^6 THE BEE, OR Dec. 22, 



Alriw Difcoveries. in Germany refpeHing Metals. 



Germany has been long known to abound in metals ; and 

 the philofDphers of that country have taken the lead as 

 preceptors in the metallurgic arts. Long, however, was 

 their operations confined to the art of purifying the metals 

 that were already known. But of late, ftimulated by the 

 iicoveries of Bergman, Scheele and others, they have turn- 

 ed their attention to the chemical analyfis of many other 

 mineral fubftances 5 fome time ago, feveral fubftances that 

 had been before clafled as earths, were found to be metal- 

 lic ores, which had not been hitherto recognized as fuch ; 

 and there feems now reafon to believe that the whole of 

 the fubftances that have been hitherto reckoned earths, will 

 be at laft found to be only metals in difguife. We are not 

 vet acquainted with the full extent of thefe recent difco- 

 veries, nor with the qualities of the metallic fubftances 

 produced ; but fome idea of them is given in the following 

 letter : 



Vienna, Aiigufl 27. 



'• You have probably heard of the wonderful difcoveries 

 " made by a Neapolitan in Hungary. /Born (hewed me 

 *' the regulus of the barytes, of the pure ma^nefian earth, 

 *' and the calcareous earth ; alfo tnolybdena, inanganefe and 

 " platiua, obtained without difficulty by the limple addi- 

 " tion of an inflammable fubftance. The reguli aj-c dif- 

 ^' tinguilhed by their fpecific gravities, and other qualities, 

 " from each other. The filicious earth is now the only 

 " primitive earth, the argillaceous being only a modifica- 

 *' tion of this. The other earths are merely metallic cal- 

 ** ces over-oxygenated. 



" To obtain the regulus, the earths were rendered as fine 

 *' as poffible, formed into a pafte with powdered charcoal 

 " by means of oil, and put into a crucible with more char- 

 *' coal, covered with iilicious earth, to prevent the approach 

 " of the external air •, one or more of thefe crucibles were 

 " then put into a larger, and furrounded with charcoal, 

 ■" the heat given Ilrong for five hours, and then, the ope- 

 *' ration found fo complete, that the platina is malleable, 

 " and the mangauefe no longer attradls the loadftone. 



