62 
Ifcwer edge, Saw rails for the Magdeburg road, Prussia, of the same form and 
weight with the patterns I had sent out two years ago, and which were rolled at a 
neighboring work. ]Next went to the nail mills. The puddling bars are cut 
into short pieces, which are re-heated, carried through three pairs of rollers, 
then through a slitting roller, cutting them into thin rods, about 6 feet long, which 
are cut up and headed into nails of the required size, by machinery. The most 
of this labor is performed by boys, who exhibit much dexterity. 
These works are well conducted, and are understood to be profitable; they give 
employment to about three thousand persons, and a large amount of coal is annu¬ 
ally sent to Newport for exportation. The coal and iron occur near the furnaces, 
and alternate with each other. The limestone is also found close at hand. 
The distance from Merthyr to Pontypool is 25 miles, through a rough but in¬ 
teresting country. As we approached Pontypool we passed the very large artifi¬ 
cial reservoirs for the supply of the Monmouth canal. There is a tram road from 
Tredegar to Newport for carrying down coal and iron. 
December 12th >-—Started this morning on a visit to the iron works and mines 
in the vicinity of Pontypool. First stopped to look at the Vorteg works 
small for this part of the world, and said not to be well managed. Saw nothing 
new; they were principally engaged in rolling railway iron. Went from thence 
to the Blaenavon works, celebrated for producing iron equal to the best in Eng¬ 
land for any purpose, especially malleable and ductile iron—it may be drawn into 
very fine wire. At these works they never mix the local with other ores ; and it 
is said that the native ores, or mines as they are called, are superior to any that 
have as yet been found in this region. They are brought up from deep pits, and 
are found alternating with the coal, being frequently encased in shale. Th© 
very best yields about 70 per cent. Cinders are not allowed to be mixed with the 
metal extracted at these works. The most of the iron is sold in pigs, which are 
in great demand for the manufactory of sheet tin. Saw very large moulds for 
casting pipes; brought with me specimens of the ores and-of the refined iron. 
The coal of this region is quite bituminous and sulphurous, and cannot be used 
for any metallurgical purpose without first being converted into coke. The slag 
is here drawn off into pits, in each of which is placed a pyramidal cast iron post 
with a hole through it near the top. The slag runs all around it and becomes at= 
tached to it. When cooled, the mass of slag is raised by a crane, with a chain 
passing through the cast iron post into an iron truck and carried oft'. No us© 
can be made of this material except when it is run into moulds, which is some¬ 
times done, for building purposes, and houses, walls, and bridges are often con¬ 
structed of it. The accumulation of scoria, near large iron works, become a seri¬ 
ous inconvenience from the want of space on which to dispose of it. 
• From Blaenavon went to Abersychen, (pronounced Aber-sa-chan ,) one of th© 
many works belonging to the powerful British Iron Company, under the superin¬ 
tendance of Mr. Wood, who has acquired a high reputation as a practical geolo¬ 
gist and iron founder. There are six furnaces in one stack, (five being in con¬ 
stant blast,) compact and well built. The rolling mills are extensive, and on the 
