in Italy, which is still in force, governing
mining in Sicily, which provides that should a land owner discover ore
in his property he would be the owner thereof, and should have the
right to mine, operate, or rent the property to others for that
purpose, but if he should decline to operate his mines or to rent them
to others to be operated, the state would rent them on its own
account.

Royalties vary from 12 to 45 per cent. They are paid according to the
quality of the ore and the facilities for producing sulphur; 25 per
cent. may, however, be taken as an average. There is a land tax of 36
per cent. of the net income, which is usually paid by the owners and
lessees of the mines, in proportion to the quantity of sulphur which
they produce. The export duty is 10 lire per ton. All mines are
inspected by government officials once a year, and the owners are
required to furnish the state with plans of the works and their
progress, with a view to insure the safety of the workmen and to
ascertain the extent of the property.

Those who rent their mines receive from 10 to 40 per cent. of the
sulphur produced. Leases are valid for such period as the contracting
parties may stipulate therein. The general limit, however, is nine
years. The average lease is 25 per cent., 40 per cent. being paid only
when the mines are very favorably situated and the production good.
Some lessees prefer paying a considerable sum in cash in advance, at
the beginning of the term of the lease, and giving 15 or 20 per cent.
in sulphur annually thereafter, instead of a higher percentage.

The external indications of the presence of sulphur are the appearance
of gypsum and sulphurous springs. These are indubitable signs of the
presence of sulphur, and when discovered the process resorted to here,
in order to reach the sulphur, is to bore a hole sufficiently large to
admit a man, after which steps are constructed in the passage in order
to facilitate the workmen in going to and fro. These steps extend
across the passage, and are about 25 centimeters high and 35 broad.
The inclination of the holes or passages varies from 30 to 50 degrees.
Upon attaining the depth of several meters water is often met with,
and in such considerable quantity that it is impossible to proceed.
Hence it becomes necessary to either pump the water out or retreat in
order to bore elsewhere. It is often necessary to bore several
passages in order to discover the ore or seam of su