THE ST. JOHN'S RIVER, FLORIDA. 



229 



which had probably formed part of one of those kettles which archasologists usually 

 incorrectly describe as of copper. 



The copper ears of a kettle from a Cayuga Iroquois grave, Venice, N. Y., found 

 in association with glass beads and other articles of European manufacture, yielded 

 to the analysis of Ledoux and Company the subjoined result: — 



Copper 



. 98-520 per cent 



Lead . 



. 0-362 



Silver 



. 0-026 



Antimony 



. 0-136 



Arsenic 



. 0-127 



Iron . 



. 0-016 



Nickel and cobalt 



. 0-211 



Bismuth 



Trace." 



The copper rivets from Iroquois brass kettle, Fleming, N. Y., afforded too small 

 a quantity of material to permit a complete quantitative analysis. Ledoux and 

 Company report upon them as follows : — 



"Copper 



97'03 per cent 



Lead . 



. Present. 



Silver 



Present. 



Iron 



Present. 



Cobalt 



Present. 



Nickel 



. Present. 



Arsenic 



Present. 



Antimony 



Present. 



Bismuth 



mi'* i * i • 



None. 



"Note: This is an exceedingly impure copper. The above elements, while de- 

 termined only qualitatively, are present in very considerable quantities, apparently 

 greater than in any of the samples we have hitherto examined for you. The lead 

 is especially high." 



We regret that, after many months of earnest endeavor, including extended 

 correspondence with those in all parts of the country likely to have it in their 

 power to aid us, we have been unable to secure other specimens of European copper 

 which had seen service with American aborigines, though abundance of brass was 

 obtainable. 



We shall now take up the important question of the presence of lead in 

 European copper. The introduction of lead during treatment was included in the 

 German method of smelting and with this method was adopted in England. Es- 

 pecially was lead a feature in sheet and drawn copper. 



The translators of Percy's Metallurgy, 1 in summing up the results of many 

 analyses, inform us that lead constituted an almost invariable element in wire and 

 sheet copper, basing their conclusion on the results of a considerable number of 

 analyses of English sheet and drawn copper, all of which show the presence of 

 lead, and we may add here that all similar works consulted by us, which cover the 



1 Loe. eit. 



