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the strata of shale that alternate with the beds of coal, has 
rendered the adjacent districts in our day remarkable as the site 
of most important ironworks, while the limestone necessary for 
a flux frequently occurs at no great distance. 
But what interests us more particularly in this county, is that 
remarkable deposit called Red Hematite, found in such abundance 
in the Cleator and Ulverstone districts. This rich deposit con- 
tains from sixty to seventy per cent. of iron by weight. Of several 
varieties, two may be referred to. The first of these is Specular 
Iron, of bright metallic lustre; it occurs in large and beautiful 
crystalline masses in the Island of Elba, where it has been worked 
for 2000 years. It is likewise found in many other parts of the 
world. The other variety is Kidney Ore, the origin of which is still 
a curious problem, as its deposits occur sometimes in apparently 
regular beds. Its characteristic form is in large kidney-shaped 
nodules, with a fine radiated structure, a shape, however, only 
assumed in the cavities of massive deposits. 
This Peroxide of Iron occurs in the Cleator district along the 
lines of great faults and in caverns in the limestone, fifteen, thirty, 
and even one hundred and sixty feet in thickness, while at Ulver- 
stone it is deposited as if in pools or lakes formed in the underlying 
rock. 
I will now refer to the early history of iron as one of the useful 
arts. Sir C. Lyell, in his “Antiquity of Man,” says, “It is difficult 
to obtain any positive dates, even for the more recent transition 
between the Iron and Bronze ages. We find, however, that 
‘Hesiod, writing about 850 years B.C., speaks of a time when 
Bronze had not been superseded by Iron; and Homer mentions 
Tron but rarely, while he makes frequent reference to weapons and 
implements of Bronze.” 
Most opportunely has Dr. Schliemann, the celebrated ex- 
plorer of the Ruins of Troy, furnished very interesting information 
on this point. The following is an extract from Zhe Times of 
November, 1878, containing an extract from his speech on the 
subject :—“ By far the most interesting object he ever found in his 
