pile. This was the invention of "tops and bottoms," and the writer need not remind practical men of the immense sums made by this discovery during the past thirty-seven years.

Another improvement since 1807 is the use of the running-out fire: it is still adopted only in a few works. This process saves waste of heat and labour by running the refined metal at once into the charcoal finery.

The "tin bars" before referred to, 6 in. by 1⁄2 in., are heated and run through rollers until they form a sheet of sufficient width; this sheet is then doubled and passed through the rolls, and the process is repeated until this sheet is quadrupled. The lamina are then cut to size and separated as before described. The writer asks careful attention to the fact, that the last part of the rolling is done when the iron is nearly cold. These sheets are next annealed, and were formerly bent separately, by hand, into a saddle, forming two sides of a triangle, thus A, and placed in a reverberatory furnace, so that the flame should play amongst them, and heat them to redness; they were then plunged into a bath of muriatic acid, or sulphuric acid, and water for a few minutes, taken out, and drained on the floor and again heated in a furnace, after which, a scale of oxide of iron separated from the plate, during the work of bending them again straight, on a cast-iron block.

The plates should be now free from rust or scale, and are passed cold through the chilled rolls; this last process is most important, as the ductility and the strength and colour of the tin-plate depend upon it: at this point bad iron will crack or split, and any want of quality in the iron, or skill in the manufacture, will be shown.

A great improvement in the process of annealing was made in 1829 by Mr. Thomas Morgan; the plates were piled on a stand, and covered with a cast-iron box, now termed an "annealing pot;" in this they were exposed to a dull red heat, in a reverberatory furnace, for twenty-four hours.

A very important invention in the manufacture of iron for tin-plates, and which is yet only partially carried out, was made by Mr. William Daniell in 1845. About 2 cwt. of

refined metal is placed in the charcoal finery; this is taken out in one lump, put under the hammer and "nobbled," then passed at once through the balling-rolls and reduced to a bar 6 inches square and about 2 feet 6 inches long. This bar is either cut or sawed off in pieces 6 inches long, and these rolled endwise to give a bar about 6 inches wide, 2 inches thick, and 12 inches long, and in this state the inventor calls it a "billet." This is heated in a small ballingfurnace, and rolled down to a bar one-quarter inch thick and eleven inches wide, and about six feet long. This is taken at once to the tin-plate mill, and the process saves great expense in fuel and machinery. By the old method of annealing, a box of tin-plates required about 13 lbs. of tin.

This is now done with about 9 lbs. for charcoal and 8 lbs. for coke-plates.

In referring to tin-plates the standard for quotation is always taken as 1 C. (Common No. 1.) This is a box containing 225 plates, which should weigh exactly 112 lbs.

The following are the Marks, Weights, and Measurement, of the Tin-plates now in common use:—

CHAPTER IX.

ANDREW YARRANTON.

It will not now perhaps be out of place to give some account of Andrew Yarranton, Gentleman, the Father of English Tin-plates, and also the Founder of English Political Economy.

Dove, in "Elements of Political Science," very truly says of him that he was the first man in England who saw, and said that Peace was better than War; that Trade was better than plunder, that honest industry was better than martial greatness, and that the best occupation of a government was to secure prosperity at Home, and to let other Nations alone.

The first part of Yarranton's great work entitled "England's Improvements by Land and Sea," published in 1677, is now very rare, and the second part, published 1681, containing an account of his discoveries and ideas with regard to the Manufacture of Iron and Tin plates, is very scarce indeed, and the book is not to be found in the Libraries of the British Museum, nor in the Bodleian at Oxford, nor in the Radclyffe, at Manchester.

The great idea of Andrew Yarranton's life was that England (by Trade) should beat the Dutch without fighting, and his fancy for beating the Dutch more particularly, possibly from the fact that when he was in Saxony on his journey of discovery, the News arrived from England that the Dutch, who by their Trade to the East Indies were becoming fabulously rich and prosperous, flaunting, as he said, their new born Flag on the waters of Father Thames, had burnt our Ships at Chatham.

Mr. Yarranton informs us that, to beat the Dutch by Fighting is difficult, by reason of the great advantages which they possess by their Sands and Holes along the German shore from the Mouth of the Texel unto the Mouth or Influx of the Elbe. But he hoped that the following improvements would eventually enable the English to beat the Dutch without fighting, and would force from them "their beloved Mistress and delight, which is trade and riches thereby."

1. The Improvement of our Linen and Iron Manufactures. 2. The Settlement of our Navigation Laws.

3. The Establishment of a Public Register for all Lands and Houses.

4. The Cutting Canals and improving the Navigation of our Rivers.

5. A public Bank with a proper issue.

6. A Court of Merchants to decide between Merchant and Merchant.

7. A Lumber House where money should be lent on goods at easy interest.

The Book itself being now so very rare, and the contents so ably written, full of sound masculine common sense, the Writer is unwilling to attempt any Epitome, but, in order that those who are interested may read for themselves, prefers to give a verbatim copy of Mr. Yarranton's ideas and thought on the manufacture of Iron and Tin plates printed and published in London almost 200 years ago.

First, will be found the very interesting and explicit Title page of the Work, then his explanatory address to his Readers, then his apologies and excuses for his delay in reporting himself to the Noble patriots who had sent him abroad, then his History of himself, and finally from his second part a Copy of the Chapters relating to the Manufacture of Iron and Tinn.

TO SET AT WORK ALL THE POOR OF ENGLAND WITH THE GROWTH OF OUR OWN LANDS;

TO PREVENT UNNECESSARY SUITS IN LAW, WITH THE

BENEFIT OF A VOLUNTARY REGISTER;

DIRECTIONS WHERE VAST QUANTITIES OF TIMBER ARE TO BE HAD FOR THE BUILDING OF SHIPS,

WITH THE ADVANTAGE OF MAKING THE GREAT RIVERS

OF ENGLAND NAVIGABLE.

RULES TO PREVENT FIRES IN LONDON AND OTHER GREAT CITIES, WITH DIRECTIONS HOW THE SEVERAL COMPANIES OF HANDICRAFTSMEN

IN LONDON MAY ALWAYS HAVE CHEAP BREAD AND DRINK.

BY

ANDREW YARRANTON, GENT.

LONDON:

Printed by R. EVERINGHAM, for the Author, and are to be sold by J. PARKHURST, at the "Bible and Three Crowns" in Cheapside, and N. SIMMONS, at the "Princes Arms" in St. Paul's Churchyard.

M.DC.LXXVII.