112 MR. W. FAIRBAIRN ON THE PROPERTIES, ETC. 
to meteoric iron, would impart to it increased ductility. 
The foregoing experiments lead, however, to the conclu- 
sion that an admixture of nickel produces an exactly op- 
posite effect, and it now remains to be determined by a 
more extended series of experiments, whether by mixing 
nickel with malleable iron in the same relative proportion 
more satisfactory results would be obtained. In prose- 
cuting these experiments it would be interesting to know 
the extent to which these metals are capable of combining 
chemically, and how closely such combinations would ap- 
proximate to meteoric iron. 
Besides endeavouring to obtain a metal of greater duc- 
tility, another object of equal importance was aimed at in 
these experiments, namely, to produce a metal of increased 
tenacity suitable for the casting of cannon and heavy 
ordnance. During the last two years innumerable expe- 
riments have been made for this purpose, with more or 
less success; but the ultimate result appears to be, that 
for the construction of heavy artillery there is no metal 
so well calculated to resist the explosion of gunpowder, 
as a perfectly homogeneous mass of the best and purest 
cast iron, when freed from sulphur and phosphorus. 
