26 
Yo the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIRy Hohshy: 
ILE health and convenience of the 
public would be greatly promoted 
if any of your chemical or philosophical 
readers would suggest in detail the most 
simple and the most efficacicus means 
of preserving the purity of the air of 
rooms, in which large assemblages of 
people take place. 
Few persons can endure a crowded 
theatre, a court of justice, an auction- 
room, or even a place of worship, with- 
out suffering in various degrees from the 
head-ache, from nausea at the stomach, 
and general bodily and mental debility. 
Ii modern chemistry could supply the 
meaus of removing these unpleasant 
effects, it would acquire a new wreath of 
glory m the estimation of mankind. 
London, Your's, &c. 
June 25, 1807. C28: 
———E 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
On the METALS end METALLIC STRATA of 
IRELAND.—Communicated by R. FRaA- 
sER, Hsq. 
ERHAPS no cuuntry in Europe, ex- 
cept Saxony, abounds more in me- 
tallic productions than Ireland. Tie 
very able mimeralogist and chemist, Mr. 
Kirwan, to whose labours science 1s so 
greatly mdebted, has been endeavouring 
for several years past to obtain the con- 
currence of government to establish a 
board of mineralogy and mining, on a 
plan similar to those new generally esta- 
blished on the Contiment;—so as, not 
only, by means of a permanent establish- 
ment of this nature, to obtain a skilful 
examination of the mineral strata of the 
island, but also to direct the operations of 
the exploitation of its mines, with cer- 
tainty and economy.—As Germany is by 
far the most advanced of any country of 
Europe, in the science of mineralogy, and 
by the application of that science to the 
art of mining, the operations of acquiring 
those treasures hidden in the bowels of the 
earth have been brought to the greatest 
points of economy and perfection, he pro- 
poses to bring from thence, by liberal en- 
couragement, and particularly from the 
schoo! of Werner, members for the board, 
completely qualifiec for directing the mi- 
neralogical investigation of the island, 
and conducting the expenditure of the 
capital, which individvals may be induced 
to vest in the acquisition of a share of 
those treasures, which Ireland certainly 
contains in great. abundance. 
However reluctant. individuals, who 
; poe 
On preserving the Purity of the Air of Rooms. 
[Aug. f, ¢ 
have devoted much time and labour te 
those pursuits in the British islands, may 
feel, to allow so exclusive a preference to 
be given to another country, and the pu- 
pils of one professor; yet every one must 
acknowledge, that if the most perfect 
mode is to be adopted, such as to exclude, 
by ageneralrule, the ehance of partiality, 
no proposition can be more fully adapt- 
ed to the object of rendering the board 
efhcacious and respectable, than the plan 
proposed by its excellent and disinter- 
ested author; and, if carried into effect, 
it seems to be the most likely means of 
inducing men of capital to lend their aid 
in employing the peopie, in searching for 
those valuable treasures. ) 
As, however, it is still doubtful whe- 
ther government will deem it fit to grant 
that aid necessary for the formation of . 
such an establishment, or whether they 
will leave these researches to the. associ- 
ation of individual talents and property, 
it may not be deemed unworthy of atten- 
tion, to give some account of the very im- 
pertect knowledge at present obtained of 
the metallic strata in this part of the 
United Kingdom. 
Tt is generally held, that rich mineral 
treasures are seldom found in the primi- 
tive granite, but are often found in granite 
of a secondary formation, and also in 
schistose-argillite incumbent onthe primi-+ 
tive granite which forms the foundation of 
the island, and that in many situations 
not at great depths from the superficial 
strata. 
From these, and ether circumstances, 
well understood by those who have at- 
tended to geological knowledge, there is 
much reason to believe, that Ireland con- 
tains abundant stores of mmeral riches, 
and, in as far as they have been explered, 
these conjectures are fully confirmed, 
. IRON. 
Tren, as itis the most useful, is also the 
roost generally diffused over every part of 
the globe; there being few substances 
whether animal, vegetable, or mineral, in 
which iron does not form a part: even” 
the human body contains no -imconsider- 
able portion of iron in its composition. 
In many parts of Ireland there is abun- 
dance of iron-ore, which, whilst the 
wocds of Ireland remained, was formed 
into iron in bloomeries, which were 
erected in various parts of the country. 
Since the invention of smeltimg iron by 
pit-coal, no spirited attempts have been 
made to work these mines, if we except 
one at Arigna, in the county of Leitrim. 
At this place indeed, has been erected a 
very 
