On the Manufacture of Bar Iron in India. 105 



English iron ; if it was fit for the purposes for which they 

 require it. Is it not known that gram kettles, sugar boilers, 

 and pans for Percottahs are manufactured in large quan- 

 tities by the Natives from their own iron; while every 

 workman knows, that the most superior iron is required 

 for these purposes, and that to make the same quality 

 practically termed, " boiler plate," in England, it is neces- 

 sary to go to the expense of using wood charcoal in the 

 refining process. Is it not known that 18,000 pagodas 

 worth of Native iron are yearly carried from the district of 

 Nuggar, in Mysore, on the Sea Coast, to Mangalore, and is 

 it supposed that this trade could be profitable if really good 

 English iron of equal quality was procurable at the Sea 

 Coast? Even at Bombay the Native iron is so highly va- 

 lued for boiler rivets, &c. that almost any price would be 

 given for it, if a sufficient supply could be obtained, and 

 yet I am told that the Native iron is " bad bar iron ;" that 

 it is "excessively red short;" that it is "intractable under 

 the hammer;" " that it is still to be proved that good mal- 

 leable iron can be made from the Indian ores ;" " that the 

 Indian ores contain nickel, titanium, &c. the proper mode 

 of separating which has not been discovered ;" " that the 

 proper flux for the Indian ore has not yet been discovered ;" 

 and other nonsense of the same kind. 



5. It is possible that some persons may have been de- 

 ceived by the Natives, who know perfectly by the appear- 

 ance of the slags the soft iron from the hard and steely ; 

 and they preserve the former for their own use, and for 

 those who deal regularly with them, and sell the latter to 

 those who make occasional applications to them. But the 

 greatest difficulty which a scientific enquirer has to overcome, 

 is to avoid deceiving himself, in taking for granted imperfect 

 results, without guarding against the causes of error. 



6. It is not easy to say, what would be the best method 

 of introducing into India the manufacture of bar iron ; for if 



P 



