THK MAXlTFAt'TURE OF OALOMF]!, TX JAPAN. 9 



o'.'illon of wiitcr beinfr iisofl, nil of wliifli is nljsorlicd ; a lump nv two 

 of conijiost is (]rop])ed l^y tono-s (^r l)y liaiid into each pot in ra]»i(l 

 succession ; a very small s])oonfiil of men-nrv ponred into each pot, 

 the total <-liarire for the >jixty pots hoinu" somewhat less than one 

 pound avoirdupois, (more exactly f of a Ih.). and a clav cnp. hottom 

 up, i^laced over each ]^ot and adjusted hv u'entlv pressing', and tni'iiiiiLi- 

 it round slio-htly. The cup is thus made to fit neatlv <m the earthen 

 top without adhei'ino- to it in tlie least. The eups are thick and 

 nnglazed. hut hecome verv smootli inside hv use. They have an 

 inside diameter at the mouth of 0.5 ft. and a depth of O.l^') ft. 



Thus arranii'cd. the ])Ots and eups arc left for three hours, and 

 during the latter part of this time the furnace is coolinii-. Wlien cool 

 enough, eacli eu]) is lifted in turn. and. witli two turns of a teather, 

 the hnt'nii or calomel, which fills it in the form of a sparkling network 

 of delicate crystalline scales, is transferred to a sheet of paper held 

 under it, and the cup, mouth downwards, placed on a shelf of the 

 lurnace ready for use in thenext operation. 



T'he calomel, it will tlius he seen, forms 710 adherent cake in tlie 

 eii[). hut particles only loosely hanging together. So obtained it is 

 ready for the market, needing only to 1)e packed in small wooden boxes 

 for sale. 



The spent lumps of earth and salt are liite'd out of tlie pots l)v 

 tlie tool shown in 1*1. HI, fig. ô, and when the furnace has become still 

 (^ooler. the fire is made up again, the furnace top freely wetted, and a 

 new o])eration set going as before. The furnace is Avorked twice 

 each day. Nothing could well be carried out with greater siinplicity 

 and less expenditure of labour, time, and fuel. 



Ol' tlie ijiehl. — Tdie loss T am told is about sixteen per cent, of the 

 theoretical amount of calomel which is. I believe, about twice as much 

 as is lost in the ^Vestern ])rocess. 



