1822.] - Pirotechnia of Venoceio Biringuccio Siennese. 865 
sition of the enamel (if we may so call it), as well as for its 
insertion into the cavities produced by the graver, may not, per- 
haps, be unacceptable to your readers. It has the merit of 
coming from an author who lived before the art. was yet obso- 
lete, and who seems himself to have been a practical man of 
considerable intelligence for his day. 
« The Niello,” he informs us, “is composed by taking one 
part of pure silver, two of copper, and three of pure lead, which 
must be fused together, and in that state poured into a long- 
necked earthenware matrass, half filled with levigated sulphur, 
the mouth of the vessel is immediately to be closed, and the 
contents left to cool. The mass which results, when levigated 
and washed, is ready for the purposes of the artist. The cavi- 
ties made by the burin having been filled with it, the plate is to 
be held over a small furnace fed with a mixture of charcoal and 
wood, taking care to distribute the enamel carefully with a pro- 
erinstrument. As soon as its fusion has taken place, the plate 
is to be removed, and when sufficiently cooled is to be cleared 
by the file, and polished by fine pumice and tripoh.” 
To the four ingredients here enumerated, the receipt given by 
Seratti adds a fifth, borax, the use of which is not immediately 
apparent. A small portion might, perhaps, be put into the cru- 
cible containing the alloy, to cover it, and facilitate its fusion, 
but it could scarcely enter into the composition of the enamel 
itself. 
The Pirotechnia of Biringuccio, from which the above is 
extracted, is a book of somewhat rare occurrence, and, for that 
reason, perhaps, has not been noticed as it deserves by those 
who have employed themselves in tracing the progress of mine- 
ralogy and metallurgy. It was first printed at Venice in the year 
1540, and, therefore, preceded by 20 years the more splendid 
volume of G. Agricola, which on subjects immediately connected 
with mining is unquestionably more copious and instructive, 
Biringuccio, however, embraces a much wider range, and his 
work is certainly better calculated to illustrate the state of know- 
ledge at the era of its composition than that of his German suc- 
cessor. The good Italian too manifests, if not so much of eru- 
dition, a far more lively play of the imagination. His work is 
divided into 10 books. The first treats of metals; the second, 
of semimetals, with some earthy and saline substances; the 
third, on the assay and reduction of metallic substances; the 
fourth, on the assay and refining chielly via humidd; the fifth, 
on alloys; the sixth, seventh, and eighth, on the art of casting 
metals, treating largely on all that concerns bell and cannon 
founderies ; the ninth, on distillation ; on the arts of the workers 
in gold, copper, iron and tin-wiredrawing, gilding; the manu- 
facture of metallic specula; sf crucibles, of pottery, and of 
mortar; the tenth, on nitre, gunpowder, artillery, and fireworks, 
This abridged table of contents will suflice to give a general 
