200 Messrs. Stodart and Faraday on [March, 



yet found a crucible capable of bearing the high degree of tem- 

 perature required to produce the perfect reduction of titanium ; 

 indeed we are rather disposed to question whether this metal 

 has ever been so reduced : our furnaces are equal* (if any are) to 

 produce this effect, but hitherto we have failed in procuring a 

 crucible. 



The metals that form the most valuable alloys with steel are 

 silver, platina, rhodium, iridium, and osmium, and palladium ; 

 all of these have now been made in the large way, except indeed 

 the last named. Palladium has, for very obvious reasons, been 

 used but sparingly ; four pounds of steel with l-100th part of 

 palladium, has, however, been fused at once, and the compound 

 is truly valuable, more especially for making instruments that 

 require perfect smoothness of edge. 



We are happy to acknowledge the obligations due from us to 

 Dr. Wollaston, whose assistance we experienced in every stage 

 of our progress, and by whom we were furnished with all the 

 scarce and valuable metals ; and that with a liberality which 

 enabled us to transfer our operations from the laboratory of the 

 chemist, to the furnace of the maker of cast steel. 



In making the alloys on a large scale, we were under the 

 necessity of removing our operations from London to a steel 

 furnace at Sheffield ; and being prevented by other avocations 

 from giving personal attendance, the superintendence of the 

 work was consequently intrusted to an intelligent and confiden- 

 tial agent. To him the steel, together with the alloying metals 

 in the exact proportion, and in the most favourable state for the 

 purpose, was forwarded, with instructions to see the whole of 

 the metals, and nothing else, packed into the crucible, and 

 placed in the furnace, to attend to it while there, and to suffer it 

 to remain for some considerable time in a state of thin fusion, 

 previous to its being poured out into the mould. The cast ingot 

 was next, under the same superintendence, taken to the tilting 

 mill, where it was forged into bars of a convenient size, at a 

 temperature not higher than just to render the metal sufficiently 

 malleable under the tilt hammer. When returned to us, it was 

 subjected to examination both mechanical and chemical, as well 

 as compared with the similar products of the laboratory. From 

 the external appearance, as well as from the texture of the part 

 when broken by the blow of the hammer, we were able to form a 

 tolerably correct judgment as to its general merits ; the hardness, 

 toughness, and other properties, were further proved by severe 

 trials, after being fashioned into some instrument, or tool, and 

 properly hardened and tempered. 



It would prove tedious to enter into a detail of experiments 

 made in the Royal Institution; a brief notice of them will at 

 present be sufficient. After making imitations of various speci- 



* We have succeeded in fusing in these furnaces rhodium, and also, though imper- 

 fectly, platina in crucibles. 



