The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-12-02 00:00:00

LIVERPIRY NOTICEF3.

Dublin University Magazine. Noveinbr.
If!there had been no other article iu this number of
'the Dublin University Magazine than that with which it
opens, it, alone, would be a sufficient recompence for the
price of its purchase and the time of its perusal. A finer
specimen of.calm reasoning on, exciteable topics we have
not often witnessed. The vindicatien of " Irish Landed
Proprietors" from the aspersions a 4f; papal. junto which
conducts the Dublin Review—the. felicitous exposures of
the debasing corruption of Romanistn, as practised in
"American Nunneries;" to which the public attention
had:heen drawn by Miss Reid's narrative of" Six Months
in a Convent"—the complete victory obtained over the
said:Dublin reviewers, in regard to the " permission" of
reading the Bible by the laity, and by them, falsely, con-
tended, to haie been granted by the Council of Trent—
are,all to be, found ,in this interesting article;. to complete'
the,pions group, we have Dr Troy supporting the.Rhernisli.
Testament, and Dr. Murray holding forth Peter. Dens to.
the'cleric:ll aspirants:after papal distinction. We strongly.
recommend this article to all tier readers. The next ar,,
tide is on " Alison's French Revolution," which pre-,
faded by Many judicious and well timed reflections on the
present state of 'England, and are especially, such as very
mariv natural and national associations would induce in.
a correctly thinking mind. We quote the following pas-
sage as highly consolatory, and also because it very ex;.
ac4ly- speaks our own conviction:—" Every day only
more and more serves to convince us,. that the heart of
the country is sound—of this the recent elections, in .se.
Terra of the countiesnf England, are no insignificant or'
unintelligible symptoms. They have stricken the lead-
ers_of.the democratic party With dismay, which it Te.-
qdires only a little more activity,, and enterprise,. on the
part of the Conservatives,. to improve into consternation,
and Arlie theni 'from that. station and influence, which
they could never have been suffered to attain, without
national disgrace, and which they can no longer be suf-
fered to occupy without national danger." In the course
of the review of Alison's " French- Rj,vOlutiOn" are inter-.
spiersed very' many judicitius seleCtions of passages fron-i!
thke >sork itself,'which serve, almost 'as an abridgMent, to,
pits* a'connected -view of the events that progressed
sinJultaneously:, with' the career.. of . Buonaparte. We
think they who read the " review" will also read Alison:
Of the next article we confess ourselves incompetent
judges ;. it seems..to our, perhaps morliid; taste, a farrago
of trash; but when a- company .down ,to a dinner,
every one does. not: eat of: the same dish: this lite-
raTy yepast we must therefore leive the "Plundersweiler
Fair" for other appetites than 'our own. We have more
than'tasted it, but soon found (perhaps it might be Squea-
mishness) that "a little wont than a little was. much too
Much" for us. With the article on. the " Gallery of Il-
ltistrious Irishmen," in which we are presente4 with a •
full length picture of the Earl of Cbarlemont, and the
"forrelatives" of his"day, we have been much pleased—
the anecdotes. of Hiime, of Earl ':Chatham, and Lord
Mansfield, the lively mention of Burke;-Johnson, Gold-
smith,
as living personages• actually, filling up the busy
and varied scene of real life—all conspired to carry us
back a generation of days, and .to fascinate us with the
triple spell of eloquence, poesy, tux': nimbi. The re-
mainder of the number,- with the exception Of an inte-!,
resting article on the " English 'Poets," is composed, of
romantic tales, involving, for so We infer from the glance
we have given them, all the mysteries, of wonder, and
rioting in all the extravagance of fiction.

AnOlher Word to the Operative Conservatives. By R
S. S.

We have read with very great satisfaction, and we
commend to all our friends- as worthy their, perusal, a
pamphlet entitled "Another word to the Operative Con-
servatives, by R. S. S." It is a sober appeal.to the best
judgment of all classes of men—it points, out the origin,
and enforces the necessity of conservative- unions, upon
the principle laid down in the motto of the pamphlet, by
that high political authority, Edmund Burke—" When
bad men combine, good men must unite, or else they will
fall, one,fifone, unpitied sacrifices in a contemptible
.akruggl4," With regard to the happy soil in which the
thought first germinated, of
:establishing " Operative
Conservative Institutions,'.l, we are glad to have an op.
portunity of adding our modicum of praise, by quoting
the word of the present pamphlet :—" It is by no means
improbable, that the imposing list of noble and illuatri.:
ous characters, forming' the committee of the nevttres-
tablished • National Conservative Institution, and: the
.
avowed intention of aiding the operative societies, con-
contained 'in its prospectus; had a greit.thare in influ-
encing others in favour of us. If this surmise be nearly
allied to-truth, as -I have no doubt it is, I cannot, my
friends, in common justice, neglect to point out to You,
that it is to LORD SANDON that we are mainly indebted
forthe establishment of this excellent institution. The
expression he made use of,.vylien Erresiding at a meeting,
14eparatory to its establishment, ran thus Subordi;.,
nate to that object, and which must depend for suceess on;
thlemeans used, would be the promotion of conservative
associations amonget the labouring classes all over the
conntiy: There tvas nothing secret intended—all 'was
tO'be open and intelligible. -Conservatives were neither
ashamed of supporting' their principles nor of avowing
their objects.' " The advise added to those high in title,
wealth, or station, to "condescend to men of low estate,"
i'recominendin,Ta duty as politically wise as it is scrip-'
turally incumbent.. •

POPULAR COURSE ON.CHEMISTRY, AT TH E
MECHANICS' INSTITUTION.

LECTURE IV.
On Saturday Mr. Hemming proceeded with his instructive
and entertaining lectures.
We have to: consider in the present lecture the application of
chemical affinity to that very important branch of our manu-
factures, the nianufacture of pigments and dying materials.
There are perhaps very few branches of manufacture known, to
which chemical discoveries have twee more useful than to this;
for we are now possessed of many valuable pigments of greater
durability and beauty than any known in • Ginner times, the,
most of which are made from substances formerly considered
useless and worthless, all to be obtained with very little cost
and trouble, and all manufactured by ,very simple processes.,
The first of these is the well-known pigment Prussian blue. It
is so called.because it was first discovered by accident at Berlin
by Diesbach as he was firming a precipitate by the agency of
cochineal,a solution of sulphate of .irou, and au alkali. The
alkali which he used for that purpose was obtained from a che-
mist, who• manufactured it by a peculiar process, in which he
used animal blood. Upon appliying this alkali, he was sur-
•prised to -find, instead of a crimson precipitate, one of a deep
blue culuar. He obtained more of the alkali, and added • it, to
solutions of cochineal apd sulphate of iron, and ,found that it
affected the latter only. lie continued to precipitate the coin,
pound, and sold it at an immense, price under the. name of
Prussian blue. The alkali he used was ferro cyanuret of po-
tassium. The pigmentii formed-by adding a solution of ferro
cyanuret of potassium to a •solution of sulphate of iron, when
the sulphuric acid unites with the potash, and the cyanogen,to •
the iron. In the manufacture of Prussian blue it is most lad's-
pena4ble to have peroxide of iron, otherwise the .precipitete,will
be green. The sulphate of iron of commerce contains both pit-
toxide and peroxide of iron. If protoxide of iron is exposed to
the atmosphere, it combines with theoxygen of the` atmosphere,
and ,becomes a peroxide. In the manufacture of Prussia:n blue,
. ,
the manufacturer, after having precipitated the pigment as pre-
viously described, adds a large quantity of the solution of alum;
indeed the solution, of alert' is generally Mixed with the solution
or sulphate of irou. When the solution has subsided, it is filtered
.and washed with inuriatic acid. , Both of these latter prOcesies are
unnecessary. The addition of alum is professedly wade to give
the, pigineut what they call body; but the idea is absurd, the
blue is as well without it... It is in reality only adde'cltoiiicrease
the profit of the minufaeturer; the blue is. worth a great deal,
whereas the
.aluia is .comparatively worthless. When persons
are purchasing Prussian blue, thev.pUt their tongue to it, atil if
it adheres forcibly to the tongue, they,sity it is good; but, as this
adhesion at ises front the alum contained in the pigment, the. en n-
el-orris the case. The washing'ivith mtirlatic acid is to dissolve
the protoxide; but if the, precipitate were to remain exposed to
the atmosphere for a short time, the sante effect wouldbe ginned.
The pigment manufacturer is compelled by necessity to 'adul-
terate his compounds, as the competition is so great that lie
cannot afford to sell the genuine article.. There is auother
agent by which we can at once manufacture Prtissian blue,
which is also a very valuable test for the detectien of iron. It
is still the feria cvanuret, of potassium; but a-gelation of Chit).-
rine gas is paSeed through it, which communicates to it a blood
red colour. •I.ltis SOlittion. is.then boiled to expel the free chlo-
rine. Triechlorine takes_away half an atom of potassium frMn
the compound. This test wilt not detect peroxide, but only
protoxide of iron; and ii(such.delicaey is, it, that the, presence
of a,fei,v drops of protoxide.of ,iron in .a gallon of water will. be
percept ill' indicated.. This test is constant:), employed in
Lotidoe by those benevolent iadividuals the officers of Excise,
who go about doing good, in detecting the adulieratious of the
London publicans, some of whom are constantly in the habit of
making three butts of porter out of term by. adding Copperas,.
silt, and
.burut sugar to their beer. The officers carry with
them the test alluded to, and when they detect the presence of.
the sulphate of iron in the porter, they immediately submit it
to Dr. .Faraday, who is-analvtical chemist to the crown, and the
off,ricier, is instantly fined. "With respect to the very betiatiful
FA Which is-the material used in the manufacture of PrusSian
bluee, it is made by a. very Singular and easy emcees out of ma-
terials of very little value. It is manufactured try heetingin
an open iron vessel dried animal blood with a Sufficient (lean-
tity of
'pearl ash. During the process of fusion, it must be dili-
gently stirred with an iron spatula. If we attempt to make this
coMpound in a vessel which is not iron, we must add a portion
of iron' filings to
,it. -.When the mass has become pretty well
incorporated in a pisty ferns and the animal matter his been
well burned off, the remainder is, set aside to
.cool, and When
cool, water is introduced, try. Which 'all that is soluble'iS'dissalved
and drawq off. Thiailieuid will be 6aund to contain the salt,
which may be'erystallized in the ordinary Manner.," Sometimes
hoofs or horns: in a state of mechanical divisionare employed
instead of blood. It does not appear, however, that Cyanegen.
is contained in either of these substanceaalready formed, but
' that they, contain the elements carbon and nitrogen,: which are
required for its existence. Sulphate of iron is made artificially
from iron pyrites, which are exposed for two or three, years to
the action of the atmosphere. and rain, 'from which it ihsortis
the reldiSite "degree of oxygen, and, being dissolved by the' ain,
is carried into pits constructed to receive it. This solution is
evaporated aud, crystallized into the well-known salt sulphate of
iron or copperas. .. _ .. .
We,have now to consider the chrOme. colours: These also
hiye St:Terser:l,4,4U similar colours previously used, being inure
durable end-cheap. They were not discovered, like Prussian
blue, liy, accident, but by scientific. investigations), about forty
Years,agti. At that period a French chemist, N'anquelin, was
analyzing the red head ore of Siberia, the nature of which was.
until then unknown, although it had been for a long time used
as a pigment in Siberia and the. northern parts Of Russia, where
it: existed. formerly in abundance. In analyzing this substance
the French chemist found that the lead was combined with an
acid which, from ils properties of separating Various compounds,
he called chromic; acid. The substance in question, was •chro-
mate. of lead. The quantity of chrome obtained frOM this ore
is small; but shortly after it was discovered that in•abundance
of the ore might be procured in France, where the oxide of
chromium existed in combination with, oxide of iron. The ox-
ide of chromium is converted into chromic acid in the process i
of manufacture. Shortly' afterwards 'it was discovered that 1
.mountain's of it existed in the Shetland Islands; and it was im-
Ported Trent thence for the purpose of , forming this pi inept.
The very beautiful. pigment called chromate of lead is formed
by, adding a solution, of bichromate of potash to a Solution of
acetate or nitrate- of lead;. and when this p.igment was intro-
iuced idtd Great Britain its price was two guineas a pound—the
cturet himself remembered, 1 to )6 years ago, having given
all'-a'-guinea for a pound of it. The secret of its Manufacture
soon'becameknown, and its price consequently gradually'de=,
clined: it now be had for 2s. 6d. per lb., or as much less as
.. ... give .
you,please'to to have it properly adulterated. George IV.
' was the'earliest patroniier of this. pigment, and attracted much'
atteOtion'to it. i .Struck.willf its beauty; he caused an apartment
in Carhou Palace. to he painted with it: This dreiv the atteri-:
tion df the nobility to it, and it WA bouglii up for the purpose
Of..painting carriag s.• Patent yellow was previously employed'
for this purpose, but whet*, a brighter or livelier cOlour was re-
quired, what is called King's yellow, sometimes Queen's yellow,.
w4s.emplOyed. SbOn 'after the proceis of manufacturing, the
bichromate of leadbecame known the pignient was reduced in
price. The firsts process in making this salt is torechice the ore
to the state of powder, and then mix it with common 'saltpetre ;
it is then heated to redness in a crucible, when a decomposition
of the nitrate of, potass and the chromate of iron takes place.
One portion of oxygen comhines with the chrominin, and con-
verts it into 'chromic acid, whiCh wifl combine with the potass,
forining bichremate of potass. Water is then added to the,
mixture, when the bichromate of poitass being dissolved is. re.-
moved,"o further quantity of saltpetre is then added to the re,
mainder, and heated, to extract the remain in,g portion of chro-.
'Muni which the iron may contain. chromium is a very durable
colouring matter, and forms the c aleuring matter of some of our
dearest, gems. The solution of litchroinate of potass, in water is
the most powerfnl Colouring Matter we possess for One part of
it will colour 210,000 parts of water. In
.London the 'lecturer
had recomniended the solution to the druggists for their show
bottles, because it does riot and ergo decomposition, and may be
varied in tint. sly adding a solution of bichromate of potass to
a solution of acetate of lead,' we shall immediately form the
beautiful pigment bichrernate of lead; which will fall down in
a beautiful yellow precipitats. The manufacturers adulterate
this pigment to a considerable extent to increase their profits.
heating i e play increase the intentity and beauty of this pigment by
heating t whilst in a state vat' solution with a small quantity of
alkali, when it assumes a sleep orange colour. We have other
!iti route colours formed of metals which are, of, great beauty.
exceedinglyl lie chrom e green ifutvi at a durable,hichassupersaedneddisaltninactoset ebvyeirnYixoitnhge r
t,01.8
wither a stilutiontifbta sulphate
itotcopper with a solution of the
bichromate of potass,
requires to be precipitated by an
alkaline matter. This -oreen is likewise r adiiltu '•a Y adulterated h .the rria
riufacturer with whitinsr, chalk, or some other cheap m. ' tvri.il,
• Another pigment, calle it bichromate. of -silver, has been intro-
duced with much suct. iss as,a water colour • aud it would, be
used mote extensiveVy- astiiivterie. so, dei,s-tr,
fbeitig formed by
addMg a solution of I citrate of
mimic colour, almost • equal in beauty ttt,o a beautiful
orange colour may t• 9 formed by ntixin-u.
bichromate of potat•s; but this has been nitrate (anilinet itself.,a
sei:edllelSlbTU7:ith
i thtil elf7,•c.ihnrgocinherecnonl7mYreslakrwe athis ta-P:Saelxktaeltit'si-v eI Y 'EMI-
y h co-
loti,ir)efrohr;npesi!
ployeil hy.the dye? and calico. printer as.by the 1,0„,,,
ordaPn3ll
for they are 1)00 g prints, particularly
*illy employed in dyin
,naterira,
cha'ohne. yellow, s ;elate of lead is employed as the lit
the print being fi.nmersed in a solution of chromate of vetitss,
we have a chrot late of lead formed which nothing c,ii, dest.,,y..
Smile idea or th 6 value of the discovery to our manufacturers
may be funned., by this simple circumstance. The extensive
nianufactory ill this town uses it great number of tons of tto
chromate Ott on annually. A inanufactu:er in Scotland makes
so much of t le bichromate of potass that he ',Oasts that
,if the
demand cool slues he will dissolve the Shetland Islands: At
least as ante' i as made by.the other manufacturers of the king_
(loin:" p.d'fisi iv-five years ago the material employed in its menu-
fat'hite wai:`tfinawn.avrav as useless and worthless.
~
We' wilt .130t9 shortly review the green and yellow colours
manufact4....red in former times,' prior to the discovery of the
chrome 6 doors. 'lite chloride of lead wits Most ex tetisively eto-
Ployed it carriage painting.- This was made bY. Mix ing•joge-
ther
.trie lithurge (,f commerce with' about an equal qoantity of
commor ~ salt. These are; Then; round together and allowed' ci
remain. in water for several 'days.. :1A "decompoSitiOn,then takes,
place. The chorine quits the sodium and unites with the lead,,
and tb e oxYgen quits the lead and UniteS With the sinlinin, form-
ing IC dit and 'chloride. of lead. The, mall .is well ~:railed, and
yell?,
~,,-Ltie chiefly
heat? Ito redness, when the product will becottie yellow. King's
. . .
forined 'from sulphitic (if mercury,
al4.sttilphitric avid ate heated, t(Cgether 'and' poured into twill" v
wet • ;S., wheo a yellow precipitate will be. formed:. Queen's y c• -
lots loW.,lis made by testing for arsenic, ?nulls a Sulplitiret of arsenic.
IL 'A made by introducing sulikhuietted hydrogen into a solution.
or ersenic,when a venue, precipitate, will be thrown down.' The.
11' sterol green, called Scheele's green, is a pig,"nent of great
I• iatity,. but it is not very, durable. This is made I,)y the agency
s 1 arsenic, and the, sulphate of
,copper, in, a state of: solution..
'These are precipitated by potass in very beautiful fjakes, which
cotistitute the pigment in question. The other green,which is
;still employed for smite perpoSes, lint not very extensively, is
better known by the name of verdigris. It is acetate of cop-
per, and is formed by the actieu.of yutesrar upon'tnetallic cop,
per. The most important pigments formed by cheinical means
yet remaining unnoticed arelitharge, or protoxide of le,;(1,
minium er sesquiOxide of lead, and the carbonate. of lead', The
protoxide of lead is forotedby heating metallic lead in 'shallow
vessels, when a lalue film arises on its surface. The films, which
constitute the protoxide of lead,' are immediately raked.off as
they arise, until all the metal is thus disposed of: , ThiS is again
r; heate and it becomes the massicot of commerce, which is of
a bright yellow, colour.' By exposing this protoxide of lead for
twenty-four hours to a red heat it absorlis hail an atom more of
oxygen, and becomessesquinxide of lead, or red lead. The
other and most important compound of lead is carbonate o
lead, or white lead. This pigment appears to have been known
during the Roman sway, and to have been aced as a cosmetic
bylhe Roman ladies; it ltas been used alitiost time iminento-
!lel as a pigment. It is Made by exposing metallic lead to the
action of vinegar, and was, therefore..supposed to be similar to
acetate of lead or sugar of lead. We find; hoWe eer. diet this is
not
,t he case, for it is qua carbonate Of lead ;•-the 'Yinegi,r beitilz
shady evaporated. 1 o Meke carbonate of lead, the inetal. n!iist
tie. cast and noe,rolled into sheils,otherwise. it. e ill tooa,tne so
{tense that thOvettetiiir otLitie• vinegar still not readily Oct tijion
it..l- ~The S; rapt elieeltarethetc;i'pileditp spirally, anil phieed cn
Th
en 44 in , pets .centeinips yittrear;; ese• pots ere embedded in
spentoliartt ju eydey tiLiticrease Illeteniperattre, Air the room is
eipesed trili litainit Igmpelit:fiirk "'winch r:aufliin must be tisrd
in regulating the temperature, otherwise we shall have both