894 Asiatic Society. [No. 129. 



facture of Natural Steel in Southern India, received with the accompanying] letter 

 from Captain Campbell, Assistant Surveyor General, dated 9th instant. 

 I have the honor to be &c. 



(Signed,) H. Chamier, 



Chief Secretary . 

 (Copies.) 



To the Secretary to the Government of Fort St. George, in the Public Department. 



Sir, — With reference to a report in October 1841, I have the honor to forward a 

 report on the " Manufacture of Natural Steel in South India," which I request may 

 be laid before His Lordship, the Right Honorable the Governor in Council. 



2. Accompanying I have also forwarded a small piece, as a sample, of this steel 

 in the rough state, after having been forged, on removal from the furnace ; as also a 

 piece made up into the shape of a JSative carpenter's chisel, which has been in use 

 long enough to prove, that the stee'l will bear a temper as good, if not better, than 

 that of similar articles made in England. 



3. The purposes to which this steel might be applied, and in which the Govern- 

 ment must now expend vast sums of money are very numerous ; viz. ramrods for 

 muskets, axes, bill-hooks, and jumpers for the corps of Sappers and Miners, the 

 various tools of artificers, &c. &c. all of which could be made with iron and steel 

 manufactured in India, for very much less than they now cost from England. 



4. With reference to my proposal to undertake to manufacture iron, I shall be 

 happy at the same time to undertake to supply this steel at the rate of 150 rupees 

 per ton, and in quantities probably as large as can be required. 



5. I have the honor to remark, that in specifying the above rate for the cost of the 

 manufacture of this steel, and also of the iron, without requiring any further outlay 

 on the part of Government, I have been guided by the certain results of my experi- 

 ments, so as to secure myself against any loss, and do not deny, that the rates men- 

 tioned, will probably afford me a very handsome remuneration ; but that should His 

 Lordship, the Right Honorable the Governor in Council, be pleased to have suffi- 

 cient confidence in my knowledge and information in the various branches of physi- 

 cal science, to recommend that I should be employed to institute the manufacture in 

 question, at the risk and immediate expence of Government, I shall be happy to 

 endeavour to economise the expence of manufacture to the lowest possible rate, 

 which I am led to believe might be reduced as low even as 60 rupees per ton, as 

 I hope in that case that there may be no objection to a proportionate increase of my 

 monthly salary. 



6. In presuming to propose the institution of my manufactures in question, I am 

 quite aware that it has been stated as a dogma by political economists, that it is 

 objectionable for a Government to meddle with the manufactures of a country, or to 

 attempt unnatural fostering of any particular branch ; but with deference, I beg to be 

 allowed to suggest, that a sufficient distinction has sometimes not been made be 

 tween fostering a trade, and fostering the dissemination of the knowledge necessary 



