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Report upon the Manufacture of Steel in Southern India. By Captain 

 Campbell, Assistant Surveyor General. 



The mode of making the Indian Cast Steel, or Wootz, is up to the 

 present time a paradox with the learned of Europe. 



Dr. Buchanan in his " Tour in Mysore," published the first account of 

 the process, which he describes as fusing two pieces of iron in a crucible, 

 two pieces of wood, and two green leaves. 



In the 26th No. of the Madras Journal of Science, is given a reprint of 

 a paper by Mr. Heath, with reference to a letter addressed by the Royal 

 Society to the Right Honorable the Governor of Madras, in which he 

 repeats Buchanan's statement, and speculates upon the theoretical action 

 of the gases evolved from these two green leaves ; but that he was un- 

 acquainted with the true principle of the process is made evident by his 

 notice of Dr. Pearson's and Mr. Stoddart's opinions, that the steel is a 

 natural product. 



As supported by the opinions of good authorities upon the subject, 

 it does not appear that any one has been sufficiently presumptuous to 

 think of doubting the fact. This I, however, have taken the liberty to 

 do, in some remarks published in the 6th No. of Dr. McClelland's 

 Calcutta Journal of Natural History. 



As it appeared to me that the native process of smelting iron was 

 very rude and imperfect, and admitted of considerable improvement, 

 without making such alterations as would be impracticable for the fami- 

 liar use of the natives of India, I have had furnaces constructed, exact 

 models of those in general use, and have had their process repeated, so 

 that I might have opportunities of minutely examining every step of the 

 process. 



A result of my investigations, is, that the iron sand of India has the 

 property, by a peculiar modification of the blast, and proportion of the 

 fuel, of affording a natural steel of good quality as an immediate pro- 

 duct of the ore, or what is technically called, a " natural steel," and on 

 examining the common iron made by the natives from this ore, I find 

 that it always contains j- of steel, and often one-half of its weight. 



As the iron used at the localities mentioned by Buchanan is made, 

 (to my knowledge,) from the iron sand, the above fact at once affords 

 an explanation of the process so long paradoxical which is, that the 



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