Extracts of Some Letters from Mr. John Sturdie of Lancashire concerning Iron Ore; and more Particularly of the Haematites, Wrought into Iron at Milthrop-Forge in That County. Communicated by Dr. Martin Lister, S. R. S.

| Item | Value | |-------------------------------|-------| | Lapis Lazuli | 3054 | | An Hone | 3288 | | Sardachates | 3598 | | A Granat | 3978 | | A Golden Marcasite | 4589 | | A blew Slate with shining | | | Particles | 3500 | | A mineral stone, yielding | | | 1 part in 160 Metal | 2650 | | The Metal thence extracted | 8500 | | The (reputed) Silver Ore of | | | Wales | 7464 | | The Metal thence extracted | 11087 | | Bismuth | 9859 | | Spelter | 7065 | | Spelter Soder | 8362 | | Iron of a Key | 7643 | | Steel | 7852 | | Cast Brass | 8100 | | Wrought Brass | 8280 | | Hammer'd Brass | 8349 | | A false Guinea | 9075 | | A true Guinea | 18888 | | Sterling Silver | 10535 | | A brass Half-Crown | 9468 | | Electrum, a British Coin | | | A Gold Coin of Barbary | 12071 | | A Gold Medal from Morocco | 17548 | | AMentz Gold Ducat | 18261 | | A Gold Coin of Alexanders | 18893 | | A Gold Medal of Q. Mary | | | A Gold Medal of Q. Elizabeth | | | A Medal esteem'd to be near | | | fine Gold | 19636 | II. Extracts of some Letters from Mr. John Sturdie of Lancashire concerning Iron Ore; and more particularly of the Hämatites, wrought into Iron at Milthrop-Forge in that County. Communicated by Dr. Martin Lister, S. R. S. Townley, March 14. 1674. SIR, YOU will receive herewith some of the Cinder you desir'd, as also a little of Iron-stone both burnt and unburnt. They have several sorts of Iron-stone, and of of different Natures; for some makes Coldshire-Iron, that is, such as is brittle, when it is cold; another sort makes Redshire, that is, such as is apt to break if it be hammered, when it is of a dark red Heat, and therefore are never melted down but in mixture, and so they yield an indifferent good sort of Iron. They have of late made it much better than heretofore, by melting the Sow-metal over again, as likewise by using Turf and Charcoal, whereas formerly their Fuel was only Charcoal. They once made Trial of Pit-Coal, but with bad Success. The small dusty part of their Charcoal is useful for burning the Iron-Stone; for every 17 Baskets of this burnt Stone they put in one of Brimstone unburnt to make it melt freely, and cast the Cinder. There is no other Cinder swimming above but such like as this I send you, only sometimes it is more vitrified than it is at other times. They always take it off from the melted Iron with a Coal-rake at a hole in the Furnace-mouth before they let the Metal run. There is nothing remains in the bottom of the Hearth, all becomes either Iron or Cinder. The Furnace is built on the side of an Hill, the bottom is about two yards square, and so rises perpendicular for a yard or more, which is also lined within with a Wall of the best Fire-stone to keep off the force of the Fire from the Walls of the Furnace: The Bellows (which are very large, and played with Water) enter about the middle of the Focus. The rest of the Furnace is raised upon this 6 or 7 yards square-wise, but tapering; so that the sides draw towards each other by degrees, and the top-hole (where they throw in Baskets of Stone and Fewel) is but about ½ a yard square. Into this place they put down a Pole, to know how far it hath rested after a certain time; and when they find it to have subsided about a yard and ½, then they put in more, till the Furnace be full again. Thurnham. Sir, Though I am in daily expectation of some of the Milthrop Iron-stone, and may possibly get it before this Letter reach you, yet I thought it not convenient any longer to defer the Account I received thereof from a Gentleman concerned in the Work, for fear some of the Circumstances should slip out of my Memory. The Oar is got in Fournesse (a division of Lancashire) at least 15 Miles from Milthrop. Some of it is hard, but feels soft and smooth on the out-side like Velvet. Some is soft as Clay, but all is red, and lies in Beds like Coal. The Furnace in which it is melted is not above a yard and ½ over, and about the same height. The Hearth is all of Sow-Iron, much of the Shape of a broad-brim’d Hat with the Crown downwards. The Sides are of Stone, arched towards the top; in the midst is a Tunnel at which they put in Charcoal, on which when it is kindled, they put Oar (first broken into pieces as big as a Pigeons Egg) so much as they intend to melt down. Then they set their Bellows on work, which are moved with Water, and go into the midst of the Furnace-Wall, and keep blowing for some 12 hours, feeding it still with new Charcoal as it settles. Then they pull out a Stopple at the bottom of the Wall, and out comes all the Glassie-Cinder being very liquid, leaving the Iron in a Lump (for it does not flow) in that Conical Hole in the midst of the Hearth. This they take out with great Tongs and put under heavy Hammars (played also with Water) whereby after several Heatings (in the same Furnace where it is melted) it is beaten into Barrs. They get about an Hundred Hundred weight of Metal at one melting, which is the Product of about three times so much Oar. Thurnham, Sept. 25. 1675. SIR, Send now at last the promised Parcels of Iron Oar, one sort of it seems to be good Haematites. It seems I either did not rightly apprehend, or was not clearly enough informed by the Person from whom I had the Account I sent you, of the Furnace in which they melt down their Oar. It is very much like a common Black-smiths, viz. A plain open Hearth or bottom without any enclosing Walls, only where the nose of the Bellows come in through a Wall there is a hollow place (which they call the Furnace) made of Iron Plates, as is also that part of the Hearth next adjoining. This hollow place they fill and up-heap with Charcoal, and lay the Oar (broken small) all round about the Charcoal upon the flat Hearth, to bake it as it were, or neal and thrust it in by little and little into the Hollow, where it is melted by the Blast. The glassie Scoriae run very thin, but the Metal is never in a perfect Fusion, but settles as it were in a Clod, that they take it out with Tongs, and turn it under great Hammers, which at the same time beat off (especially at first taking out of the Furnace) a deal of courser Scoriae, and form it after several Heats into Bars. They use no Lime-stone or other thing to promote the Flux, for that I enquired particularly. As to other matters my former Relation is exact enough. POSTSCRIPT. SIR, After the Sealing of my Letter that comes with this, I met with one who hath promised to send me me some soft Oar, as also a little of a Chrystilline Spar that grows to it, and the rest that you desire. As to your Queries. Steel is not made from that they call Steel-Oar, but Iron, such as is made from the rest. All the Oars that were sent you lie in one Bed or Seam, but the hard Oars lie usually next the Rocks on each side, and the soft Oar in the midst. The Rocks between which they lie are a grey Limestone. There is no rock underneath (as you seem to conceive) for the Oar lies between Rocks on each side, or rather in the Clefts of Rocks which they follow, still digging deeper many Fathoms. Sometimes the said Clefts (which are filled with Oar) are an Inch, sometimes a Foot broad, sometimes three or four Yards, but still one continued Vein running downwards towards the Center of the Earth. Thurnham, Nov. 14. 1675. I shall shortly meet with one from Fourness, and shall get you a Resolution of your Queries, as also some of the Oar you desire. They use it frequently, and with great Success, as a Medicine for the Murrain in Cattle, and for all Diseases in Swine, to which last they will give a good handful or two in Milk. N. B. This is meant of the soft Oar like Clay. I have this to add, that this Clay Hæmatites is as good, if not better, than that which is brought from the East Indies. Witneß the Tea-Pots now to be sold at the Potters in the Poultrey in Cheapside, which not only for Art, but for beautiful Colour too, are far beyond any we have from China. These are made of the English Hæmatites in Staffordshire, as I take it, by two Dutch-men, incomparable Artists. Wextm. May 1.93. I am, &c.: M.L.