684 REPORT— 1880. 



There can be no argument in favour of the maintenance of the 21-cwt. ton and 

 allowance, except some antiquated custom, and there is much in favour of its imme- 

 diate abolition. We, the sellers of foreign ores, do not for a moment suppose that 

 so far as price is concerned the abolition of these absurd and antiquated customs 

 will secure us trnj advantage whatever. We are perfectly aware that the receiving 

 of these allowances by the buyer, and the giving of them by the seller, have all been 

 taken into calculation by both. Our only argument here is, what is the use of 

 introducing gratuitously into a simple calculation complications of this sort, wliich 

 are admittedly discounted previously? We consider this a grievance that only 

 requires to be stated to be admitted, and as its maintenance benefits no one, but 

 wastes time and leads to needless book-keeping, we earnestly trust our friends the 

 smelters will agree to their early discontinuance. 



5, 6. The Dry Assay and its relations to the truth, as shoicn by actual results, (fs 

 obtained by Smelting and by the Wet Process with vorks tvhere the Precipitate i< 

 refined, and Cupjm- sold as B. S. or Tough Cake. The Wet Assay tested in the 

 same manner, and as cotnpared with the Dry Assay. 



It will be more convenient to treat these two divisions of my subject together. 

 I do not intend here to enter into any description of either the diy or the wet assay, 

 and their modes of operation. In the Chemical Sections of this, or a future meeting, 

 I hope to have an opportunity of discussing these fully. 



What we importers of foreign ores have chieHy to complain of in the method of 

 the dry assay is the unreasonably long time it takes to get agreed results, and the 

 constant disputes, wliicli require a considerable amount of very unpleasant and 

 vexatious cori'espondence, which generally ends in a reference ; and all this con- 

 sumes valuable time. I have enough and to spare of statistics to prove this argu- 

 ment against the dry assay method — the long and inconsistent delay in settling 

 results — a delay and uncertainty in which the disputes are so chronic that I venture 

 to say no other class of merchants would have endured them one year without 

 seeking some remedy. 



A set of results furnished me by Messrs. Mason i^- Barry show that no possible 

 reliance can be placed upon the dry assay, as in the same cai'go, delivered from the 

 same ship, but divided amongst several customers, totally different results are ob- 

 tained. Now, I am not prepared to go so far as this, as it goes quite against mj- 

 general experience. In my view', it is a perfect proof that the mode of sampling is 

 utterly wrong, when the sampler for the buyer and the sampler for the seller are 

 permitted to take their samples by running over a series of loaded trucks and each 

 chip off about a shovelful from a six or ten ton truck from large pieces of ore. Mix 

 them together and call this a sample ! ! The results of divided cargoes — which, if 

 properly sampled, woidd go to prove the dry assay utterly worthless, are, when not 

 certain on the point of sampling, misleading — are jet so instructive, that I have 

 ventured to give them here as facts which bear somewhat of an important argument 

 against the di-y assay. 



Then against the dry assay we have a special charge that the assayers very often 

 disagree, and the result is a reference to a third assayer with a corresponding loss 

 of time. This has very frequently to be undergone, especially with burnt ores, and 

 in most cases the third assayer agrees "with neither of the others. 



As a contrast to this, I recently caused the Seville Sulphur and Copper Company 

 to send a sample from their usual imports from their two mines, one comparatively 

 rich and the other very poor, to five of the best known chemists who make a speci- 

 ality of analysis of minerals, and I give below their results, and it will be seen how* 

 closely they agree. 



Edward Riley, London 

 Fred Claudet, London 

 James S. Merry, Swansea . 

 Alfred H. Allen, Sheffield . 

 John Clark, Ph. D., Glasgow 



Average .... 6-80%. 3-42% 



