1824.] On (he Ancient Tin Trade. 175 



short of the support ; the foil is secured at the last coil by bind- 

 ing wire, as at I. 



Fig. 5 shows the foil in act of being wrapped on, also the pro- 

 portion of the space occupied by the materials ; first, the mixture 

 of oxide of copper with the material to be analyzed, next pure 

 oxide of copper, or copper filings ; and lastly, asbestos. When 

 the quantity of water formed is considerable, the tube is either 

 blown into a bulb, as at k, fig. 6, or melted on to one ready pre- 

 pared, as at /. 



Fig. 7 is a long funnel, made by drawing out the end of a tube 

 of a suitable thickness at m, till it is long and small enough 

 through n n to reach to the bottom of the tube, and then cutting 

 it off at in, by which liquids maybe introduced to the bottom of 

 the tube without wetting the sides. 



As the wicks nearest the trough are to be lit first, and the 

 remainder in succession, as the former finish their action, there 

 are upright supports of tin, o o, fixed on the lamps, one for each 

 space between the burners, against which to rest a slip of tin p p, 

 to prevent the lighted wicks from kindling those next, and it 

 also enables the experimenter to blow out those that have done 

 their duty. In fig. 2, the tin slip, p p, is shown by dotted lines, 

 reaching from lamp to lamp: little flat caps are put on each 

 burner when done with, to prevent the waste of spirit. Fig. 8 

 shows one of these caps, q, on its place ; rr, fig. 1, a shelf fixed 

 to the mercurial trough, to hold the lamps ; s s the graduated 

 jar. Tin pipes with corks, w w, as shown in fig. 2, are the 

 apertures to pour the spirit into the lamps ; their places only are 

 marked at w to, fig. 1. 



Article IV. 



On the Ancient Tin Trade, as described by the Rev. J. Hodgson. 

 (To the Editor of the Annals of Philosophy.) 



SIR, IIucl For, Cor ii mi 11, Jan. 1, 1824. 



One of the adventurers in our mine very obligingly lends me 

 the Annals of Philosophy, with which I am much amused in the 

 winter evenings. In No. 36, for December, 1823, there is a 

 paper " On the Era when Brass was used in Purposes to which 

 iron is now applied," by the Rev. J. Hodgson; and I find it 

 mentioned there, " that it is probable that the Egyptians or 

 Phoenicians had made mercantile voyages to this country " (the 

 land of the Britons) " more than lb centuries before that time" 



ii. e. the time of Julius C*sar). " That it was known to the 

 Phoenicians in the time of Homer, his accounts of amber and 

 tin are unquestionable evidence." " And there can be no doubt 



