382 On the Method of Assaying Silver. [No. 



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That this result was not attained without much labour and much 

 patient investigation, and that his successors in office acknowledge 

 their deep obligation to Mr. D o d d ' s intelligent industry will be 

 apparent from the officially recorded testimony of two of them, which. 

 I think it due to him and to them not to withhold, when making 

 mention of the practical carrying out of this method of assay. 



Viz. Sir Wm. O'Shaughnessy, who was Deputy Assay 

 Master of the Calcutta Mint in Mr. D o d d ' s time, and himself a 

 practical chemist of high reputation, writes in April, 1852. 



a Previous to making over charge of the assay office to Dr. 

 "Shaw on the occasion of my proceeding to England on duty, 

 tl I deem it an act of justice towards the assay master, Mr. James 

 "Dodd to place upon record an acknowledgment of the enii- 

 u nent service Dr. Dodd has rendered to the Assay Department 

 " and to the art of assaying generally by his investigation of the 

 "analytical process for assaying silver, his improvements in the 

 il manipulation of the process, and his admirable system of arrange- 

 "nient which renders it capable of effecting in 24 hours more 

 " assays of silver than the mint can ever require in that time." 



Dr. Shekleton the present assay master (now on leave), 

 an assayer of long experience, when giving officially to the Mint 

 Committee at their request a detailed statement of the process, 

 says (April '55), "It would be quite impossible, however, by any 

 "mere description to form an adequate idea of the elegance of the 

 " process on the perfection to which it has been brought by the 

 " skill and unwearying industry of Mr. Dodd, late assay master. 

 li To him is due not only the merit of its introduction, but the 

 " removal of every practical difficulty in its working ; the confi- 

 " dence with which his system has been adopted by all his success 

 " sors is the highest tribute to its completeness and efficiency."* 



Method of assaying silver I y the " chloride process 11 (as conducted 



in the Calcutta Mint) given somewhat in detail. 

 The samples (or " musters") for assay are, to save time, first 

 approximately weighed by an assistant, they are then placed 



* When in the Madras Mint, I remember seeing recorded similar testimony 

 from Dr. Shaw, the Assay Master, when describing the process on recommend- 

 ing to the Madras Government its adoption in his office. 



