342 THE SCIENTIFIC PAPERS OF 



of producing the requisite quality of heat without the use of 

 charcoal and blowing apparatus. I engaged, accordingly, upon a 

 series of experimental researches at my sample steel works, at 

 Birmingham, and, in 1873, I had the honour of submitting the 

 first fruits of these enquiries to the Iron and Steel Institute, in a 

 paper entitled " On the Manufacture of Iron and Steel by a Direct 

 Process." Encouraged by the results I had then obtained, I ven- 

 tured with others upon some larger applications, the principal one 

 of which has been made at Towcester, in Northamptonshire. 



If viewed by the light of present experience, it would have been 

 wiser to have fixed upon another locality with fuel, skilled labour, 

 and better ores within easy reach ; but in extenuation of the error 

 committed, it may be urged that the site was fixed by force of cir- 

 cumstances rather than by selection, the chief temptation being 

 an ample supply of small Northamptonshire ore at a very low cost. 

 It was, however, soon discovered that this ore, although capable 

 of producing iron of good quality, was too poor and irregular in 

 quality to yield commercial results unless it was mixed with an 

 equal weight of rich ore, such as pottery mine, Spanish ore, or 

 Roll-scale, all of which, as well as the fuel, are expensive at Tow- 

 cester, owing to high rates of carriage. It is in consequence of 

 these untoward circumstances that the works at Towcester have not 

 been completed by the addition of rolling mills, the intention being 

 to transfer the special machinery ultimately to existing ironworks 

 when the process has been sufficiently matured for that purpose. 



The Towcester Works were visited, in the autumn of last year, 

 by two eminent metallurgists, Professors Von Tunner, of Leoben, 

 and Akermann, of Sweden, who have published the results of their 

 observations in separate reports.* The results noted down by Mr. 

 Von Tunner are referred to by our past-president, Mr. I. Lowthian 

 Bell, in his paper on the " Separation of Carbon, &c.," which was 

 read in March last, and will be discussed at the Newcastle meet- 

 ing. The criticisms contained in these publications are conceived 

 in the fairest possible spirit, and form indeed a most valuable 

 record of the progress achieved up to that time, but they furnish 

 me with an inducement to break silence sooner than I had in- 

 tended, regarding the further progress which has been effected, 



* Das Eisenhiittenwesen von L. Ritter von Tunner, Wien, 1876. 



