Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 91. (Budapest 1999)

Kázmér, M. ; Papp, G.: Minerals from the Carpathians in an eighteenth-century British collection

Table 1. Distribution of Carpathian specimens according to their nature mountain green (incl. bone turquoise) 3 calcareous precipitation 3 precipitated copper 6 precipitations 12 vitriol 6 orpiment and realgar 3 cinnabar 7 stibnitc 7 alchemy-related minerals 23 gold ore 6 silver ore 12 ores of noble metals 18 copper ore 2 lead ore (?) 1 ores of base metals 3 pyrite, marcasite and sulphur 6 amiant and asbestos 3 septaria 1 fossils (excl. bone turquoise) 2 "curiosities" 6 Altogether 68 68 an evidence of transmutation (the transformation of one metal into another). We have no space here even for a brief survey of the rich literature of the Hungarian precipitated copper (for a list see e.g. SzATHMÁRY 1928). Earliest reports on the production of precipitated copper date back to the sixteenth century (e.g. AGRICOLA 1546) and this process has been of a considerable economic importance until the nineteenth century. It may be suspicious to our common sense that the great number of alchemy-related minerals of the collection also proves its scientific character, since chemistry was strongly related with alchemy in that time. Different kinds of vitriol were among the most interesting materials. Hungarian (copper) vitriol was highly esteemed by alchemists as reported by PARACELSUS in his Hermetische Nord-Stern (quoted by SZATHMÁRY 1928). WALLERIUS (1750) in his Mineralogy also mentioned Vitriolum Hungaricum, which was "much sought after by the adepts". BROWN, supplier of two vitriol specimens, was eager to visit an occurrence of Hungarian vitriol. In the baths of "Glas-Hitten" meeting a men "and finding that he had employed in the Mines, I asked him among other things, whither he had seen any natural Vitriol, and where, in the Mines, crystallized in lumps, pure and ready for use (...) And