40 On the Manufacture of Bar Iron in India, 



" desiccation, or carbonisation produces a similar result. An- 

 " other and more important cause is, that if a true saving of 

 u fuel takes place by this process, it does not always shew itself 

 " in money results ; for if the works be at any distance from 

 " the woods, then the cost of green wood to the furnaces 

 *' increases. In order for the process to spread, the works 

 M would have to be seated in the woods. Whilst the 

 " furnaces only consumed charcoal, the endeavour was to 

 " place them near mines, rather than near forests, for the 

 " ore weighs more than the charcoal consumed : but wood 

 " weighing more than the ore, the neighbourhood of 

 11 forests must be sought, if torrefied wood is to be used 

 " to advantage. Besides a great number of furnaces are 

 " at the same time distant from both mines and forests, 

 " being forced to seek a site where water power was avail- 

 " able for the blowing machines. As the improvement which 

 *' has been completely successful, the use of the heat of the 

 " furnace to heat a steam blowing machine, allows in new 

 f* works a considerable saving of money to be effected by 

 " the use of torrefied wood. Water power for the blowing 

 " machines is in fact useless, and as far as the mines allow, 

 " the works may be placed in the midst of the woods of 

 " which they are to consume the produce." 



13. This method of using green wood is evidently just 

 the same as I have alluded to in my last paper, as having been 

 put in practice in my own investigations. But the vague 

 expressions made use of, with reference to the objections to 

 its use, such as " coolings down," and " fusion taking place 

 in a regular manner," serve to show, that the principle 

 upon which blast furnaces act is no better understood in 

 France, than it is in England; and so far from " coolings 

 down" occurring either in my blast furnaces or bloomery 

 furnaces, I have found that when once the furnace has been 

 properly constructed, and the proper arrangements made 

 to ensure the success of the operation, that the same result 





