188 Scientific Intelligence — Miscellaneous. 



the art of producing that inestimable material, that we owe nearly 

 the whole of the arts. I am desirous of contributing a few ideas on 

 the subject, with a view to our arriving at more distinct knowledge 

 as to what (in a chemical sense) steel is, and so long the true basis 

 for improvement in the process of its manufacture. It may be pro- 

 per to name that steel is formed by surrounding bars of wrought 

 iron with charcoal, placed in fire-brick troughs, from which air is 

 excluded, and keeping the iron bars and charcoal in contact, and at 

 a full red heat for several days, at the end of which time the iron 

 bars are found to be converted into steel. What is the nature of 

 the change which the iron has undergone we have no certain know- 

 ledge ; the ordinary explanation is, that the iron has absorbed and 

 combined with a portion of the charcoal or carbon, and has, in con- 

 sequence, been converted into a carbonate of iron. But it has ever 

 been a mystery that, on analysis, so very minute and questionable 

 a portion of carbon is exhibited. It appears that the grand error in 

 the above view of the subject, consists in our not duly understanding 

 the nature of the change which carbon undergoes in its combination 

 with iron in the formation of steel. Those who are familiar with 

 the process of the conversion of iron into steel, must have observed 

 the remarkable change in the outward aspect of the bars of iron 

 after their conversion ; namely, that they are covered with blisters. 

 These blisters indicate the evolution of a very elastic gas, which is 

 set free from the carbon in the act of its combination with the iron. 

 I have the strongest reasons to think that these blisters are the re- 

 sult of the decomposition of the carbon, whose metallic base enters 

 into union with the iron, and forms with it an alloy, while the other 

 component element of the carbon is given forth, and so produces, in 

 its escape, the blisters in question. On this assumption, we come to 

 a very interesting question, — What is the nature of this gas ? In 

 order to examine this, all that is requisite is, to fill a wrought iron 

 retort with a mixture of pure carbon and iron filings, subject it to 

 a long-continued red heat, and receive the evolved gas over mercury. 

 Having obtained the gas in question in this manner, then permit a 

 piece of polished steel to come in contact with this gas, and, in all 

 probability, we shall then have reproduced, on the surface of the 

 steel, a coat of carbon, resulting from the re-union of its two ele- 

 ments ; namely, that of the metallic base of the carbon then exist- 

 ing in the steel, with the, as yet, unknown gas ; thus synthetically, 

 as well as by the analytic process, eliminating the true nature of 

 steel, and that of the elements or components of carbon. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



16. Sale of Indian Tea at Kumaoon. — From Kumaoon we learn 

 that the sale of tea, the produce of the province for the last year, 

 came off at the Capital on the 1 0th instant, with a result extremely 

 favourable to the ultimate success of the experiment. The attend- 



