On the Origin and Discovery of Iron. 249 



situate in the fire, that the materials operated upon may during 

 tiie whole process be subjected to its greatest intensity. 



With due attention to these precautions, and to some minor 

 cu'cumstances in the manipulation of the experiment, which I 

 shall not take up the Society's time in detailing, it is believed 

 that the decomposition of potash, by means of iron, might in 

 every instance be effected with almost entire cei'tainty, and 

 potassium be obtained in great abundance. 



XLVI. On the Origin arid Discovery of Iron. By 

 David Mushet, Esq.* 



[Continued from page 167-] 



JH.OWEVER rude an instrument, in the hands of the early iron- 

 maker, we may m our times consider the blast-bloomery to 

 have been, yet there can be no doubt that in an operation so dif- 

 ferent from, and so much more complete than, the more ancient 

 air-bloomery, many difficulties attended its general introduction. 

 Prior to this, bellows must have been invented and in com- 

 mon use, and their construction substantial and well under- 

 stood, before they were made powerful enough to smelt ores 

 of iron. It is also very probable that they were long used to 

 forge the iron produced in the air-bloomery, before they were 

 applied to the department of smelting. 



Accident alone in almost every instance is the source or 

 cause of invention. Anomalies in the arts and manufactures 

 appear and vanish without notice or attention ; and it is only 

 when these fall under the observation of persons of investigat- 

 ing habits, that they are ever philosophically accounted for, or 

 made subservient to useful or beneficial purposes. Bellows, 

 in the first instance, were likely applied in the bloomery upon 

 any occasional diminution of the usual or necessary current of 

 air ; by and by some advantage as to (juality, produce, or time, 

 might be j)rocured, which would give rise to their more general 

 introduction towards the conchuling i)art of the process, in 

 order more c nnpletely to separate the iron from its oxide and 

 fifom the earths, and to unite the masses more firmly together, 

 to withstand the shock of the hammer. The partial ajipHcation 

 of the bellows, however, was widely diflercnt from its more 

 general application to the purposes of smelting. In the old 

 process the pieces of ore were matured by a long j)eriod of 

 cementation; but no perfect fusion or separation took place. 

 The metallic particles coalesced, and part of the oxidCs and 

 earths were discharged in conse<|uence of their being fusible 

 * ('ominunicutfd bv ihc Author. 

 Vol.60. No. 2'Jl. Oct. 1822. " 1 i at 



