1142 Asiatic Society. [No. 107. 



different districts. These are not always published, but many of those which are not 

 so may perhaps be obtained for us by the Honorable Court, through Mr. De la 

 Beche, or by the efforts of members and friends of the Society through their connec- 

 tions at home. 



I allude to American specimens here, and shall have occasion to do so again in the 

 course of this report, because there are peculiarities connected with the Geology of 

 both North and South America, which render every light obtainable from those 

 countries of the greatest interest to us. The use of anthracite in metrallurgical 

 operations, is but recent in England, and I am not aware that it has yet been used there 

 for steamers, though the Americans are said to use it very extensively in their 

 steam-boats. Models of all kinds of anthracite furnaces are an object of much 

 importance to India, where this combustible is so often found. 



III. Iron Ores and Smeltings. — The collection comprises about forty specimens of 

 iron ores, their lodes, smeltings, and slags. We must recollect, in relation to this 

 most important metal, in which India is so rich, that a considerable portion of the 

 Indian ores of it, are varieties of the black or protoxided class, as magnetic iron-ore, 

 titaniferous iron-sand, iron, glance, &c. though we have, as in Burdwan, and many 

 other places plenty of the other kinds, of the finest quality, while the majority of the 

 English wrought ores belong to the Red and Brown, or peroxided and carbonated 

 classes. Again : the whole system of English iron-smelting in the present day is one 

 of smelting by coke; whereas the finest European irons, as the Swedish, Biscayan, 

 Catalonian, some of the German, and all our fine Indian irons, are made by the 

 charcoal process. Many of our rich ores are moreover situated where wood is abundant, 

 and even a nuisance, and likely to be so for a long period of years ; while coal 

 (or coke) were it only from the want of roads, must be for a long time out of the 

 question in such situations, to say nothing of the limestone. 



Hence I should say, that it is a great desideratum in an Indian Museum, to possess 

 specimens of the Spanish, Swedish, German, Corsican, Elbese, Pyreneean, and other 

 ores of iron, of known fine qualities, worked by charcoal only, and often affording 

 excellent iron at a single operation, as many of our simple native smeltings are known 

 to do. As a guide to the Indian speculator, these ores, with descriptions or models 

 of their furnaces, and full accounts of their processes (when these are not to be found 

 in standard works of easy reference here) may be invaluable, as shewing him how 

 to direct his efforts most advantageously and upon a scale, perhaps, better suited to his 

 means than are the vast operations which the English iron-master, from the confined 

 rates of profit, and excessive competition at home, finds indispensable. I may add in 

 reference to this matter, that strange as it may appear to those unacquainted with 

 the subject, there is scarcely any question of metallurgic chemistry upon which so 

 little is known as that of the ores of iron ! 



IV. Tin Ores. — In this department the collection is very complete ; from the lodes 

 and ores, their roasting, stamping, washing, and smelting, down to the refuse of the 

 furnaces. In a word, almost nothing is here wanting, and I embrace with pleasure 

 this opportunity of saying that the mass of the specimens in all classes appears to be 

 what may truly be called working specimens, as distinguished from the show specimens 

 of the mineralogist's cabinets, and thus of much higher value for our purpose. 



The Tin assortment consists of about 2U specimens of ores and lodes of various kinds, 

 and of about 24 of the ore in various states of preparation, its smeltings, refuse, &c. 



