Steel. 
were produced from the combustion of 28,235 grains of 
welch coal, which is a graphite or anthracite coal, burn- 
ing with little or no flame or smoak, and similar to the Le- 
high and Wilkesbarre coal of Pennsylvania, or the Kilken- 
ny coal of Ireland. Also that 28,46 grains of plumba- 
go or black lead produce 100 grains of carbonic acid gas ; 
the additional weight in these cases arising from the oxy- 
gen employed in the combustion, and united to the car- 
bon. Also that pure well burnt charcoal of wood, made 
in a white heat in a close vessel, and weighed while it is 
still quite hot, consumes as much oxygen to convert 
it into carbonic acid, as the diamond does within 
of a grain in 100 grains. Hence, that whatever im- 
perfectly made charcoal may be, pure, well-burnt char- 
coal made as above, is not an oxyd of carbon, and con- 
| tains no hydrogen.* 
By the experiments of these gentlemen, 100 parts of 
animal charcoal carefully made from muscular flesh does 
not contain more than 67,5 of carbon and produces 23,72 
pei' cent . by weight of carbonic acid gas, but I suspect ani- 
* The following brief notice of the use of charcoal may be croud- 
ed into a note. 
y 
It is the best tooth powder known when used fresh. It takes 
away the smell of putrid meat. Three times I have boiled legs 
of mutton, offensive to the scent, in hot water containing a shovel 
full of live coals taken from the bottom of the (wood) fire : when 
boiled for 10 minutes, the meat taken out, and wiped, the stinking 
water thrown away, and the boiling repeated in the same manner ; 
the mutton became eatable. It takes away the peculiar flavour 
6f bad spirits. Charred casks keep water a long time fresh. 
Meat suspected as liable to become putrid, is better kept in char- 
coal than in any other way. It is an excellent non-conductor of 
I heat, and therefore should be used for lining the outside of vessels, 
wherein ice or cool liquors are required to be kept. Animal char- 
coal, as of bones (fresh made ivory black) peculiarly answers, for 
clearing and fining vinegar. 
