Mr. J. Taylor's Lectures on Metallurgy. 4.57 



This is a complicated and expensive mode, as it always 

 wastes some of the mercury, which is very costly : however, it 

 is in very general use, and is conducted with great precision 

 in Germany; the process was much impi'oved by Baron Born 

 in 1786. The original application of this method seems to 

 have been in Mexico, in 1566, by a Spaniard called Don Pe- 

 dro Fernandez de Velasco. It is much eulogized by foreign 

 writers, but I have often thought it might be superseded with 

 advantage by simpler processes of smelting and cupellation, 

 as practised in England ; and I believe an attempt of this kind 

 is now making by English smelters in Peru. A German 

 mineralogist of the name of Raspe some time since translated 

 Baron Bom's works into English, and in a preface strongly 

 recommended amalgamation to our copper miners in Corn- 

 wall. As the ores now raised there amount to 100,000 tons 

 in a year, it is not very likely that we should substitute mer- 

 cury for coal. 



The metals raised in this country form an important part 

 of our national wealth: they are exported in considerable quan- 

 tities in their unmanufactured state ; but a greater proportion 

 are worked up into innumerable forms, and thus contribute 

 much more largely to the general stock, in the employment 

 and encouragement of industry and ingenuity. 



The most important metals produced in Great Britain are: 

 Iron — Copper — Lead — Tin. 

 With respect to the first, the iron-works of this country, as is 

 well known, are of immense extent, and are rapidly increasing 

 in produce. By improved methods of manufacture, iron has 

 of late years been much reduced in price, and this has in- 

 creased the demand both at home and abroad. 

 The manufacture of iron may be computed at 



Wales 150,000 tons. 



Shropshire and Staffordshire 180,000 



Yorkshire and Derbyshire 50,000 



Scotland and other places 20,000 



400,000 



51. per ton 



^€2,000,000 

 Of the softer metals Mr. Taylor spoke with more certainty, 

 as being largely interested in their production from mines in 

 different parts of the kingdom ; of these copper is the most 

 valuable. 



Vol.61. No. 302. June 1823. 3 M The 



