80 REPORT — 1861. 



On ilie Ilisfori/ of the Alkali Manufacture. By W. Gossage. 



The author believed that the manufiicture of soda in Great Rritain, by tlie special 

 decomposition of common salt, had its commencement in Lancashire ; at any rate, 

 its largest develminient had taken place in this county. Previously to the esta- 

 blishment of the French republic, in 1/93, soda was obtained almost entirely from the 

 ashes of marine plants gi'owing at Alicante in Spain, Sicily, Teneriffe, and on the 

 coast of Great Britain. Large qu.antities of potash were also imported from Russia 

 and America, but now soda was exported to those countries which formerly sent 

 us potash. The importation of alkali into France being stopped by the French re- 

 volution, a committee was appointed by the French convention to discover means 

 of supplj-ing the article from France itself. The process suggested by Le Blanc 

 was approved of; but it was erroneous to suppose that his process was not invented 

 before the committee was appointed. Having given an account of Lo Blanc's 

 invention, Mr. Gossage said tliat it was very complete, and was the same as now 

 iised m both England and France. This invention had done more to promote 

 civilization than any other chemical manufiicture. The poor inventor, however, 

 met with the too common reward of talent, and after gi-eat privations died in an 

 asylum for paupers. Sundry alkali works were erected in France ; but the process 

 was not introduced into England until some years afterwards. In 1787 Messrs. 

 Gordon, Barron, and Co., of Aberdeen, applied chlorine, then recently discovered, 

 to the process of bleaching. A lar^e establishment was in the following year 

 established at Bolton. At first chlonne was used in the state of solution in water, 

 but the inconvenience of using it in that manner was overcome by the addition of 

 potash to the water. The next step was to substitute lime for potash, producing 

 solution of chloride of lime. This was the invention of ilr. Charles Tennant, of 

 St. Rollox, who aftei-wards manufactured chloride of lime in the state of powder. 

 This manufactOTe was canied out to a great extent. A gTeat obstruction to the 

 manufacture, however, was the high excise-duty on salt, which operated most in- 

 juriously. When Mr. Tennant's patent for manufacturing bleaching powder expired, 

 other parties began the same manufacture. Attention was directed to the utiliza- 

 tion of the mixed sulphate of soda and sulphate of manganese resulting from this 

 manufacture, and carbonate of soda, in crystals, was gi'aduaUy introduced into the 

 market. During the same period Mr. Losh was making crystals of soda, and might 

 be considered the father of the soda trade in this countrj'. Mr. Losh finished his 

 education on the continent, where lie learnt Le Blanc's processes. After his return, 

 he obtained permission of Government to work a spring of weak brine discovered 

 at Walker, on the Tyne, for the manufacture of soda. He there manufactured soda 

 ciystals ; but notwithstanding these essays, 1823 might be considered the natal 

 year of the soda trade as a special manufacture in Great Britain. In that year 

 common salt beino- relieved from fiscal impost, Mr. James Muspratt commenced 

 the manufacture ot sulphate of soda at Liverjiool, to be used for the manufacture 

 of carbonate of soda. Sir. Muspratt adopted Le Blanc's processes in their entirety. 

 He had to contend with many difficidties, but he overcame them all, and reaped a 

 satisfactory reward. Other manufacturers also commenced to make sulphate of 

 soda, by the special decomposition of common salt for the pui-pose of making soda ; 

 and it had since been found advantageous to adapt this method of working to 

 the production of bleaching powder, by using the nydrochloric acid so obtained 

 to generate chlorine by its action on manganese. In the early days of the soda 

 trade no attempt was made to condense the liberated hydrochloric acid gas. The 

 old apparatus of cylinders and Woulfe's bottles was totally inadequate for the 

 condensing. Many plans were suggested, and amongst others ho (Mr. Gossage) 

 obtained a patent m 1836. Having demonstrated the practicability of effecting a 

 complete condensation of hj'drochloric acid, by the erection and working of a set 

 of apparatus at the soda works with which he was then connected, he introduced the 

 plan to the trade, and it had been subsequently adopted by every manufacturer. 

 The principle of the invention consists in causing the acid gas to percolate through 

 a deep bed of coke, in small lumps, contained in a high tower, at the same time 

 that a supply of water flowed very slowly over the surface of the pieces of coke. 

 By this means an almost unlimited extent of moistened surface was presented 

 to the gas for effecting its absoi-ption, and as the same fluid descended through the 

 tower, it met with more gaa and gradually became charged to saturation ; whilst, 



