290 Progress in Science. [April, 



the new journal is the " Quarterly Report on the Iron and Steel Industries of 

 Foreign Countries," prepared by the Foreign Secretary, Mr. David Forbes, 

 F.R.S. In addition to Mr. Forbes's able report, some notes on the British 

 iron and steel trades are contributed by the general secretary, Mr. J. Jones. 



Mr. George Fowler, a mining engineer of Batsford, purposes to effect an 

 improvement in the smelting of iron ores by reversing the conditions which 

 obtain in the blast furnace. It need hardly be said that in the ordinary process 

 the air which is forced in through the tuyeres near the bottom of the furnace 

 forms carbonic acid (carbon dioxide) by the union of its oxygen with the 

 carbon of the fuel ; but that this gas in its ascent through the incandescent 

 mass rapidly becomes reduced to the condition of carbonic oxide (carbon 

 monoxide), which then deoxidises the ore, and is, in fact, the true reducing 

 agent in the furnace. Inverting this action, Mr. Fowler injects a current of 

 carbonic oxide at the top of the furnace, which, in its descent, permeates the 

 ore and effects its reduction. He generates the carbonic oxide in a separate 

 furnace, by the passage of a limited amount of air over ignited fuel, and then 

 forces this heated gas into the furnace near the top, whence it descends 

 through the mass of iron-ore, which it deoxidises, whilst it becomes itself 

 partially converted into carbonic anhydride. That portion of the carbonic 

 oxide which remains unaltered suffers combustion by contact with the blast 

 from the tuyeres, and the heat thus generated suffices to fuse the metal and 

 slag, which, therefore, fall into the hearth in a molten state. The heated 

 carbonic acid and nitrogen are then passed through a Siemens's regenerator, 

 where they are made to give up their heat before finally escaping. 



The analysis of a genuine specimen of Wootz steel — the celebrated steel of 

 native Indian make — by Professor Rammelsberg, has shown that it contains 

 0*867 per cent of carbon, 0-136 of silicon, coog of phosphorus, and 0*002 of 

 sulphur, in addition to iron. It may be remembered that in Faraday's analysis 

 of wootz, a small quantity of aluminium was detected, and it is to the presence 

 of this element that the excellent quality of the steel has often been attributed. 

 Rammelsberg, however, has failed to find aluminium, thus corroborating the 

 results obtained by Karsten and Henry. 



A new mode of treating copper-pyrites, so as to form a rich matt previously 

 to smelting, has been devised by M. C. M. Tessie du Motay. After fusion in 

 a cupola, the pyrites is run into a peculiar" roasting apparatus, which consists 

 of two chambers or vessels connected below by means of a wide tubular 

 channel. Air or oxygen is injected through a number of orifices into the fused 

 sulphides, by means of which the roasting is effected ; whilst by varying the 

 pressure in the two chambers the material is forced alternately from one to 

 the other, and is thus subjected to a mechanical stirring, which greatly facili- 

 tates the reaction. By repeatedly fusing and re-roasting the product, if 

 needful, with the addition of silica, a rich matt is finally obtained^ and this is 

 then readily reduced and refined. 



MILITARY, CIVIL, AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING. 



The defensive works carried out for the protection of Paris occupied by no 

 means an unimportant part of our notes on engineering which appeared in 

 the last number of this journal. The capitulation of that city in January last 

 prevented any opportunity of fairly testing the success of such works, but the 

 lessons to be learned from this war between France and Germany have been 

 the means of causing other nations — and ourselves amongst the rest — to direct 

 their attentions to the attainment of weapons of larger calibre, superior 

 efficiency, and in far greater numbers than had heretofore been considered 

 necessary. We purpose, therefore, to give a brief account of some of the 

 principal arms now in course of adoption. 



Rifles. — From a description by a military correspondent of "The Times," 

 on the subject of French and German small arms, it appears that the chassepot 

 is of a longer range, inflicts a more dangerous wound, and has proved a more 

 effective weapon in every respect than the Prussian needle gun. The new 



