526 Reviews. [ July, 
However discovered, men must have used the simple metals before 
they employed the alloys. Nothing is more curious, in the history of 
human progress, than the fact, that the oldest tombs of Egypt, the 
buried palaces of Assyria, the “ giants’ graves” of Northern Europe, 
and the Celtic remains of our own Islands, yield Bronzes identical in 
their composition, and differing not from that which we now employ. 
Bronze is a mixture of Copper and Tin. Before these could have 
been combined, either in Egypt or Assyria, man must have obtained 
his Copper from the Peninsula of Sinai—and his Tin from the British 
Isles, or the Islands of the Indian Archipelago. Therefore, naviga- 
tion must have advanced to that state which would have taught him to 
traverse wide and distant seas; and when the metals were obtained, 
experimental science must have determined the true proportions for 
making the best combination for implements or weapons. 
The history of the Arts points to a much higher antiquity than that 
which we have hitherto been in the habit of assigning to the human 
family. 
We have not to deal especially with the history of Metallurgy in 
considering the volumes which are before us, since they treat mainly 
of the practice of this Art. It was difficult, however, to resist the 
temptation of a few remarks on its antiquity, and the state of perfec- 
tion at which it had arrived, at a very early period. To many, the 
mere smelting of the ore of a metal is a simple operation which an un- 
trained mind could carry out. A glance at the two volumes on Metal- 
lurgy by Dr. Percy will show that every stage of reduction demands 
an amount of knowledge which can only be acquired by long-con- 
tinued experiments, or close scientific study. By the latter the labours 
of the former may be much reduced, but never dispensed with. 
England is the great metallurgical country of the world. Within 
her sea-girt Isles she possesses a greater variety, and a larger quantity, 
of the metalliferous minerals than are found in any other part of the 
Earth, within the same area. Gold and Silver—Copper—Tin—Lead 
Tron—Zinc—-Antimony—Cobalt-—Nickel— Bismuth—and the ores 
of the rarer metals are found; and from one end of the land to the 
other, the blaze of the furnace proclaims the industry of her sons in 
reducing them to the metallic state. Tin smelting-houses in Corn- 
wall; Copper works around Swansea; Zinc works in many places; 
Lead “ smelt-mills ” in the Northern Counties, North Wales, and other 
districts—and 562 Blast Furnaces in operation, proclaim the activity 
of our Metallurgies. Although we produce annually Metals and Coals 
to the value of 34,691,000/., our literature has remained barren of 
Works treating of this subject. If we name some half-dozen on 
Metallurgy our list will be exhausted—and in no one of these is 
the subject treated with the desired comprehensiveness.* 
* The following are the works alluded to :~ 
1. ‘A Treatise on the Progressive Improvement and Present State of the 
Manufactures in Metal’ 2nd edition. Edited by Robert Hunt. 1853, Long- 
mans, London. 
2. ‘A Manual of Metallurgy.’ By John Arthur Phillips. Griffin, London. 
3. ‘The Useful Metals and their Alloys.’ By Scoffern,'Truran, Clay, Oxland, 
Fairbairn, and Aitkins. Houlston & Wright. 
