31 
chisels, gouges, and the like are found near Lake Superior, all 
made of virgin copper, without the use of any alloy, and wrought 
into shape by the hammer only. These ancient tools, like the 
copper of the district, contain crystals of silver, but perfectly free 
from alloy with the copper, furnishing evidence that the metal of 
which they are formed has never been smelted. Native copper 
(red iron or miskopewabik) is still largely used by the natives 
around Lake Superior ; it is still wrought by them exclusively 
with the hammer, and without the use of fire. The tribes on the 
border of the Arctic Sea and the Christinaux of Lake Wini- 
pagon, are people scarcely emerged from their “ copper age.” 
Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, which possesses the most 
serviceable qualities for the manufacture of weapons and tools 
when composed of 90 per cent, of copper to 10 per cent, of tin. So 
nearly are ancient European specimens supposed to approach to 
this standard that some archgeologists would fain assign a Phoeni¬ 
cian or some other common origin for the mixed metal, the dis¬ 
covery of moulds for casting and certain typical peculiarities in 
form and ornament have rendered the previously-entertained idea 
of a common origin of the finished weapons and objects themselves 
wholly untenable. It is, however, more probable that this approxi¬ 
mation of 10 parts tin to 90 parts copper in ancient bronze weapons 
is due to the isolated and independent experience of workmen, and 
that each man, from the successful result or the reverse of his 
manufacture, would be led in time to discover for himself the best 
proportions to use in forming the alloy. In addition to this, in 
some cases, rough lumps of metal have been found associated with 
unfinished celts, cinders, and other indications of the objects having 
formed the stock-in-trade of some ancient worker in bronze. These, 
upon analysis, have frequently proved to be pure copper , which 
“ suggests that the makers of the celts, which are bronze, must 
have themselves mixed in the tin as required contrary to what is 
mentioned of the Britons by Cgesar, JEre utuntur import ato” 
Moreover, the ideal standard of ancient bronze is not so constant 
as was imagined ; thus the per centage of copper in 27 specimens 
submitted to analysis was found to vary considerably, the minimum 
being 79, and the maximum 94, in one case 18.31 parts of tin 
existed, in another only 5.15, the residue being made up of 83.50 
copper, 8.35 lead, and 3.0 iron. In this substitution of lead for 
some portion of the tin is seen the further experience acquired by 
the primitive workman, for this admixture communicated a greater 
degree of toughness to the weapon, and diminished its liability to 
fracture. In Denmark neither copper nor tin occur as natural 
products. No weapons or implements of bronze are found there, 
neither have moulds of any kind for casting been obtained there. 
Had bronze been an article imported from Phoenicia or elsewhere, 
it is scarcely probable that Denmark, unlike other countries, should 
have missed her “ bronze age,” but have passed at once to her 
“ iron age the far more probable reason of this hiatus is that her 
