on the AUoys of Steel. S5S 
or^ fibres of silver were seen mixed with the steel, having some- 
thing of the appearance of steel and platina when united by 
welding: but when the proportion of silver was only jJ^th part, 
neither dew, globules, nor fibres appeared, the metals being in 
a state of perfect chemical combination, and the silver could 
only be detected by a delicate chemical test. 
With platina and rhodium^ §teel combines in every propor- 
tion ; and this appears also to be the case with iridium and os- 
mium : from 1 to 80 per cenU of platina was perfectly com- 
bined with steel, in buttons of from 500 to SOOO grains. With 
rhodium, from 1 to 50 per cent, was successfully used. Equal 
parts by weight of steel and rhodium, gave a button, which, 
when polished, exhibited a surface of the most equisite beauty : 
the colour of this specimen is the finest imaginable for a metallic 
mirror, nor does it tarnish by long exposure to the atmosphere : 
the specific gravity of this beautiful compound is 9.176. The 
same proportion of steel and platina gave a good button, but a 
surface highly crystalline renders it altogether unfit for a mirror. 
In the laboratory we ascertained that, with the exception of sil- 
ver, the best proportion of the alloying metal, when the object 
in view was the improvement of edge-tools, was about to part, 
and in this proportion they have been used in the large way. 
It may be right to notice, that, in fusing the metals in the labo- 
ratory, no flux whatever was used, nor did the use of any ever 
appear to be required. 
Silver being comparatively of little value with some of the 
alloying metals, we were disposed to make trial with it as the 
first experiment in the large way. 8 lb. of very good Indian 
steel was sent to our agent, and with it of pure sil- 
ver : a part of this was lost owing to a defect in the mould ; a 
sufficient quantity was however saved, to satisfy us as to the 
success of the experiment. This, when returned, had the most 
favourable appearance both as to surface and fracture : it was 
harder than the best cast-steel, or even than the Indian wootz, 
with no disposition whatever to crack, either under the hammer, or 
in hardening. Some articles, for various uses, have been made 
from this alloy ; they prove to be of a very superior quality. 
Its application will probably be extended not only to the manu- 
facture of cutlery, but also to various descriptions of tools ; the 
