Philosophical Transactions. 377 
were hammered; they were also hammered upon each other. On the 
summit of one of the large steel bars, each of the small bars, held also yer- 
tically, was hammered in succession, and in a few minutes they had all 
acquired considerable lifting powers. Two of the smaller bars, connected 
by two short pieces of soft iron in the form of a parallelogram, were now 
rubbed with the other four bars in the manner of Canton. These were then 
changed for two others, and these again for the lasttwo. After treating 
each pair of bars in this way for a number of times, and changing them 
whenever the manipulations had been continued for about a minute, the 
whole of the bars were at length found to be magnetized to saturation? 
each pair readily lifting above eight ounces ! 
We should like to hear of the repetition of these curious ex- 
periments, since, in our hands, they have by no means suc- 
ceeded to the extent announced by the author, probably from 
some inattention to minutize, which he has not sufficiently ex- 
plained in his paper. 
2. On the Alloys of Steel. By J. Stodart, Esq., and Mr. M. 
Faraday, Chemical Assistant in the Royal Institution. 
This paper contains an extension of the experiments detailed 
in a former communication, and an account of the manufacture 
of the alloys upon a large scale, which the authors were en- 
abled to accomplish, chiefly through the liberality of Dr. Wol- 
aston, who also gave them his valuable advice and assistance. 
‘ The first curious fact that occurs relates to the compound 
with silver, of which steel will only retain one 500th part in 
union ; when more was used, it either evaporated, or separated as 
the button cooled, or was forced out in forging. The alloy 
was excellent, and the trifling addition of price furnishes no 
obstacle to its general employment. 
‘ Steel, alloyed with 100dth part of platinum, though not so 
hard as the silver alloy, has more toughness ; hence its value, 
where tenacity, as well as hardness are required: the extra 
cost is more than repaid by its excellence. 
The alloy with rhodium exceeds the former in its valuable 
qualities, but the scarcity of the metal precludes its general 
use. To the compounds with iridium and osmium the same 
remarks apply. 
The action of acids on these alloys is curious, and especially 
in respect to that of platinum, which is acted upon by dilute 
sulphuric acid with infinitely greater rapidity than the unalloyed 
steel; indeed, an acid that scarcely touches the pure steel, 
dissolves the alloy with energetic effervescence. This is no 
doubt referable to electrical excitation, and we should appre- 
hend that it would be fatal to the employment of this particular 
alloy, in any case where chemical action is likely to ensue. 
The alloys of steel with gold, tin, copper, and chromium, we have not 
attempted in the large way. In the laboratory, steel and gold were com 
bined in various proportions ; none of the results were so promising as the 
alloys already named, nor did either tin or copper, as far as we could 
