No. 16L] 
51 
metallic basis of the lime, and is found in the scoria in the state of 
sulphuret of calcium. 
A more serious difficulty in the way of the successful employ- 
ment of anthracite in the smelting of iron ore in the high furnace 
is, that upon the first application of heat, it decrepitates and be- 
comes friable; being thus broken into small pieces under the pres- 
sure which it has to support, it very soon chokes up the crucible 
to such a degree as to prevent the free passage of the air from the 
tuyeres. It is stated by Berthier, that it is owing to the latter 
cause that they have been obliged to abandon the use which was 
attempted to be made of the anthracite of Mure in the high furna- 
ces of Vizilles, in France. 
^ It has been suggested that this objection may be diminished, if 
not entirely overcome, by mixing wood with the anthracite. And 
perhaps if the heat produced should be sufficiently high, the flame 
of this combustible made to pass through the ore and flux, and 
urged by a powerful hot blast, might produce the desired result. 
As experiment alone can decide, it is a matter of general interest 
that the correctness of this idea is about to be put to that test. 
My remarks upon the practical part of this inquiry have already 
been extended so much beyond the proposed limits, that I can add 
nothing concerning the improvements recently introduced by the 
substitution of the hot blast for that of cold air as commonly em- 
ployed. Suffice it to say, that although the results of the ex- 
periments upon this point are somewhat at variance, there seems 
to be little doubt of the value of this invention, and it therefore 
commends itself to the particular attention of our manufacturers. 
ORES OF LEAD AND ZINC. 
Although these ores have for a long time been known to occur 
in various parts of this State, they have, during the past year, ex- 
cited very great, and in some districts, very general attention. 
And from the facts which have already transpired, there seems to 
be little doubt that lead, and perhaps zinc, will be ranked among 
our most important mineral productions. 
The most common ore of lead hitherto discovered is a compound 
of the metal and sulphur, known by the names of galena, or sul- 
phuret of lead. Among the localities of this mineral in our State 
may be mentioneH those of Rossie and Morristown, in St. Law- 
