408 On the Porcelain Clay, and Buhr-stone 
of Halkin and French buhrs, fixed in alternately, and these were 
set up more than three years ago at the Hornmills, near Dun- 
ham-o’-th’- Hill, in Cheshire. Mr. John Peers, the present 
tenant of this mill, entered on it nearly three years ago, and he 
states that ‘* the stones were in a rough state, and required six 
months to get them to a proper face, when they ground wheat 
as well as the best French stones, and have ever since continued 
todo so; that he prefers the Halkin and French stones (mixed) 
to those of French buhrs entirely, as they grind faster, and 
as well, and full as cool as the French; that he uses them for all 
purposes, and considers them equal in every respect, and superior 
in some respects to the French bubhrs.”’ 
A large buhr got about the same time, was sold to Mr. John 
Edwards, the occupier of a small mill at Ysceifiog, in Flintshire; 
he states ‘* that from various causes the buhr was not used till 
about twelve montlis ago, when he shaped it into a millstone of 
three feet six inches diameter; that he has no French stones, 
but used this as a runner over a blue stone for grinding wheat, 
and found the flour of good colour, and the bran broad and light; 
that the stone would bear the finest cracking, and continued to 
improve and harden till he left the mill in November last.” 
The next sale was to John Dumbell, Esq., of the Mersey Mills, 
Warrington (said to be the largest establishment in the kingdom, 
and containing twenty-two pair of mill-stones), and he certifies 
that “in March 1820 he received a quantity of Halkin buhrs, 
which he had forthwith made into mill-stones, and these were so 
much approved, that in May 1820 he had buhrs for a second pair ; 
that the two pair of Halkin millstones had been regularly at work 
ever since, and continue to give great satisfaction to the bakers and 
flour-dealers; that he conceives they are precisely the same kind 
of stone as the French buhrs, and cut the grain like them, and 
are like them in respect to oatmeal, in which neither French nor 
Halkin stones are used to advantage; and he considers the dis- 
covery of great national importance.” Messrs. Hurstfeld and 
Passand (now the occupiers of some large mills at Lymm, near 
Warrington, but who were lately foremen to Mr. Dumbell, and 
have been practical millers nearly thirty years) state “¢ that they 
made the Halkin stones which were set up at the Mersey Mills, 
where there are nine pair of French stones at work ; that they made 
an experiment with some wheat, by grinding some on the best 
French pair, and some on the Halkin stones, in order to compare 
the flour, in which there was scarcely any perceptible difference, 
though the preference was given in favour of the Halkin stones 
by a corn- and flour- dealer to whom the samples were shown ; 
that bread was made from each, but no difference could be per- 
ceived; that at first they thought the Halkin stones not quite 
so 
