over the Earth— Meteoric Iron—Iron very anciently known—Extension of its Uses in Modern Times—British Iron Production—Causes...

Extent of Misery inflicted by great Earthquakes—Earthquake Regions— Earthquakes in England—Great Number of Earthquakes—Vertical and undulatory Shocks—Warnings of Earthquakes—Sou...

Its ancient Discovery—Its uses among the luxurious Romans—The Mines of Laurium—Silver Mines of Bohemia, Saxony, and Hungary—Colossal Nuggets— Silver Ores—Silver Production of Eu...

Its valuable Qualities—English Copper Mines—Their comparatively recent Importance—Dreary Aspect of the Cornwall Copper Country—Botallack— Submarine Copper Mines—A Blind Miner—Sw...

Their various Forms—Natural Tunnels—The Ventanillas of Gualgayoc—Eimeo— Torgatten—Hole in the Mürtschenstock—The Trebich Cave—Grotto of Antiparos—Vast Dimensions of the Cave of...

St. Paul of Thebes—St. Anthony—His Visit to Alexandria, and death— Numerous Cave Hermits in the East—St. Benedict in the Cave of Subiaco— St. Cuthbert—St. Beatus—Rock Temples of...

Carrara—The Pentelikon—The Parian Quarries—Rosso antico and Verde antico—The Porphyry of Elfdal—The Gypsum of Montmartre—The Alabaster of Volterra—The Slate Quarries of Wales—‘P...

Tin known from the most remote antiquity—Phœnician Traders—The Cassiterides—Diodorus Siculus—His Account of the Cornish Tin Trade—The Age of Bronze—Valuable Qualities of Tin—Tin...

Subterranean Distribution of the Waters—Admirable Provisions of Nature— Hydrostatic Laws regulating the Flow of Springs—Thermal Springs— Intermittent Springs—The Geysir—Bunsen’s...

Subterranean Vegetation—Fungi—Enormous Fungus in a Tunnel near Doncaster—Artificial Mushroom-beds near Paris—Subterranean Animals—The Guacharo—Wholesale Slaughter—Insects in the...

The Peat Mosses of Denmark—Shell Mounds—Swiss Lacustrine Dwellings— Ancient Mounds in the Valley of the Mississippi—The Caves in the Valley of the Meuse—Dr. Schmerling—Human Sku...

Igneous and Aqueous Causes of Landslips—Fall of the Diablerets in 1714 and 1749—Escape of a Peasant from his living Tomb—Vitaliano Donati on the Fall of a Mountain near Sallench...

The Golden Fleece—Golden Statues in ancient Temples—A Free-thinking Soldier—Treasures of ancient Monarchs—First Gold Coins—Ophir—Spanish Gold Mines—Bohemian Gold Mines—Discovery...

General Remarks—Eozoon Canadense—Trilobites—Brachiopods—Pterichthys Milleri—Oldest Reptiles—Wonderful Preservation of Colour in Petrified Shells—Primæval Corals and Sponges—Sea-...

Geological Position of Rock Salt—Mines of Northwich—Their immense Excavations—Droitwich and Stoke—Wieliczka—Berchtesgaden and Reichenhall—Admirable Machinery—Stassfurt—Processes...

Biban-el-Moluk, the Royal Tombs of Thebes—The Roman Catacombs—Their Extent—Their Mode of Excavation—Touching Sepulchral Inscriptions— Antony Bosio, the Columbus of the Catacombs...

Not considered as a true Metal by the Ancients—Its Properties and Uses— Almaden—Formerly worked by Convicts—Diseases of the Miners—Idria—Its Discovery—Conflagration of the Mine—...

Zinc—The Ores, but not the Metal, known to the Ancients—Rapid Increase of its Production—Chief Zinc-producing Countries—Platinum—Antimony— Bismuth—Cobalt and Nickel—Wolfram—Arse...

The Cave of Adullam—Mahomet in the Cave of Thaur—The Cave of Longara—The Cave of Egg—The Caves of Rathlin—The Cave of Yeermalik—The Caves of Granada—Aben Aboo, the Morisco king—...

Ice-caves of St. Georges and St. Livres—Beautiful Ice-stalagmites in the Cave of La Baume—The Schafloch—Ice Cataract in the Upper Glacière of St. Livres—Ice Cavern of Eisenerz—T...

Various Modes of its Collection on the Prussian Coast—What is Amber?—The extinct Amber Tree—Insects of the Miocene Period inclosed in Amber— Formidable Spiders—Ancient and Moder...

Carbonic-acid Springs—Grotto del Cane—The Valley of Death in Java— Exaggerated Descriptions—Carburetted Hydrogen Springs—The Holy Fires of Baku—Description of the Temple—Mud Vol...

Sulphur Mines of Sicily—Conflagration of a Sulphur Mine—The Solfataras of Krisuvick—Iwogasima in Japan—Solfatara of Puzzuoli—Crater of Teneriffe—Alaghez—Büdöshegy in Transylvani...

Besides their picturesque beauty or their solemn grandeur, some caves are extremely interesting as containing the bones of _extinct_ quadrupeds or birds. Unrivalled in point of...

The Fountain of Vaucluse—The Fontaine-sans-fond—The Katabothra in Morea— Subterranean Rivers in Carniola—Subterranean Navigation of the Poik in the Cave of Planina—‘The Stalacti...

A dreadful All Saints’ Day—The Victims of a Minute—Report of an Eye- witness—Conflagration—Banditti—Pombal brings Order into Chaos— Intrigues of the Jesuits—Damages caused by th...

State of Vesuvius before the eruption in the year 79 A.C.—Spartacus— Premonitory Earthquakes—Letter of Pliny the Younger to Tacitus, relating the death of his Uncle, Pliny the E...

Its Properties and extensive Uses—Alston Moor—Belgian Lead Mines—Galena in America—Extraction of Silver from Lead Ores—Pattinson’s Process—A great part of our wealth is due to t...

Alum, a double salt, consisting of sulphate of alumina (the peculiar earth of clay) and sulphate of potash, or sulphate of alumina and sulphate of ammonia, was known to the anci...

The most renowned subterranean works of previous ages are generally of a religious character, as they have been executed to serve either as resting-places for the dead, or as te...

In the Miocene epoch many of these more ancient quadrupeds no longer appear upon the scene, while others still flourish in its upper period along with still existing genera, and...

The Eternal Strife between Water and Fire—Strata of Aqueous Origin— Tabular View of their Chronological Succession—Enormous Time required for their Formation—Igneous Action—Meta...

Caves were probably the earliest habitations of primitive man, the first rude shelter for which he had to do battle with the hyena or the bear. As we have seen in the preceding...

Oscillations of the Earth’s Surface taking place in the present day— First ascertained in Sweden—Examples of Contemporaneous Upheaval and Depression in France and England—Probab...

The class of bituminous minerals exhibits a long series of inflammable substances, which are supposed to be derived from the decomposition of organic matter in the rocks contain...

The pressure of superincumbent strata, which renders the upholding of the roof, even at fourteen or fifteen hundred feet, a problem of ceaseless anxiety and expense, must also b...

Zone of invariable Temperature—Increasing Temperature of the Earth at a greater Depth—Proofs found in Mines and Artesian Wells, in Hot Springs and Volcanic Eruptions—The whole E...

Diamonds—Diamond Cutting—Rose Diamonds—Brilliants—The Diamond District in Brazil—Diamond Lavras—The great Russian Diamond—The Regent—The Koh-i-Noor—Its History— The Star of the...

The perfect preservation of so many fossil remains of animals and plants, which enables us to trace the progress of organic life on earth from one vast epoch to another, is sure...

Perils of the Miner’s Life—Number of Casualties in British and Foreign Coal Mines—Life in a Mine—Occurrence of Ores—Extent and Depth of Metallic Veins—Mines frequently discovere...

Volcanic Mountains—Extinct and active Craters—Their Size— Dangerous Crater-explorations—Dr. Judd in the Kilauea Pit—Extinct Craters—Their Beauty—The Crater of Mount Vultur in Ap...

The Age of Coal—Plants of the Carboniferous Age—Hugh Miller’s Description of a Coal Forest—Vast Time required for the Formation of the Coal-fields—Derangements and Dislocations—...

Its ancient Discovery—Its Uses among the luxurious Romans— The Mines of Laurium—Silver Mines of Bohemia, Saxony, and Hungary—Colossal Nuggets—Silver Ores—Silver Production of Eu...

Their various Forms—Natural Tunnels—The Ventanillas of Gualgayoc—Eimeo—Torgatten—Hole in the Mürtschenstock—The Trebich Cave—Grotto of Antiparos—Vast Dimensions of the Cave of A...

Extent of Misery inflicted by great Earthquakes—Earthquake Regions—Earthquakes in England—Great Number of Earthquakes—Vertical and Undulatory Shocks—Warnings of Earthquakes—Soun...

St. Paul of Thebes—St. Anthony—His visit to Alexandria, and death—Numerous Cave Hermits in the East—St. Benedict in the Cave of Subiaco—St. Cuthbert—St. Beatus—Rock Temples of K...

Igneous and Aqueous Causes of Landslips—Fall of the Diablerets in 1714 and 1749—Escape of a Peasant from his living Tomb—Vitaliano Donati on the Fall of a Mountain near Sallench...

The Peat Mosses of Denmark—Shell-Mounds—Swiss Lacustrine Dwellings—Ancient Mounds in the Valley of the Mississippi—The Caves in the Valley of the Meuse—Dr. Schmerling—Human Skul...

Iron the most valuable of Metals—Its wide Diffusion over the Earth—Meteoric Iron—Iron very anciently known— Extension of its Uses in Modern Times—British Iron Production—Causes...

The Cave of Adullam—Mahomet in the Cave of Thaur—The Cave of Longara—The Cave of Egg—The Caves of Rathlin—The Cave of Yeermalik—The Caves of Grenada—Aben Aboo, the Morisco King—...

Subterranean Vegetation—Fungi—Enormous Fungus in a Tunnel near Doncaster—Artificial Mushroom-beds near Paris— Subterranean Animals—The Guacharo—Wholesale Slaughter— Insects in t...

Its valuable Qualities—English Copper Mines—Their comparatively recent Importance—Dreary Aspect of the Cornwall Copper Country—Botallack—Submarine Copper Mines—A Blind Miner—Swa...

Tin known from the most remote antiquity—Phœnician Traders—The Cassiterides—Diodorus Siculus—His account of the Cornish Tin Trade—The Age of Bronze—Valuable Qualities of Tin—Tin...

The Golden Fleece—Golden Statues in ancient Temples—A Free-thinking Soldier—Treasures of ancient Monarchs— First Gold Coins—Ophir—Spanish Gold Mines—Bohemian Gold Mines—Discover...

General Remarks—Eozoon Canadense—Trilobites—Brachiopods— Pterichthys Milleri—Oldest Reptiles—Wonderful Preservation of Colour in Petrified Shells—Primæval Corals and Sponges—Sea...

State of Vesuvius before the eruption in the year 79 A.C.— Spartacus—Premonitory Earthquakes—Letter of Pliny the Younger to Tacitus, relating the death of his uncle, Pliny the E...

Carrara—The Pentelikon—The Parian Quarries—Rosso antico and Verde antico—The Porphyry of Elfdal—The Gypsum of Montmartre—The Alabaster of Volterra—The Slate Quarries of Wales—‘P...

Subterranean Distribution of the Waters—Admirable Provisions of Nature—Hydrostatic Laws regulating the Flow of Springs—Thermal Springs—Intermittent Springs—The Geysir—Bunsen’s T...

Ice-caves of St. Georges and St. Livres—Beautiful Ice- stalagmites in the Cave of La Baume—The Schafloch—Ice Cataract in the Upper Glacière of St. Livres—Ice Cavern of Eisenerz—...

A dreadful All Saints’ Day—The Victims of a Minute—Report of an Eye-witness—Conflagration—Banditti—Pombal brings Chaos into Order—Intrigues of the Jesuits—Damages caused by the...

Sulphur Mines of Sicily—Conflagration of a Sulphur Mine— The Solfataras of Krisuvick—Iwogasima in Japan—Solfatara of Puzzuoli—Crater of Teneriffe—Alaghez—Büdöshegy in Transylvan...

Carbonic-acid Springs—Grotto del Cane—The Valley of Death in Java—Exaggerated Descriptions—Carburetted Hydrogen Springs—The Holy Fires of Baku—Description of the Temple—Mud Volc...

Biban-el-Moluk, the Royal Tombs of Thebes—The Roman Catacombs—Their Extent—Their Mode of Excavation—Touching Sepulchral Inscriptions—Antony Bosio, the Columbus of the Catacombs—...

Zinc—The Ores, but not the Metal, known to the Ancients— Rapid increase of its Production—Chief Zinc-producing Countries—Platinum—Antimony—Bismuth—Cobalt and Nickel— Wolfram—Ars...

The Eternal Strife between Water and Fire—Strata of Aqueous Origin—Tabular View of their Chronological Succession—Enormous Time required for their Formation— Igneous Action—Meta...

Zone of invariable Temperature—Increasing Temperature of the Earth at a greater Depth—Proofs found in Mines and Artesian Wells, in Hot Springs and Volcanic Eruptions— The whole...

Not considered as a true Metal by the Ancients—Its Properties and Uses—Almaden—Formerly worked by Convicts— Diseases of the Miners—Idria—Its Discovery—Conflagration of the Mine—...

Oscillations of the Earth’s Surface taking place in the present day—First ascertained in Sweden—Examples of Contemporaneous Upheaval and Depression in France and England—Probabl...

Its Properties and extensive Uses—Alston Moor—Belgian Lead Mines—Galena in America—Extraction of Silver from Lead Ores—Pattinson’s Process—A great part of our wealth is due to t...

Geological Position of Rock Salt—Mines of Northwich—Their immense Excavations—Droitwich and Stoke—Wieliczka— Berchtesgaden and Reichenhall—Admirable Machinery— Stassfurt—Process...

Various Modes of its Collection on the Prussian Coast—What is Amber?—The extinct Amber Tree—Insects of the Miocene Period inclosed in Amber—Formidable Spiders—Ancient and Modern...

The Fountain of Vaucluse—The Fontaine-sans-fond—The Katabothra in Morea—Subterranean Rivers in Carniola— Subterranean Navigation of the Poik in the Cave of Planina—‘The Stalacti...