Lead . 
215 . 
Fixing the Test in its situation. 
The rim of the test is now to be plastered with clay or 
moistened ashes, placed upon the supporting cross bars* 
and fixed with wedges firmly against the bottom of the 
furnace, the breast next to the feeding hole. 
A gentle fire may now be lighted, and gradually in- 
creased until the test be red hot. When it ceases to emit 
steam from the under side it is sufficiently dry. 
Lead previously melted in the iron pot f is ladled into 
the test until the hollow part be nearly filled, the operator 
closes the feeding aperture, and increased the heat of the 
furnace until the surface of the lead is well covered with 
litharge ; he then removes the door from the feeding hole, 
and with an iron rod, which has one end bent down at 
right angles about three inches, and made flat or chissel- 
shaped, scrapes the small gutter or channel o until the 
litharge just flows into it, the blast from a pair of double 
bellows is then directed from the back part over the sur- 
face of the test, the litharge is urged forward, and flows 
from the gutter upon the floor of the refinery ; the ope- 
ration now goes forward, gradually adding lead as the 
escape of litharge makes necessary, until the gutter is so 
worn down that the test does not contain more than an 
inch in depth of lead, the blast is then taken off, the gut- 
ter filled up with moistened ashes, and a fresh one made 
on the other side the brest ; the test is again filled, though 
not so full as at first, and the operation carried on until this 
gutter also is worn down and the test contain from about 
fifty to seventy pounds of alloy. This quantity is run into 
an iron pot, and set by until a sufficient number of pieces 
have been collected to make it worth while to take off a 
plate of pure silver from them. 
The quantity of alloy left hi the working off each test 
must depend in a great measure upon the quantity of sil- 
ver it by estimation is supposed to contain.. A sufficient 
