Analyses of Ancient Alloys. 101 



In Britain silver mines were worked before the invasion of the 

 island by the Romans, and gold must also have been well known to 

 the inhabitants before the arrival of Caesar, since coins of that metal 

 were then in circulation. Ca3sar and Strabo both state that the 

 Britons obtained their copper from foreign countries, and we may 

 hence infer that the art of refining this metal was either unknown, 

 or little cultivated by our forefathers at that remote period. Iron is 

 described by Csesar as being so rare, that pieces of it were sometimes 

 used as a medium of exchange, and almost as highly valued as gold ; 

 but a century afterwards it had become very common, as in Strabo's 

 time, it was an article of exportation.* Tin was anciently the most 

 celebrated product of Britain, and appears even at that time to have 

 been extracted in considerable abundance, since it was the desire of 

 obtaining possession of these mines, and becoming thereby indepen- 

 dent of the Phoenician monopoly, which first induced the Romans to 

 visit the island. Before the conquest of their country the Ancient 

 Britons extracted this metal from its ores by methods which they 

 had themselves discovered, and which were probably improved on 

 by their conquerors .f The smelting process would seem to have 

 been very simply conducted. The broken ore was placed in a hole 

 in the ground, the sides of which were lined with pieces of wood, 

 which, on being ignited, reduced the lead and tin, which were sepa- 

 rated from the slags by being run off through a narrow channel into 

 another receptacle. Many of these rude furnaces have been found 

 in various parts of Cornwall and elsewhere, in which not only char- 

 coal and slags have been discovered, but also portions of the reduced 

 metal, which, in many instances, had, from long exposure to oxidis- 

 ing influences, again become partially converted into tin ore.| This 

 very rude method must have been attended with considerable success, 

 as the slags resulting from it have proved on examination to contain 

 but a small amount of metal. § 



From these and many other relics which have been met with in 

 different parts of the world, we may infer, that although the arts of 

 working the metals were carried on formerly on a much smaller 

 scale than at the present day, the operations of the early metallur- 

 gists were tolerably successful, and that in spite of the rude apparatus 

 which they employed, the results obtained by them were generally 

 of a satisfactory nature. 



That a great degree of attention was at a very early period be- 

 stowed on the manufacture of alloys destined for particular purposes, 

 is proved by the uniform composition of the several cutting instru- 

 ments examined ; although it is evident that but little' care was taken 

 to obtain a correct standard for the early brass money, as many 

 pieces of nearly the same date, and of similar value, differ materially 



* Strabo, IV., 305. t Strabo, I. 



\ Jewb' house tin. § Pennant, I., 58. 



