380 
PAEIS UNIYEESAL 
but also and pre-eminently through the application of recog¬ 
nized principles of physical science and by means of marked 
improvements in mining-engineering. 
Discoveries of new deposits of the useful and precious ores 
have been made in both the old and new world, and mines 
long worked have been rendered more valuable by improve¬ 
ments in the art of mining. Man is no longer, as formerly, 
limited to superficial operations, but safely and with rich re¬ 
turns, pierces the solid crust of the globe to great depths, 
boldly demanding the place and commanding the possession 
of her hidden treasures. Scarcely anything now baffles him. 
Do immense strata of flinty rock lie between him and 
the sources of wealth and posver, with tools yet harder, driven 
by powerful engines backed by his own irresistible will, he 
drives his way through them. Are deep and seemingly inex¬ 
haustible supplies of water encountered, he marshals his 
mighty engines in number and capacity sufficient to conquer 
the floods. Is the coveted mineral at last found in the midst 
of noxious gases that no human lungs may inhale, he brings 
to bear his command of the material forces and at once sup¬ 
plies them with the pure atmosphere of heaven, so that the 
opened mine becomes the chosen habitation of thousands who 
work them. And so, at last, by the aid of steam and en¬ 
gineering, he brings to the light of day vast stores of the best 
material gifts of God. 
In 1862, Sir William Armstrong calculated that the mining 
of coal could never be carried on at a depth exceeding four- 
fifths of a mile. But, with the facts of the last decade before 
him, no man may safely calculate the limit, unless it be made 
co-extensive with the limit of supply. Economy everywhere 
and in every way characterizes the works of the Creator, and no 
deposits of mineral designed for the use of man are beyond 
his reach. 
In Metallurgy, the progress of the past five years has been 
still more remarkable. This is especially true in reference to 
the manufacture of steel. By the old process of cementation 
much time was required and great expense involved. The 
