13 



rather higher, which item forms nearly 75 per cent, of the 

 cost; from which circumstance it has been very fairly con- 

 cluded, that the price of the best pig iron made has been 

 brought down at least 30s. per ton lower than it would other- 

 wise have been by the badness of trade generally, had not the 

 use of hot air been introduced in its manufacture. 



In addition to the observations I have already made on this 

 subject, I may refer you to the price current of the present day, 

 and you will see the price of cold blast pig iron in South 

 Wales stand at £3 10s. per ton for No. 1; hot blast pig 

 iron in the Clyde, £2 10s. per ton for No. 1 ; and, upon the 

 whole, it seems this case may now be thus summed up, — 



The saving in the make of pig iron by the use 



of hot blast may (generally speaking) be ...£0 12 6 per ton. 



Deteriorated value of such iron in the general 



market 10 0 do. 



Deteriorated value in the Yorkshire district ... 1 12 6 do. 



Deteriorated value of castings made of such 

 iron, in the simple article of railway chairs, 

 as reported to the Institution of Civil En- 

 gineers, on the 1st day of March last, by one 

 of their own body, of the first eminence, and 

 of very great experience in such matters ..4 0 0 do. 



Deteriorated value of wrought iron when manu- 

 factured from pig iron so made, in the market 6 0 0 do. 



Indeed, in the last-named kind of iron, engineers and 

 intelligent manufacturers are agreed, and the experiments I 

 have before referred to show, that £6 per ton is far too low 

 an estimate of its deterioration, and particularly when we 

 reflect how very much bar (and other) iron has now to do with 

 the personal safety of millions of our fellow creatures. 



A desultory conversation followed the reading of the 

 Paper, at the close of which, Mr. Morton said that he did 

 not profess to understand the subject, but he would suggest 

 that it should be brought forward and fairly discussed at 

 another meeting of the Society. When they considered the 



