Iron* 
may daily see manifested in almost every department 
of the foundery and forge. By a just comprehension of 
it, and a proper appreciation of its effects, we have a key 
for the elucidation of the source and action of many facts 
long wrapped in mystery, or which have been explained 
upon principles destitute of stability, and nnallied to the 
fundamental operations of truth. 
In place of withdrawing the crucible immediately upon 
the separation of the crude iron, were it to remain for an 
hour longer under an inferior degree of heat, so as to con- 
solidate the metal without again fusing it, then the whole 
mass would be found malleable ; the scoria light and po- 
rous. In one of my experiments upon tile haematites va- 
riety, I obtained from 1 lb, avoirdupois, or 7000 Troy 
grains, an ingot of line malleable iron weighing 4486 
grains ; a produce equal to 64 per cent 
An oxygenating flux was however used, and nearly the 
whole contents in iron previously revived. In experi- 
ments without the addition of a flux, the transmutation from 
cast to malleable iron is shortened, but the produce is not 
more than 5-8ths of the intrinsic contents of the ore. Even 
this process may be considerably shortened by removing 
the covering of vitrified earths floating upon the surface of 
the metal : thus the small portion of tile carbonaceous 
principle constituting fusibility is almost instantly carried 
off by the combination of oxygen ; the metal loses its flu- 
idity, becomes thick and clotted, and more speedily pass- 
es into the malleable state. In this process the quanti- 
* This might be adduced as a proof that crude iron contains 
more parts congenial to malleability than is generally admitted, or 
than is manifested in the operation of converting it into malleable 
iron at the forge : the loss there has already been mentioned to 
amount to from 30 to 50 per cent, of real metal ; in this assay, how- 
ever, the produce in malleable iron was only 4,5 less than when 
accurately assayed, and rich carbonated crude iron was obtained ; 
in which, too, the carbon constituted a part of the weight. 
