Development of Phosphorus match manufacture. 21 



a white alloy was obtained ; but this also proves the 

 general statement already made, that the German- 

 silver manufacture was originated by means of new 

 observations. It was by a more skilful, but similar 

 mode of procedure that Cronstedt isolated the metal 

 itself, and thus laid a definite basis of improvements 

 in the manufacture of its alloys. 



No art is probably more antique, or remained 

 longer exempt from the influence of science, than 

 that of match making and obtaining a light. Many 

 adult persons can remember the primitive and old- 

 fashioned tinder-box, which had passed, with its 

 flint and steel, from one generation to another with- 

 out any material improvement. Phosphorus, it is 

 true, was definitely discovered at least as early as 

 the year 1669, but it was not applied to match 

 making till about 1833. Since then the progress of 

 invention has been so rapid that there are now 

 numerous manufactories which produce many millions 

 per day of phosphorus matches ; for instance, those 

 of M. Pollak, at Vienna, and of M. Fiirth, in 

 Bohemia, consume together more than 20 tons of 

 phosphorus annually, and give employment to about 

 6,000 persons, and as one pound of phosphorus 

 suffices for about one million German matches (or 

 600,000 English ones), those two makers alone pro- 

 duce the astonishing number of 44,800 millions of 

 matches yearly. 



Judging by means of the experience already 

 acquired, we cannot reasonably expect that dis- 



