Sxey.—Electro-motive Order of Certain Metals. 835 
“‘flouring,” is mainly due, in the process cited above; such ferric salts 
being able to either oxidize or chlorodize the surface of any mercury they 
may be in contact with, thus enfilming it with a compound, which being 
practically insoluble in water, or in water charged solely with the salts 
occuring in mineral workings, prevents that metallic contact taking place 
between detached mercurial globules, which is necessary to amalgamation. 
In remedying or preventing flowing so occasioned, this salt, (Cyanide of 
Potassium) acts by decomposing these mercurial compounds and dissolving 
in part or wholly their constituent portions, while the surface of the mereury 
not thus floured, it keeps metallic, by preventing ferric salts acting in the 
manner stated ; these salts being decomposed by this cyanide as they would 
by any other salt, having as it has, an alkaline reaction.* 
In effecting these useful results it is thus seen that cyanide of 
potassium dissolves a portion of the mercury used ; besides this there may 
be another portion of mereury, though a much smaller one dissolved away 
from the metal itself by the direct action of the cyanide upon it, aided by 
the free oxygen always present; this happens if no metal is dissolved in 
the mercury used, or is in contact with it, having a greater affinity for 
cyanogen than mercury has. Moreover, in thus contemplating the con- 
tingencies entailed or risked by the use of any alkaline cyanide in such 
illing operations, it must be remembered that both gold and silver are not 
absolutely insoluble in these cyanides. 
Now, the loss of mercury in this way may not be serious, but if gold 
or even silver be thus lost (that is by its solution) even in much less quan- 
tity than mercury well could be, the loss then may be serious. 
Now whether the loss of metal certain to be entailed by the use of cyanide 
of potassium, falls upon the mercury or upon the gold or silver of these 
blankettings, conjointly or separately, depends entirely upon this relative 
affinity of these metals for this salt, or in other words, it depends upon 
their electro-motive order therein. ; 
According to our present knowledge in regard to this subject, mercury 
is positive both to gold and silver, under these circumstances, the loss of 
metal would therefore fall upon the mercury, which is of course desirable : 
thus we have it distinctly affirmed that “ neither gold, silver, or platinum, 
directly percipitate mercury from its solutions,’ But feeling the import- 
ance of this subject, and moreover having for various reasons grave doubts 
as to the correctness of these opinions, I investigated this matter for myself, 
and soon found that in reality mercury is not positive to either gold or 
* I will reiterate here, the opinion of mine already published, that before putting in 
the cyanide to the blankettings, they should be made alkaline by the addition of common 
soda ; less cyanide would then be requisite, and thus working expenses be reduced, 
