CHEMICAL MANUFACTURES ON THE TYNE. 129 



by the fact that the celebrated firm of Messrs. Tennant have purchased 

 land with the intention of removing the greater part of their works 

 from Glasgow to the banks of the Tyne. Charles Cooper, an overman 

 at Walker Colliery, informs ns that he was employed by Mr. Losh in 

 1798, and that crystals of soda were then manufactured and sold by Mr. 

 Losh. The salt obtained from the brine spring on the premises was 

 evaporated in small lead pans, and was afterwards decomposed by 

 litharge. The soda so produced was crystallised in small lead cones, 

 and when it had stood sufficiently long to crystallise, the cones were 

 turned up side down to run off the mother liquor. The crystallising 

 process was then only carried on in the winter months. C. Hunter, 

 Esq., of Walker, further informs us that in 1816 he sold about half a 

 ton of soda for Mr. Losh to a Mr. Anderson, of Whitby at 601. per ton. 

 The following details will embrace a brief account of the source of 

 the raw materials, and the various improvements which have been 

 recently introduced : — 



Source of Sulphur. — Until within the last few years Sicilian 

 sulphur was almost exclusively employed in this district for the manu- 

 facture of sulphuric acid — the pyrites from Wicklow being the only 

 other source of supply. This latter, however, was not sufficiently abun- 

 dant to render the manufacturer independent of the great fluctuations 

 which have recently taken place in the price of sulphur, on account of 

 the demand consequent on the vine disease. During the last few years 

 the following additional sources of supply have become available : — 1st, 

 Belgian ; 2nd, Norwegian ; 3rd, Spanish or Portuguese ; 4th, Italian ; 

 5th. Westphalian pyrites. 1. The Belgian pyrites has the advantage 

 of being shipped at Antwerp at a moderate freight to the Tyne. It is a 

 very hard, compact material, containing about 50 per cent, of sulphur, 

 and therefore nearly approaches a pure bi-sulphuret of iron. The burnt 

 residue from one manufactory on the Tyne (the Walker Alkali Works) 

 after being roasted in a lime-kiln to burn off the small remaining 

 portion of sulphur, is regularly used as an iron ore at the adjoining iron 

 works. It contains no copper, and from three to five per cent, of arsenic. 

 2. The Norwegian pyrites is shipped at Levanger. It contains 44 per 

 cent, of sulphur, is easily broken, and does not readily flux in the kiln. 

 The quantity of copper it contains being less than 10 per cent., the burned 

 residue cannot be profitably smelted for copper. 3. The most exten- 

 sively used pyrites is shipped from Huelva, in Spain, and Pomeron, in 

 Portugal. The mines are situated on each side of the boundary between 

 the two countries. They were most extensively worked in ancient 

 times, but their recent development has arisen from the use of the 

 ore as a source of sulphur. Containing only 2 to 4 per cent of copper, 

 it was unable to compete with the richer ores which from time to time 

 became available in different parts of the world, but the mining is now 

 rendered profitable by the value of the sulphur being realisable as well 

 as that of the copper. The percentage of sulphur varies lrom 46 to 50 

 VOL. IV. L 



