Dr. Genth's Contributions to Metallurgy. 421 



ably erroneous; so we find that different authors use notunfre- 

 quently the same name for altogether different substances. 

 ^ The white copper of the Chinese, more than any other metal 

 or alloy, appears to have attracted the curiosity ot the writers on 

 China John Francis Davis*, who generally seems to be very 

 weU informed, speaks of it as an alloy of copper zinc and iron 

 with a little silver, and occasionally some nickel. The pi^cess 

 of its manufacture, as he gives it, howevei;--directly fi-om the 

 powdered ore, mixed with charcoal dust, and placed m jars ovei 

 a- slow fire, and the vapours condensed in water— eaves no 

 doubt that the Chinese furnished him with their method of distil- 



\ 



Of the same substance speaks undoubtedly Father Maillat, 

 who observes that the Chinese, besides the common copper, have 

 another one of a white colour, which is obtained cbrectly torn 

 the ore and is called Pe-tongJ. He describes it as being white 

 on the fresh fracture, but very brittle and hard, and mentions it 

 as being frequently used in China,-that it is necessary, however, 

 Z add^'tutanegue or some similar metal to it, m order to -Hi- 

 it soft and less brittle. The meaning of lather MaiUa s tuta- 

 iie^^ue is unintelligible. The word tutanegue, or utenag means 

 .ine§; but it is frequently, although -7--^^^' ^^^^^ 1^,^ 

 infenor alloy of copper, zmc, and nickel. The uchest alloy 

 composed 0/ these three metals, the real pack-fong or, moi^ 

 correctly, paek-tong, is undoubtedly the most m erestmg of all. 

 The bes^t kind, which contains nearly 32 per cent. nickel, has 

 the colour of silver of 18 carats; this alloy is sometimes called 

 eleetium. There exists, however, in China a good many varieties 

 which contain a great deal less nickel. They are too well known 



'' S:;:Sry ttl^esting alloy is that from which the goi^ 

 are made, the so-called tam-tam metal. It contams about 80 

 per c^nt. of copper, and 20 per cent, of tin. This composition 

 seems to have been in use for many hundreds, perhaps thousands 

 of years, for an ancient cast coffin, found on the east side ot the 

 AUai mountains, near the boundary hue of China,save on analysis 

 Sie same substances,in almost exactly the same proportion. the 

 othei alloys of tin ami copper, that which is called Chinese si ver, 

 and which is used for mirrors, is the most interesting. We have 



• 'The Chinese.' By John Viaucis Davis New edition. Loudon, 1S51. 

 t HMrTylLledela Chine, tmluite du Tong-kien-kang-n.on. Par 



'' i'ZS:^ to Stan. Julien(Co,»;,/e5 Rendus, vol. xxiv. p. 1069), Pe- 

 'TuZ£^trS:^^::'^''^i^ von Emst Lndwlg Sehuhavth. 

 BerUu, 1S51. 



