Royal Society. 59 
Ihe Iron-Works in Lancafliire^ by J^/r. John Sturdy. Phil 
Tranf. K° ipp. p. (^95. 
AT Mikhorp'forge in Lancafiire, they have feveral forts of 
iron-ftone of diflPerent natures j for Ibme make Coldpire 
ir6by that is, fuch as is brittle, when cold; another ibrt makes 
Redjhlre, that is, fuch as is apt to break, if it be hammered, 
when of a dark red heat, and therefore is never melted down 
but in mixture, and fo it yields an indifferent fort of iron 3 but it 
was much improved, by melting the fow-metal over again, as 
like wile by uiing turf and charcoal 5 whereas formerly their only 
fuel was charcoal^ they once made trial of pit-coal, but with bai 
fuccels^ the fmall dufty part of their charcoal is ufeful for burn- 
ing the iron-ftone^ for every i-] bafkets of this burnt ftone, they 
put one of lime-ftone unburnt, to make it melt freely, and call 
the cinder, which they always take off from the melted iron with 
a coal-rake at a hole in the furnace-mouth, before they let the 
metal jun j nothing remains in the bottom of the hearth, all be- 
coming either iron or cinder : The furnace is built on the fide of 
a hill, the bottom is about two yards Iquare, and fo riles perpen- 
dicular for a yard or more 5 it is alfo lined within Vv'ith a wall of 
the beft fire-ftone to keep off the force of the fires from the walls 
of the furnace 5 the bellows, which are very large, and played 
with water, enter about the middle of the Focus ^ the reft of the 
furnace is railed upon this, ^ or 7 yards Iquare wile, but taper- 
ing, lb that the fides draw by degrees towards each other, and 
the top-hole, at which they throw in balkets of flone and fuel, is 
but about half a yard fquare ; into this place they put down a 
pule, to know how far it hath fublided after a certain time, and 
when they find it to have funk about a yard and a half; then they 
put in more, till the furnace be full again. 
The furnace is very much like a common blackfmith's forge, 
about a yard and a half over, and of the fame height j the hearth 
is of low-iron, much of the fhape of a broad-brimed hat. with 
the crown downwards 5 this hollow place they fill and heap up 
with charcoal, and lay the ore, firil broken into pieces as big as 
a pigeon's egg, all round about the charcoal upon the flat 
hearth, to bake or neal it, and they thruft it in by little and lit- 
tle into the hollow, where it is melted by the blaft, which is 
continued for about 12 hours, feeding it ftill with new charcoal 
as it fettles^ then they pull out a ftopple at the bottom of the 
wall, and all the glaffy cinder, which is very liquid, runs out, 
and leaves the iron, which is never in perfect fufiou, in a lump at 
H 2 the 
