124 
POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
its position, to keep up with the metallurgical science of the day. In 
employing methods requiring much fuel, France could not successfully 
compete with England, and his object has been to discover processes which 
will place his own nation in a more advantageous position. It was 
formerly considered that the ores of Sweden and Russia were the only 
ones suitable for making iron destined to be converted into steel ; and it 
was also believed that the iron must obtain from its ore a sort of propensity 
for steel. M. Fre'my tried to find out from what this propensity resulted, 
and his analyses led him to believe that iron required not only carbon, but 
other metalloids, as phosphorus and nitrogen, in order to become steel. 
[These conclusions were at the time hotly contested in the Academy. J 
He came to England on the jury of the Exhibition, and saw Bessemer’s 
process, which left doubts on his mind whether it could be applied to the 
comparatively impure French iron ; but his experiments, conducted on an 
extensive scale, completely reassured him. It resulted that any iron, if 
sufficiently refined, could be converted into excellent steel by the necessary 
processes. He was able in twenty-five minutes to convert French cast- 
iron, worth about ten francs the 100 kilogrammes, into cast-steel worth 
150 francs the 100 kilogrammes. He is careful to say that in every case 
chemical examination of the iron is necessary in order to find out what 
constituents require removing, and what require adding. 
It is now known that Bessemer is making steel from a hematite pig-iron 
of the North, infinitely superior to anything ever produced on the old con- 
verting principle from the most expensive kinds of Swedish iron. Hence, 
as a trade circular remarks, “ there is great demand for hematite pigs.” 
There is a belief among practical men in Germany that pig-iron which 
contains copper cannot be puddled ; and it has been said that when one 
puddler wishes to annoy another, he will sometimes throw into the iron a 
bit of copper, such as a small coin, and that this prevents the iron from 
“ rising.” Dr. List, of America, has observed two instances which go to 
prove that this belief may possibly be correct. In one of these, where the 
puddling did not succeed, he found about 0‘3 per cent, of copper. 
The far-famed swords of Damascus were examples of the wonderful 
perfection to which the manufacture of steel could be brought, even in a 
long-forgotten age. The art of manufacturing them was lost for centuries. 
Besides their elasticity they were valued for the peculiar mixture of light 
and dark w r aves on their surface ; and it was long found impossible to 
imitate this appearance. At present, however, blades resembling the old 
Damascus scimitars, equalling them in temper and elasticity, are made at 
Solingen, in Germany, the only establishment of the kind in the world. 
A faggot is first formed of alternate fine bars or wires of iron and steel. 
It is drawn out, doubled, and twisted several times, and then formed into a 
ribbon. Two such forged ribbons are welded together, enclosing between 
them a thin blade of the best cutting English steel. After polishing, the 
Solingen Damascus blade is dipped for a short time into dilute sulphuric 
acid, which, by rendering visible the carbon of the steel, produces the wavy 
surface so much desired. The combined twisted iron and steel gives 
peculiar toughness to the weapon. 
M. Alf. Riche, in studying the difficult subject of metallic alloys, has 
