144 DESCRIPTIONS OF MINERALS. 



England 5,600 tons. 



Prussia 8,000 " 



Russia 6,500 " 



Hungary 3,500 " 



Sweden and Norway 2,500 " 



Spain.... 7,500 " 



Portugal 5,500 " 



Japan 1,000 " 



South Australia 12.000 " 



South Africa 7,500 " 



Chili and Bolivia 46,500 " 



United States 12,600 " 



The total annual production is estimated bv Phillips at 126,000 to 

 130.000 tons. 



The metal copper was known in the earliest periods and was used 

 mostly alloyed with tin, forming bronze. The mines of Nubia and 

 Ethiopia are believed to have produced a great part of the copper of 

 the early Egyptians. Eubsea and Cyprus are also mentioned as afford- 

 ing this metal to the Greeks. It was employed for cutting instru- 

 ments and weapons, as well as for utensils ; and bronze chisels are at 

 this day found at the Egyptian stone-quarries, that were once em- 

 ployed in quarrying. This bronze (chalkos of the Greeks, and ces of 

 the Romans consisted of about 5 parts of copper to 1 of tin, a propor- 

 tion which produces an alloy of maximum hardness. Nearly the 

 same material was used in early times over Europe ; and weapons and 

 tools have been found consisting of copper, edged with iron, indicating 

 the scarcity of the latter metal. Similar weapons have also been 

 found in Britain ; yet it is certain that iron and steel were well known 

 to the Romans and later Greeks, and to some extent used for warlike 

 weapons and cutlery. Bronze is hardened by hammering or pressure. 



Copper knives, axes, chisels, spear heads, bracelets, etc., have been 

 found in the Indian Mounds of Wisconsin, Illinois, and the neighbor- 

 ing States ; and there is evidence that the Indians, besides using drift 

 masses of copper, knew of the copper veins of Northern Michigan, and 

 worked them, especially in the Ontonagon region, where their tools 

 and excavations have been discovered. 



Copper at the present day is very various in its applications in the 

 arts. It is largely employed for utensils, for the sheathing of ships, 

 and for coinage. Alloyed with zinc it constitutes brass, and with tin 

 it forms bell-metal as well as bronze. 



Brass consists of copper 65 per cent., zinc 35 ; with 53 '5 per cent, of 

 zinc the alloy is silver-white ; casting brass of 65-72 copper, 35-28 

 zinc ; or mo'u or Dutch metal, of 70-85 copper, 15-25 zinc, with 3 of 

 each, lead and tin ; brass for lathe-work of 60-70 copper, 28-38 zinc, 2 

 lead ; Muntz metal, for the sheathing of ships, 60 copper, 39 zinc, 

 1 lead ; spelter solder for brass, copper 50, zinc 50. 



Bronze for medals consists of copper 93, tin 7 ; for speculum metal, 

 copper 60, tin 30, arsenic 10 ; for casting bronze, copper 82-83, tin 1-3, 

 zinc 17-13 ; for gun-metal, copper 85-92, tin 8-15 ; for bell-metal, 

 copper 65-80, tin 20-35, antimony 0-2 ; antique bronze, copper 67-95, 

 tin 8-15, lead 0-1, zinc 0-15. 



Lord Rosse used for the speculum of his great telescope, 126 parts 



