304 MINING. 



operation, also a puddling furnace ; but soon it was found that the 

 quantity of ore remained far behind expectation. The works are 

 now in private hands, the government having tried unsuccessfully 

 to work them with the help of foreign engineers. The desire now 

 is to supersede the constantly diminishing supply of charcoal by 

 coke, and many attempts, for the most part unavailing, have been 

 made to manufacture it from the domestic coal. 



A charcoal furnace was built by some English engineers at 

 Nakakosaka in the province of Kotsuke, but it has returned little 

 profit to its owners up to this time. 



The quartzite lodes of the older slate rocks, which are the 

 beds of most Japanese ores, contain besides copper pyrites, the 

 sulphides of iron also in large and available quantities. It is 

 said too (on the oral testimony of the director of mines, 

 Vogel, at Freiberg), that magnetic iron pyrites is much more 

 universally abundant than white iron pyrites, as e.g., in the 

 frontier districts of Bitchiu, Bizen and Mimasaka, where the 

 copper mines of Ichigami, Nakaso, and others are situated. I did 

 not know that these sulphides of iron had been used for the pro- 

 duction of sulphuric acid, at all events, it did not occur in the 

 Mint of Ozaka, when the manufacture of this important substance 

 was first introduced into Japan some twenty years ago. On the 

 other hand, the inhabitants have long understood the preparation 

 of Beni-gara or red oxide (Colcothar), which they probably learned 

 from the Chinese. They used for this purpose then as now, the 

 abundant magnetic and iron pyrites, for Beni-gara plays a part 

 not only in their medical science, but is used in many branches ot 

 industry, especially in porcelain painting. In extracting it, the 

 iron pyrites is first roasted, then the calcined ore is leached with 

 water, the copperas crystallized and then heated to a glow. The 

 colour of Beni-gara is more vivid and beautiful red according as 

 the copperas used has been pure in quality, and as the trituration 

 of the heated residuum has been thorough and careful. 



The Japanese have only recently become acquainted with the 

 manganic oxides and their uses, and have accepted their European 

 designations. The most important of these, pyrolusite or man- 

 ganese ore, is found in many localities, chiefly however eastward 

 from Utsunomiya on the borders of Shimotsuke and Iwaki. 



Zinc, Jap. Totan, is found as zinc-blende in small quantities. 

 Nickel has not been discovered as yet, and cobalt only in a combin- 

 ation of small value, earthy cobalt, which however, was, formerly 

 of importance in Japan. The Japanese call it Guwa-sho-sei, or 

 Goshu, and according to its different appearance^ Seto-konjo, or 

 blue Seto, and its blue extract Yegusuri. Apropos of this, I take 

 from my note-book the following, made during my visit to the 

 porcelain district of Seto in Owari. 



" The blue cobalt glaze is interesting. The colour is extracted 

 from a black, earthy mineral (evidently a kind of Asbolite) which 



