Dr. Kubassek János szerk.: A Kárpát-medence természeti értékei (Érd, 2004)
Dr. Miklós Kázmér: Dr. Edward Browne's visit in the mining towns of Lower Hungary in 1669
aesthetic approach. Scientific significance was the leading motivation in picking specimens, as we can understand from Boyle's inquiries. Native metals and ores are economically useful minerals. Vitriol (a ferrous or copper sulphate) is growing within mine adits during natural oxidation processes. Copper made by cementation is artefact, i.e. not mineral in the usual sense. Old iron was soaked in acidic mine water; the dissolved iron was substituted by copper. This process - the electrochemical background being unknown at the time - was considered as hard evidence for the possibility of transmutation, i.e. the alchemical process transforming elements into each other. he Travels brought considerable fame to EDWARD BROWNE. Dutch, German, K=fS and French translations plus reprinting five times in English appeared within ninety years of its first publication in 1673. The opinion of literary circles, especially that of SAMUEL JOHNSON was somewhat reserved, comparing EDWARD'S style to that of his father, Sir THOMAS BROWNE 8 , the wellknown essayist and moralist. However, they failed to recognize the lasting value produced by a scientific mind. ROBERT BOYLE, of course, relied on the results of his personal inquirer. His diaries 9 clearly show the informations drawn from BROWNE'S observations and inquiries, especially concerning copper and gold mining in Hungary, and on minerals quarried from or grown within the mines. Whether there is any long-lasting influence of BROWNE, will be the subject of further scientific inquiry. At least we know, that ROBERT TOWNSON 10 , another British traveller read his book before visiting the same region 120 years later 11 . BROWNE'S INFLUENCE DESCRIPTION OF THE COPPER MINE AT HERRENGRUND CJ/Q R0WN > E- (1670): An Accompt Given by Doctor Edward Brown, concerning lA/ the Copper-mine at Herrn-ground in Hungary. - Philosophical Transactions 5/59, 1042-1044 [correctly 1942-1944], London. 12
