56 REPORT—1848. 
Prof. Miller also had occasion to examine a specimen of iron known as cold-short 
from the Staffordshire district. In texture it appeared to be entirely destitute of 
the fibrous character, but to consist of a series of small lamine or plates. In 
addition to carbon and silicon, he found phosphorus, an appreciable quantity of cop- 
per and decided traces of potassium. The copper he has no doubt is derived from 
the coal employed in the smelting, from an examination of several species of coal 
lately made in the laboratory of King’s College by Mr. Vaux. Copper is found in 
many, none being met with in the Newcastle coal, but a quantity distinctly appre- 
ciable in the ashes of the Staffordshire coal. ‘lhe potassium, it is just conceivable, 
might have been derived from the glass vessels in which the operation was con- 
ducted, but the author has little doubt it was furnished from the iron itself: upon 
this point however further experiments are needed to remove all ambiguity. 
Red-short iron is frequently supposed to owe its defective qualities to the pre- 
sence of sulphur. In a specimen, however, which he examined with great care, 
Prof. Miller could not find any notable proportion of sulphur, and indeed though 
‘minutely examined for tin, arsenic, antimony, titanium, manganese, chromium, alu- 
minum and calcium, he could not find, with the exception of a trace of the latter, 
any substance beyond the ordinary constituents of wrought iron, viz. iron with a 
small quantity of carbon and silicon. A trace of phosphorus was however distinctly 
ascertained (it did not exceed 0°0114 per cent.), and the sulphur was not more than 
0°016. 
He believes, however, that traces of potassium exist in this iron also. 
; Staffordshire Iron. 
Hot-Short. Cold-Short. 
Specific gravity ........6. 77426 7921 
Trontus nies abbiiaw nD Seki 
Carbon od é.ivstsastdecesstsas (0224 0:275 
Siltcom kicds~ san eashell ars tet . 0°232 0°288 
‘Aluminum <i, si Secs. cones none none 
Manganese ........+...e0e... none none 
DIGAMLUMA «0s ckeeacbtcsee's .eee none none 
AYSCNIC....eccesevceeseseeveese NONE none 
Chromium .........06. sae none none 
Copper...........0e bictevbseen (0 0°041 
Sulphur ...... teiddecdeceesmee OONG)) aie trace 
Phosphorus...ccccsseveseses O'OLL 0°337 
Calcium ....sscssceseeceeeeee Face none 
Potassium .......seeeseeeeeeee tlAceS trace 
On the existence of Ozone in the Atmosphere. By Dr. Morratt. 
On a peculiar property of Coke. By JAMEs NASMYTH. 
The following fact, which was observed by the author some years ago, appears to 
furnish additional evidence as to the identity of the diamond with carbon. Mr. Nas- 
myth states that coke is possessed of one of the most remarkable properties of the 
diamond, in so far as it has the property of cutting glass. He uses the term cutting 
expressly in contra-distinction to the property of scratching, which is possessed by 
all bodies that are harder than glass. The cut produced by coke is a perfect clear 
diamond-like cut, so as to exhibit the most beautiful prismatic colours, owing to 
the perfection of the incision. 
Coke hitherto has been considered as a soft substance, doubtless from the ease 
with which a mass of it can be crushed and pulverized ; but it will be found that the 
minute plate-formed crystals, of which a mass of coke is formed, are intensely hard, 
and, as before said, are possessed of the remarkable property of cutting glass. j 
This discovery of the extreme ‘‘ diamond-like” hardness of the particles of coke — 
will no doubt prove of value in many processes in the arts as well as interesting in — 
a purely scientific sense. 
