VOL. XVII.] PHILOSOPHICAL. TEANSACTIONS. 571 



manufacture, and the processes now used by most nations are fraudulent, and 

 a poisoning of iron, by certain mineral salts, rather than a true making of steel. 

 The most ancient account is that given by Aristotle, Meteorologicor. 1. 4, c. 6, 

 which yet is very obscure and imperfect ; the passage is this, " Wrought iron 

 itself maybe cast so as to be made liquid, and to harden again ; and thus it is 

 they are wont to make steel ; for the scoria of iron subsides, and is purged off 

 by the bottom : and when it has been often defecated and made clean, this is 

 steel. But this they do not often, . because of the great waste, and because it 

 loses much weight in refining ; but iron is so much the more excellent the less 

 recrement it has." This account is a little confused, and not easily understood ; 

 it is indeed true, that iron is still better the more it is purged ; so, in our fur- 

 naces in England, those bars which are wrought out of a loop, taken up out 

 of the finery hearth, or second forge, are much better iron than those made in 

 the bloomery, or first hearth, because more purged of the dross, and accord- 

 ingly fetch a double price. It is also true, that even wrought iron may be 

 melted as often as you please. Again, iron, as often as it is melted and purged, 

 loses much of its weight. But after all, iron of itself, how often soever it is 

 purged and refined, will never become seel ; yet of it thus purged the best steel 

 doubtless may be made. And this is the most favourable construction that can 

 be put on this passage of Aristotle. 



We shall now give the best account how true steel is made at this day, 

 waving all fraudulent processes. The manner is this, faithfully described l)y 

 Agricola, De Re Metallica, lib. Q. And to confirm its antiquity, this way of 

 making steel is by Kircher said to be now in use in the island of Elba, a place 

 famous from all ages, even from the times of the Romans, for that metal alone, 

 down to our days. " Make choice of iron which is apt to melt, and yet hard, 

 and may easily be wrought with the hammer ; for although iron, which is made 

 of vitriolic ore, may melt, yet it is soft, or brittle, or eager. Heat a parcel of 

 such iron red-hot, and cut it into small pieces, and then mix it with a sort of 

 stone which easily melts: then set in the smith's forge or hearth, a crucible, 

 or dish of crucible metal, a foot and a half board, and a foot deep, fill the 

 dish with good charcoal, and compass the dish about with loose stones, to keep 

 in the mixture of stone and pieces of iron. As soon as the coal is thoroughly 

 kindled, and the dish red-hot, give the blast, and let the workman put on, by 

 little and little, all the mixture of iron and stone he designs. When it is 

 melted, let him thrust into the middle of it 3 or 4, or more pieces of iron, ancjl 

 boil them therein 5 or 6 hours, with a brisk, fire ; and putting in his rod, let 

 him often stir the melted iron, that the pieces may imbibe the smaller particles 

 of the melted iron, which particles consume and thin the grosser ones of 



4 D 2 



