METAL INDUSTRY. 449 



in this art, as well as in making of fine metal 

 Netsukes. 



Pure silver or gold wares, or a combination of the two, were 

 formerly seldom manufactured. This has changed, however, since 

 the Japanese have visited the great International Industrial Ex- 

 hibitions. Lately the exhibitions in Nuremberg and other places 

 have shown in an astonishing manner how skilful the gold and 

 silversmiths of Kioto and Tokio are in treating these easily worked 

 and most responding of all metals, and in the effect which they 

 are able to lend to their artistic workmanship. 



As an Appendix to this Section, the following analyses of 

 Japanese and Chinese bronzes are given, together with those of other 

 bronze castings, for the sake of comparison. I call attention to 

 the following explanation of the tables : — 



Table A. Nos. 1,2,3,4, are analyses of old bronzes from the Japan- 

 ese temples, by Maumene in " Notes sur les bronzes du Japon," par 

 M. E.J. Maumene. Coinpies Rendiis, t. 80, 1875, pp. 1009 and loio. 



No. 5 is the analysis of a small Egyptian figure of Isis, by 

 W. Flight in \ht Joium. Client. Soc, 41, p. 134. 



Nos. 6, 7, 8. These analyses were published by E. Reyer in the 

 Journal fiir praktische Chemie, Bd. 25, 1882, p. 258, under the 

 title, ** Hartbronze der Alten Volker." 



No. 6 refers to bronze of Cyprus in the time of Alexander the Great. 



No. 7 is the analysis of an axe found at Limburg, a reddish, 

 gold-yellow alloy, that was coated firmly and toughly with thick, 

 green patina. It could be scarcely scratched with fluor spar. 



No. 8 is the composition of a chisel of Peschiera, a mixture of 

 deep yellow colour, and having a hardness like the preceding. 



All the bronzes mentioned here, show a very complicated com- 

 position. It would be a great error to assume that they originated 

 purposely from the weighing and smelting together of the con- 

 stituent parts. The opinion of Maumene, that they have been 

 obtained by mixtures of the ores of copper pyrites, galena contain- 

 ing antimony, and blend found in them, seems to me equally 

 erroneous. The metallurgic process of the ancient nations, 

 Japanese included, was not adapted to furnishing chemically pure 

 metals ; and thus we have the small proportions of iron, nickel, 

 cobalt, antimony, sulphur, etc., simply as impurities of copper, tin, 

 zinc, and lead. The same is true of the exceptions in which 

 bronze analyses show traces of precious metals. 



Table B. Nos. 1-7, are analyses of Japanese bronzes with dark 

 patina, published by H. Morin. Comptes Rend., tome yZy 1874, 

 p. 811. "Sur quelques bronzes de la Chine et du Japon a 

 patine fonce." The large proportion of lead which distinguishes 

 nearly all these beautiful alloys, approaches in No. 5 to the little 

 old Egyptian bronze figure, as given in Table A, No. 5. It is not 

 surprising also that Morin found traces of arsenic and sulphur in 



II. G G 



