C 59 ] 
free from flaws. On the contrary the barr of iron 
turned out much otherwife, for, though it appeared to 
bear the force of the hammer, as well as the flee), 
yet it was not near fo pure, but broke out in flaws 
and hollows, almoft through the whole of the barr, 
and which a welding heat would by no means bring 
into proper union ; this however engaged us to try a 
different method, which was, when the barr was re- 
duced into a proper fize for the purpofe, to double it 
up three times, one part of the barr upon the other, 
and to try if it would then bear welding and become 
more confident, and by this means we found the end 
perfe&ly well anfwered ; for it bore the force of the 
fire and the hammer, and became in a manner per- 
fectly found. This fevere trial proved, to a demon- 
dration, that the iron pofled all that agreable tough- 
nefs and dudtility, for which the Spanidi iron is fo de- 
fervedly famous, without partaking of that vile red- 
fhire quality, for which the latter is very remarkable, 
and manifedly tends to prove the excellency of this 
land iron, when reduced into barr iron under proper 
care and circumlpe&ion. 
You will obferve, Sir, from the letter, that this 
fand is fo pure, and fo clean wafhed, that their firfl 
method of reducing the fand to barr iron proved 
too tedious, for want of fome of thofe adventitious 
materials, to promote and perform the fmelting, and 
which always accompanies the common ore, whether 
it be of the rock or bog kind j which materials, mix- 
ing with the matter, made ufe of by way of flux, and 
uniting with the afhes of the fuel employed in melt- 
ing down the ore, is ufually run into a thick opake 
I 2 glafly 
