The Sun.
London, England, 1866-11-27 00:00:00

RICHMOND.

Strathconan led Plaudit and Rose two smart
canters, and then a mile and a quarter steady gallop
early this morning, and Empress of India took Mol-
davia, the Begun, and Minnette a mile and three-
quarters at a gentle pace. Lozenge led the Proctor
and others. Newland was engaged schooling some
youngsters, of whom Virtue (a Stockwell filly) is
the most promising, and an especial favourite of
Snowden's, as he always pilots her himself. Dag-
mar, Elvire, Lonisa, and Violet cantered. Raunds
was also schooling a batch of yearlings. Zenobia
and Honest Tom are turned out. Lord Zetland'a
horses are resting, but those at Charley Wintring-
ham's and lommy Land's are in active exercise.

TATTERSALLS'—Last Evenings

.... ----------

METROPOLITAN STEEPLECHASE.
7to 1 agst Astrolabe (taken)
9to 1 agst Globule (taken)
9to 1 agst ➢ieanwood (taken)
10 to 1 agst Daisy (taken)
14 to 1 agst Balder (taken)
15 to 1 agst Hornet (taken)
DERBY.
40 to 1 agst Vauban (taken freely)

THE DONINGTON PLATE.
The following notices wore postod in the Room :
" The committee decide that tho bets on tho Donington
Stakes go to Landlord.

"GEORGE PAYNE.
" OUSELEY HIGGINS."
"Mr. T. Golby objects to Soiled Dove for the race she
won at Warwick, on the ground of improper age."

AMERICA.

(Br ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH.)
NEW YORK, NOV. 23 (Morning).

Gold, 139. Exchange on London, 1511. 5-20
United States Bonds, 1081-. Illinois, 118. Erie,
72g. Cotton, middling Upland, 32i. Week's
receipts of cotton at all United States ports, 60,000
bales.

Messrs. Neil's Circular estimates the cotton crop
at 2,000,000 bales.

DEPUTATION TO LORD J. MANNERS.

The following appeared in our Third Edition of yester-
day evening :

A deputation from the working men of London,
appointed at a recent meeting of the trades and
friendly societies with respect to the coming Reform
demonstration on Monday next, waited on Lord
John Manners to-day to request his permission for
the use of one of the public parks for the meeting.
Mr. GEORGE POTTER having introduced the de-
putation, explained to his lordship the desire on the
part of the working men to hold a demonstration
on Monday next in favour of Parliamentary Re-
form, and asked for the grant of the Green-park or
Hyde-park for the purpose, and instanced the case
of the Queen's-park at Edinburgh, where proceed-
ings of a similar nature were held with the greatest
decorum. He assured his lordship that every exertion
had been made to secure a fitting place, but with-
out effect. The granting of the boon would be re-
garded as a special favour. Mr. Jenkins sug-
gested, in the event of a refusal of the parks, the
vacant space in front of Chelsea Hospital would
answer the purpose.
Lord JOHN MANNERS, in reply to the deputa-
tion,it said he could not give an answer to their
: lh
.11, it
re-
questrespee until nttoi he
he
eh
meetinga d consulted
heldhis n , ciyo 01 lieargnun c sdpai:
was a custom to hold political meetings there, but
with respect to Hyde-park and the Green-park in
Londoniveu
for lf permission were
g
ne,i meetings there, that
things
theholding
we
would be establishing a p
red
piffoeirireteitceden
t.
Without saying
anything definite about the space in front of Chel-
sea Hospital, lie would remind the deputation
that the late Government offered Primrose-
ill as
a suitable place for a demonstration,
thought the present Government might not
object to offer them the same place. Still h
h
he was
not in a position to make a positive offer of Prim-
rose-hill, but he would at once consult his colleagues
on the matter and let them know the decision of the
and he
Government with respect to the two places named.
If the Government declined to grant either of the
parks he could assure them it was not from any
feeling that the working men should not express
their opinions on Reform in the fullest manner.

The deputation, having thanked his lordship,
retired.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE—This Day.

GRAVESEND, Tuesday Morning.
- Arrived, Nov. 2G.—Princess Royal, and Planet, steamers,
from Hamburg.
Arrived, Nov. 27.—Paragon, from Dantzic ; Thomas
Fieldew, from New York ; Richard Wilhelm, from Sierra.
Leone; Queen of the West, from St. Michael's; Cosmo-
politan, steamer, from Rotterdam.
Sailed, Nov. 27.—Seine, steamer, for Boulogne.
Passed—Busy Bee, for St. Michael's; Regina, for Auck-
land both from London.

LONDON, CHATHAM, AND DOVER RAILWAY.—
another meeting of the shareholders in this railway
was held to-day at the
inciproceedings were very similar to those oon
f Taverntohne
m e eot fund. The
proceedings n
gh
thoseehlde
favourable to what is called thej common
yesterday, there being the same difference of opinion as to
tKhg.erveei.,d to
best
wcohuernsewteowpenurtstuoe.preNsso.thing definite had been
a
His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh,
has signified his intention of laying the foundation-
stone of a new (Smalley) wing to the Licensed Victuallers'
Asylum, Old Kent-road, on Friday next, at 12 o'clock.
The Lord Mayor, Sheriffs, Under-Sheriffs, and many per-
sons of distinction will be present.
PIGEON FLYING MATCIL—On Monday morning
12 pigeon fanciers of the Borough contested a home fly from
Gravesend for a sweepstake&of £l2. A bird of the Blue-
beard tribe won by performing the distance in :39 minutes,
and four other pigeons arrived home within 45 minutes
from the time of being tossed up.
Wreck continues to wash ashore near Bude,
Cornwall. On Friday a whale boat, 30ft, long, and lOft.
wide, Seourod, There Wes no clue to its merehip‘

Railway and Other Companies.

LONDON, CHATHAM, AND DOVER.

A meeting of debenture holders in this company
was held yesterday at the Victoria Station, Pimlico,
Lord Harris in the chair.
The CHAIRMAN said it was necessary to apologise
on one point, as the directors thouglit there ought
to have been a larger room provided on that occa-
sion, but it was the largest they had available.
They knew they had a large number of debenture
holders, but they did not suppose so large a number
would have attended. They felt some difficulty in
the matter of providing a larger room elsewhere,
because the Vice-Chancellor bad refused to allow
the expenses incurred in engaging St. James's-hall
for meetings on two former occasions. They had all
been made fully acquainted with the scheme pro-
posed by the present board of directors to renovate
the affairs of the company. (Cries of "No room ;
get a larger room.") He said the object of the direc-
tors had been to carry on the business of the com-
pany without interruption, as the traffic could not
be stopped without great injury. The very unsatis-
factory state of their affairs required all their atten-
tion. (Several persons struggling to get into the
room caused considerable interruption. it was stated

that the corridor was full of debenture-holders.)
Mr. Baxter, solicitor to the company, amid some
uproar, said that Mr. Forbes, the general manager,
had gone to see whatplace on the premises could be
made available for the adjournment of the meeting,
and on the return of Mr. Forbes he announced that
the only place available was a carriage shed about a
quarter of a mile off, where there were no seats, and
would be very much like being in the open air.
Mr. HODGSON, chairmanof the debenture-holders
committee, said he would pay the expense of a suit-
able room for the meeting at the Grosvenor Hotel,

but after some delay it was found that no room
could be had.

After several suggestions to go to Exeter-hall,
the Crystal Palace, and Hyde Park, and objections
to adjourning the meeting to some other day, it was
agreed to go on as well as they could in the room
provided in the station.
The CHAIRMAN said he was prepared to make a
few preliminary remarks, and then hear any obser-
vations the debenture-holders had to make. In the

circular signed by the directors they were fully ac-
quainted with the plan proposed by the board and
the position of affairs. The object was to renovate

and improve the position of the company. The first
thing was to facilitate the traffic and prevent any

stoppage in working it, to get rid of the present un-

satisfactory state of affairs. The propositions of the
Board for the renovation of the company. had had
the united approval of all the directors, himself in-
cluded. There were many things of interest to the
shareholders, as well as debenture-holders--many
things of great interest, but they were not pertinent
to the proceedings of that day. He hoped they
would keep their attention fixed to the object they
had in view, and when that was discussed there were
many points the directors would be glad to confer
with a committee of the debenture-holders upon.

The object of the present meeting was to have a
conference with the debenture-holders on the pro-
position placed before them for the improvement of
the undertaking, and to render it as productive as
possible. He should be happy to bear any remarks
suggestions wish regard to the proposed Parlia-
mentary scheme for raising additional capital.
Mr. HODGSON, the Chairman of the Debenture-
holders' Committee, said he regretted that the sub-
ject had not been previouslydiscussed in a conference
with the directors, so that they might have come there
prepared to deal with the matter. He thought, in the

first instance, that the shareholders should have been
• prepared to find a certain proportion, if not the
whole, of the proposed new capital. The debenture-

holders had no information to guide them either as
to the past expenditure of the company, or as to what
was proposed to be done with the new capital. An
estimate of every item ought to have been laid before
them. lie then entered into a statement which he
had gleaned from the half-yearly reports of the com-
pany from Febru2ry, 1865, to the half-yearly report
of June, 1866, with a view to show some discre-

pancies which he considered were very important to
the debenture-holders. Lie complained that the
debenture-holders had had heretofore no voice in

the affairs of the company, and contended that the
company's Acts of Parliament bad been systemati-
cally violated. He advised the debenture-holders

not on any account to give their assent to the
r ising of the £1,500,000 proposed by the directors.
Ile thought that a measure so destructive to their
interests would not be sanctioned by Parliament,
even if the debenture-holders were to assent to it.
He then expressed an opinion, amid considerable up-
roar and furious cries of " Order, order," that the
secretary should be requested to retire from his pre-
sent position. He found from a statement in the
half-yearly report for June 30, 1865, that the Me-
tropolitan Extension debentures issued amounted to
_ .

£1,646,365, while the Parliamentary powers were
only £1,433,000, showing an excess of £213,000. In
the succeeding half-year the amount of debentures
was increased to £1,673,558, showing an excess of
£240,000 ; but on the 30th June last the amount of
debentures issued for the metropolitan lines was
stated as £1,556,883, showing an excess over the
authorised amount of £123,833. He complained
that the Committee of Investigation had so far over-
looked this matter that they reported the excess at
£6,295 only. He wished to know how it was that
the company had exceeded the Parliamentary powers
to the extent of £240,000, and had since reduced
that excess to £123,833.

Mr. HODGKINSON, M.P., the chairman of the late
Committee of Inquiry, said he did not propose to
reply to the observations made by the last speaker
further than they reflected on the Committee of In-
vestigation. It was quite a mistake to suppose that
the committee had overlooked that mater. The item
referred to in the Metropolitan Extensions accounts
not only included the amount of debentures issued,
but the whole of the common fund debenture stock.
The reduction in the amount of debentures issued
alluded to by Mr. Hodgson was the result of the
Metropolitan Extensions' proportion of the com-
mon fund debenture stock being added to the issue
of debentures, instead of the whole common fund
stock, and therefore the statement in the committee's
report was correct. _ .

Mr. BILLINGS was entirely opposed to the prin-
ciple of overriding the existing debentures by the
issue of new debentures to the amount of £1,500,000
having precedence of them. It was like a man hav-
ing mortgaged his house and got into difficulties
asking the mortgagee to forego his prier claim to
enable the man to obtain money on a second mort-

gage, having the precedence of the first. It was
not likely that such a proposition would be
assented to by the debenture-holders. Parlia-
ment would never sanction such a proceeding. Ile
believed that several of the bondholders would
renew their bonds for 20 years if the company could
not pay them, but they must have the interest. Thoy
might raise the money by the issue of a preference
stock after the debentures, but not to come in before
them.

Mr. PRICE, Q.C., contended that no trustee had a
Wight
to assent to such a proposition. They could
not consent to take an inferior security. An act of
Parliament might probably do anything, but no
trustee ought to give his assent to such a proposition.
They were deeply indebted to Mr. Hodgson for his
exertions and the
theright h
information he had obtained for
them. It wasto do. They wanted
more information toguidtein g
them in these matters,
and the investigation
of the books
of the company.
The committee and directors together
to strike out some practical md might be able
difficulty. He concluded by mo v
ien
g a of meeting the
resolution to
the effect that a committee of debenture holders be
appointed to confer with the directors, to obt ' 3111 per-
mission from them to examine the accounts of the
company, and report the result to a future meeti •
ng
of debenture-holders.
Mr. FEW seconded the motion.
Mr. SCOTT said they should remember that the
company was in Chancery and in difficulties, and if
the debenture-holders objected to the proposition of
the Board, they should be prepared with something
practical to improve the company's position. (A
Voice—•" Sell the line.") It was all very well to
say " Sell the line," but who was to purchase it ?

There were three lawyers on the committee of de-
benture-holders, and they were urging them to take
legal proceedings, instead of acting with the com-
pany to clear away difficulties. The shareholders
would not provide the funds. (A Voice—" But
they must.") They had a new Board, and should
give them a fair trial. He believed the present
meeting was held for conference, but not for the re-
jection or adoption of the proposition.
Mr. SAMUDA thought they had to consider some
practical way of getting their affairs into the most
secure position. The debenture-holders must come
out right, let what would happen. Mismanage-
ment had brought the company into an immense
amount of difficulty, and to get them out of it a
careful and thoughtful course should be adopted.
He represented two trusts, and he could under-
stand that the debenture-holders must wait a con-
siderable time before getting the principal. A con-
ference of a certain number of debenture-holders
and directors should be held for a sufficient length
of time to come to some practical conclusion. He
suggested that the debenture-holders might reduce
the interest to 4 per cent. in cash, taking a de-
ferred dividend warrant for the remainder until
the company became sufficiently prosperous to pay
the interest in full.

The motion was put and carried, there being only
three dissentients.
Mr. HODGSON moved a vote of thanks to the
chairman for doing the best he could to preside
over a most unruly meeting.
The motion was seconded, and carried unani-
mously.

PLUMBAGO FROM TICONDEROGA.

-,.~ _

In the prefatory remarks, it would be observed,
the credit of the discovery of the non-metallic nature
of Plumbago is awarded to the indefatigable and
accurate philosopher Boyle, and this in opposition
to the opinion of those who, we are informed, being
" best acquainted with it, style it a black pinguid
shining earth, which they suppose impregnated with
antimony and lead."
That it should be regarded as a species of the
latter metal, and thus acquire the popular cogno-
men of " black-lead" or " plumbago, " from
Plumbum, need excite no surprise in the minds
of those who regard only the exterior pro-
perties of the two minerals.* Both are solid, have
an unctuous feel, and an opaque, lustrous, and
metallic appearance, and each leaves a dark streak
upon white paper ; but here the physical analogy
ceases. _ _ _

Strange as it may appear, plumbago, in its che-
mical composition, approaches more nearly to the
diamond than to any other known substance. In
fact, the most abundantly diffused, and hence
cheapest, variety of plumbago possesses, within a
very small per-centage, a composition identical with
diamond, and yet how widely different in physical
appearance, pecuniary value, and social influence !
Of the diamond it may be said that for the pos-
session of even a few grains, thrones have tottered
to their bases, and the most ancient dynasties been
scattered to the winds ; its brilliancy and pellucid-
ness have rendered it an object of almost
idolatrous regard in all ages ; the chief attraction
amongst the gorgeous and glittering regalia of the
monarch, the decorative orders of the warrior, and
the well-merited insignia of the senator. It is also
the highly-esteemed jewel upon the brow, the bosom,
or the wrist of the fair and beautiful, where, fre-
quently its lustre is dimmed and its presence ren-
dered meretricious by the inherent grace and irre-
sistible charms of its possessor. As an article of
merchandise the diamond has, from time immemo-
rial, exacted a price fabulously high, and equalled
only by the estimate formerly attached to a "king's
ransom."

Of the varieties of carbon, the diamond ranks the
purest, the onyx-stone (according to Buffon) next,
and plumbago the third ; other varieties, as anthra-
cite and charcoal, follow in order. The diamond is
regarded as pure carbon. The onyx-stone contains,
according to the same author, a small quantity of
oxygen and earthy substance, whilst plumbago con-
sists of carbon with from 5 to about 40 per cent. of
impurities, not chemically, but mechanically, com-
bined.

Ix the following analyses are presented the com-
position of some varieties of the plumbago hitherto
furnished to the European markets, wherein it will be
noticed that the rarest and most valuable sort, the
" pencil-lead," contains the largest proportion of
foreign admixture.
The first table is arranged locally, according to
Buffon, No. 1 being the massive plumbago or pen-
cil-lead from Borrowdale ; Nos. 2 and 3 the foliated
and granular respectively, from Himalaya and
Ceylun
_ _

No. 1. No. 2. No. 3.
Carbon
Iron 7.9 5.0 0.0
. .

Limo and Alumina 36.0 8.4 6.0
Water 2.7 0.0 0.0
Silica

100.0 100.0

100.0

The subsequent analyses are exclusively those of
quality by various experts, and represent six various
samples of the granular and foliated plumbago :

Schul. Berthollet. Vanquelin.
Carbon
Iron lO.O 9.0 8.0

Oxygen
Saussure. Vananxem. Prinsep.
Carbon
Iron 4.0 oxide 1.4 ...
Oxygen

Whilst again, of the pencil "lead," or massive
plumbago, from the celebrated mines of Borrowdale,
Buffon remarks,—" Le meilleure plombagine
(plumbago) connue est it de Keswick, dans le
duche de Cumberland, en Angleterre : elle s'y
nomme Kellow. Scheele a retire de la plombagine.
Carbon, 90 ; Oxyd fer 10. Il y a des plombagine
moms pure, qui contiennent plus de fer, et dif-
fdrentes terres ; c'est pourquoi.on ne pout s'en servir
comme crayon."
Until very recently the existence of pencil lead
ha.,been supposed to be limited entirely to Cum-
berland. Thanks to the scientific knowledge of
American mineralogists, and to the mechanical
skill of our Trasatlantic brethren, Columbia has
been induced to yield an insight into her embowelled
wealth, and, in answer to the Shibboleth of know-
ledge and industry, England will no longer be
able to boast of the exclusive supply of pencil-lead,
or the proprietors of the Borrowdale mine restrict
the sale to an arbitrary issue.

In these days of free trade the following mode
adopted to enhance the value of pencil-lead will
appear incredible, yet it is indisputable. Perio-
dically,gned,
anda nto a
the
supply
sufficientY d
h
c
quantity of p
never more frequently than once a
year, the
Ppiro tu et
mine
embao extracted
is
opened,
market during the year or period determined
upon. It is then closed up, d h
is carried is small fragments of about three
and four inches long to London, where it is exposed
to sale at the black-lead market, held at a public-
house in Essex-street, Strand, on the first Monday
of everymonth. The buyers, who amount to seven
or eight, examine each piece with a sharp instru-
ment to ascertain its hardness—those that are too
soft being rejected. The individual who has the
first choice pays 60s. per pound, the other 50s. But
as there is no addition made to the first quantity in
the market during the courseof the year, the residual
portions are examined over and over again until they
are exhausted. The annual amount realised has
been known to reach as high as £lOO,OOO. Exigen-
cies have frequently arisen where the exactions of
demand have far surpassed the means of natural
supply. In no one instance has this position been
more forcibly exhibited than in the case under con-
sideration. For years, as we have seen, the work-
ings at Borrowdale have been on the verge of cessa-
tion, and a well-grounded conviction exists that
speedy exhaustion of pencil-lead from this far and.
long-famed source is inevitable. In the interim the
consumption ofpencils becomes daily on the inerease.
With the rapid diffusion of a popular taste for the
me arts, and an almost miraculous extension of
fessional, mechanical, and commercial t •en erprise—
all imperatively involving a perpetuaLrecurrence to
the aid of the pencil—the principal material em-
ployed in its fabrication is • •
.inevitably becoming a
"thing of the past" in the locality in which the

* How much more euphonious and correct the strictly
mineralogical term " Graphite," from the Greek radix
" Orapho," I write !

civilised world has for centuries looked exclusively
for its contribution.

It cannot be denied that the aid of all-powerful
scienc3, as is invariably the case in such dilemmas,
has been evoked, and to a cert ain extent success-
fully, to furnish an artificial sub stitute. But cost of
production, an item of consideration in all questions
of supply and demand, has ere cted an insuperable
barrier against the practical introduction of the
fictitious article.

At the identical moment when the portals of the
Old World were closed against further production,
those of the New World were thrown wide open,
and displayed in the full vigour of freshness and
beauty an amount of this indispensable mineral that
may be considered inexhaustible. Instead of the pa-
tient industry which was rewarded by the discovery
of a chance lump or nodule amidst the vast heap of
accumulated gangue or matrix, the simple act now
involved appears to be the separation of the minor
proportion of earthy adhesions from the greater
mass of plumbago. Even at the surface, over an
acreage reckoned by thousands, Ticonderoga exhi-
bits a capability of supply equal to the requirements
of civilisation for centuries, and, obeying the almost
universal law in that respect, deeper explorations
must result in the development of the mineral of
much richer and more prizeable quality than has
yet been brought to light.
The tocsin of peaceful competition has been
sounded, comparison of quality boldly challenged
against all corners, and though, up to this moment,
the employment of the Ticonderoga Plumbago in
the fabrication of pencils has been limited to the
United States, the quantity consumed there both
for home use and for exportation is very consider-
able, and will shortly produce an unmistakeable
effect upon the English monopoly, and create a
desire for a pecuniary interest in the American
property.

One of the earliest inducements to attempt an
imitation of plumbago arose, as many of the most
important discoveries of all ages have done, from
accident. After Captain Roe had invented the
diving-bell he joined Sir Archibald Grant, a great
speculator of that day in coal mines and other
matters, in an attempt to weigh the Florida, one of
the Spanish Armada which had been foundered off
the coast of Mull, near the entrance of Tobermory
harbour. This attempt, which took place in 1740,
was unsuccessful, as far as related to the ship, but
some guns, both of brass and iron, were brought up.
The former, whether they belonged to the Spanish
vessel or not, had the mark of an English founder,
"R. and J. Phillips, 1584," with a crown and
‘g E. ll." on them. The iron guns were deeply
corroded with plumbago, and, on scraping them, it
is said, they were found so hot that they could not
be touched, and they did not become cool till they
had been two or three hours exposed to the air.
The astonishment of the Highlanders on finding
guns still hot, after having been more than a cen-
tury under water, may be easily imagined ; and it
is not surprising that this story was not believed,
and that, not being believed, it was forgotten.
In obedience to a law explicable only on chemical
principles, we find that in preparing plumbago
artifically, lead may be substituted for iron as a con-
stituent. It has been further proved that of all the
varieties thus manufactured that is the best which
contains lead. The writer is not aware, however,
that in the natural production there has ever oc-
curred an instance of the substitution of lead for
iron, yet of traces of plumbago in lead-bearing
districts there is abundance of evidence.

Relative to the geological character of the localities
which afford plumbago, it may be added that it
is found usually in primary or transition and
schistose rocks. In this respect it appears to fol-
low the arrangements which regulate the existence
of most other minerals. At Borrowdale the pencil-
lead occurs chiefly in nests in partially decomposed
trap rock. The inferior sorts are found at. Gles-
thrathfarar, near Inverness, in gneiss, where they
crop out in seams or veins from twelve or eighteen
inches in thickness, At Arendal, in Norway, it
occurs in quartz. In Ayrshire it is yielded in coal-
beds, and the writer has picked up isolated pieces
in the Alps in the Department d'lsere, where it is
associated with anthracite amongst the granitic
ranges. In most cases, as though to stimulate the
patience and energy of the explorer, the usual result
of continuous labour is apparent, the veins con-
verge into one, enlarge and improve in quantity and
quality as they penetrate deeper.
At the Ticonderoga mines, where plumbago has
been discovered in such profuse abundance, it is
found in felspar and mica-slate, and in a wall-rock
of bastard granite, a combination acknowledged by
practical geologists to be the most favourable for
richness of ore and perpetuity in working. In some
localities of the mountain the incasing-rock ap-
proaches a variety of senite.
A recent visitor, Professor Vincent, thus describes
the mine—" It is situated about two miles west of
Ticonderoga, three miles from Lake George. The
outcroppings on the north side of the mountain show
the extraordinary number of more than 100 true
veins. Between 20 and 30 of these veins have been
opened to various depths, ranging from 10 to 350
yards. One lode at a depth of 350 yards is consi-
dered to yield, on an average, from 1,200 to 1,600
pounds per fathom. All the lodes have afforded
plumbago of a very superior character. Both the
quantity and quality of yield gradually improve as
the workings gain in depth. The entire side of the
mountain is literally dotted with outcroppings, pre-
senting to the geologist a rare and most interesting
phenomenon, inasmuch as between all the main
lodes intermediate small veins or feeders' occur."

The writer then proceeds to describe that portion
of the property which yields the pencil lead. " The
mineral itself," he remarks, " is of a rare and supe-
rior description, and is pronounced superior for lead
pencils to any yet exhibited, the Siberian and Cum-
berland varieties alone excepted, but possessing this
advantage over those two celebrated sorts, that it
can be produced for market at an exceedingly low
price." "In conclusion," Mr. Vincent observes,
" that, in view of the constantly increasing demand
for plumbago for crucibles, stove polish, foundry
and powder facings, stereotyping, lead pencils,
paint, lubricating, &c., the cheapness with which it
can be mined, prepared, and delivered in the great
markets of Europe and America, and the limited
number of plumbago mines in the world worth
working, this property—capable of supplying, when
properly developed, the entire commercial demand,
large as it is—can scarce fail to reward its owners
beyond that of most of the best iron, coal, or other
mines of the world." This encouraging report is
fully borne out by that of a practical Cornish miner
who has made a professional inspection of the sett.
Amongst the principal consumers of the mineral, the
crucible makers, the Ticonderoga plumbago has ob-
tained a remarkable celebrity. The superintendent
of the New York Crucible Works reports, "An
important consideration is that the Ticonderoga
qhmueaaaytl tbywe ,
de
heent herbydine
di ausurs
injury
upon
!ion
plumbago can always be obtained of an uniform
s
ebmel , e
trt
hh
uoa
sft
nif
tgthoea
rnqul 1111:a certain
reunscuti
giving the manufacturer an uniform standard, such
not being the case with the Ceylon plumbago. Be-
sides the foregoing advantages of the Ticonderoga
plumbago over the Ceylon, I can make pots for the
manufacture of steel that will stand as many heats
as the best Ceylon plumbago with 30 to 33 per cent.
less weight."

We have had occasion to enumerate the various
purposes to which the use of pluinbago has been
confined, its limited employment being doubtless
the result of the high price it has hitherto com-
manded. It remains to be seen whether a reduc-
tion in cost, such as must inevitably result from the
introduction of the American produce into England,
may not. materially extend the consumption, by gain-
ing for it au employment in other operations.
Amongst other probable uses may be suggested
extensive trials of its effects in increasing the tena-
city of iron, both in the construction of auxiliaries
of peaceful occupation and the stern but imperative
muniments of war. It has been asserted on excel-
lent authority (M'Culloch) that a certain portion
of plumbago found in pig-iron adds considerably to
its toughness. On one occasion, in particular, he
mentions that " a cannon had been condemned for
some fault in the bore, and it was found so exceed-
ingly tough that note of the men were able to break