420 
Dr. Pearson's Observations 
grains of steel,* by keeping the two metals in a close crucible 
exposed to a pretty fierce fire of a melting furnace. An allay 
was produced of an uniform metallic mass, of the colour of 
pewter, of a very open grain, but uniform texture ; which 
was as brittle, and not harder than certain kinds of old bad 
pewter. 
Experiment 1 6. 1800 grains of tin were melted with 6 00 
grains of steel. This allay of three parts of tin with one of 
steel was perfectly similar to the last allay of two parts of tin 
with one of steel, excepting that the allay of this experiment 
was not so hard, and was less brittle. 
Having thus prepared the steel for union with copper, by 
the medium of tin, I added to it copper. 
Experiment 17. 60c grains of the allay of Experiment 15. 
were melted with 2400 grains of copper. This allay of twelve 
parts of copper with two parts of tin, and one part of steel, 
resembled exactly the allay of six parts of copper with one of 
tin, in Experiment 8. in the colour and grain of the frac- 
ture ; in its polish ; hardness ; and brittleness. Its fracture 
was of course of a slate-coloured hue, or dark grey, somewhat 
crystallized and silvery. The fracture being inspected with a 
lens, the grain appeared finer or shorter than that of the al- 
lay of six parts of copper with one of tin. 
The solution of this metal in nitric acid produced nitrous 
gaz, a blue solution, and a white deposit ; as occurred in the 
dissolution of the ancient metals, § 5. p. 411, and of the allays 
of copper with tin, p. 414 — 419; but the result of the examina- 
tion of this blue solution and white deposit was different from 
* The steel employed was part of a file. Steel was preferred to iron, because it is 
fusible, but iron is not. 
