The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-12-20 00:00:00

ROMAN CATHOLite..MORALITY IN THEORY AND

Pli FICE.

TO THR RDITOR OF 7'HE LIVERPOOL ST-CVD.IRD.

Sin, —The following circumstance occurred .very-recently in
this 16,v0. An Irish Roman Catholic servant acknowledged to
her mistress it she had at .times, when she refused her in-
than her USWIL and as was thought sufficient, allowance. of
.Lone aro secretly taken it from the bowl. And she said
this teas no sin, hevonse she did nut give it out. of ihe house.
If this offence were an individual act, unconnected with the
doctrines taught by the church of which.. she is at member, the
odium and guilt would rest with the individual so offending
but, that it is only the
:natural fruit of the t precepts of the
Church of Rome, let the following extracts prove.
Ext.ravt hue Baillti's • Treatise on xiioral., Theology, liar: of the
the coarse of study in _the Renton Catholic College ihe Educa
y Prioxis, Atlaynooth, Ireland . •
" Qiestioit—What is to be thought of servants who; pilfer}
( sun, epientibus) aay thing from their masters?
" .Answers. —That they sin mortally if they 110:r a consider-
able quantity; venially if a small quantity. But, if they steal
money, furniture, or such things, the. same quantity is required
to constitute a mortal sin as if the .wese ,
. • strawers• nay, rather,
their crime is more detestable, as Well because they violate the
trust reposed in them by their masters, as because their masters
are oftener more displeased than if a stranger stole [non them.
. But if servants should pilfer ( sat ripeertnt ) any thing to eat,
they,do not always sin; that is to say, if it be some food which
their masters would readily, permit them to use if. leave were
asked front them ; or, at least, they sin more venially, and a
greater quantity is required to make a mortal sin than with
respect to strangers, because it would be generally less -con-
trary to the wishes of a master. They sin mortally, however,
if they. pilfer for the purpose of carousing, or in order to sell, or
give away to others, or if, they should make use of dainties and
choice wines, which the master wishes to reserve for himself,.
and which are not usually allowed to servants."—Bailly's
The logy. rot 2. p. 239-210.
That pilfering small quantities, in this extract, does not refer
to the understood liberty of servants to eat a sufficient quantity
of the articles given for their use is evident from the passage
itself, because the answer sets out by saving, that " to pilfer
small.quantities is a venial sin," and even in respect to small
quantities pilfered N. eating, it acknowledges it may be "
more venial sin." But to eat what is allowed by the master is
no sin at al!. And, therefore, liberty is here given actually to
steal, tind yet the Church of home teaches her priests ancrthe
priests teach the periple' that it is no sin, or at least a more
venial one. Suppose it to ba a venial sin, let us see the harrier
opposed to its committal by the Church of Rome, by consider-
ing the doctrines taught respecting venial sins in another part
of the. comae on theology, viz.:—Dogmatic Theologq, vol. 5,
p. 56, where we learn that venial sins do not separate from the •
grace of God; that they may 'be' concealed front the priest '
without incurring blaMe, and may be expiated in many ways.
Bow trifling a matter they make venial sins! What a strong
safeguard fora master's property !
l'hus it is easy to perceive whence sprung the servants
(Met-rine and pratice.- How opposed is this theology to the holy
doctrines and precepts of the word of God! We there learn
conceraing sin, 4:".l'he soul that -sinneth it shall die." Ezeki4
c. IS, v. I. -No mention is here made of the.amount of sin, but
only of the fact. And again, " Whosoever shall keep the
whole law, and vet offend in one' point, he is guilty of all."
Janies,-c. 2. v.lO. Such is the doctrine ofthe Bible respecting
sio;, and its moral precepts are equally pure twit tending to
holineSs. -•Ofservants it: says, " Not purloining. but showing
all good fidelity." Titus. c. 2. v. 10. Flow have they, in this
case, Made .the commandment of God of none effect by their
traditions!

I would propose to the masters. and mistresses of Liverpool to
demand a .recantation of this doctrine froth each Roman
Catholic servant before hiring. him or her.-1 remain, &c.
Liverpcol, Dec. 14, 18.73. 7W.

A POPULAR COURSE OF-CHEMISTRY.
• NIECiIANLCs' issUITUTION.

LT( TuitE X.•
On Sittutidie evening Mr. Hemming proceeded with his
valuable aud suteresting course.
Belli was abundantly found in ancient limes, and as highly
valued as at the pre.•,.-nt day. We freqttently find it alluded to
in the Scriptures; thus vvo read:that'. Selemon received in one
year (did talents of gold, or 713,41031b5. weight, and that all his
drinktnis veSsetsS as welt as all the vessels of the house of the
forest tif.dsolStion, wetai of, fine gold. None were of silver: it
was nothing accounted ot in the days of Solomon. The great
beauty, lust's!, rsalleability, and-ductility et' this' metal, its un-
naturesus Well us its Comparative seareeueStS, caused
it to ot., as tueeti topreciatial formerly as at present, As ;fold is
fouad in -its native' state, althoulth nwehanicany 'united with
other soOstaneesilthe art of:reducing/Might have 'been very
easy, ansi, in ail prettability it. was, iacidentally discovered. In
troiaerit' times-geld is chiefly found in Saiitit America, but there
is searcelyat metal -which is more universally distributed over
the whole world, except iron and arsenic,-hut it's qttantit y• is so
small that-it is rarely worth' the trouble of sepaevioti. In the
sixteenth century it wes found in the mines of U per Hungary,
and worked with great success. It has been' found a:so in
Cornwall and in Scotland. The largest qitititity•ever fimind •in
the three kingdoms was discovered in the Wicklow mountains,
of the weight. of 22 ounces. A mass of gold has'been met with
in South America weiahing 418 ounees, and allot hers2B ounces,
but the average quantity met with is from five to six ounces in:
50001bs. weight of ore,- A few years aoa part of a mountain in
Paraguay fell down, and masses of gold, from 20 to 301bs. weight.'
were found. The followers of Christopher Columbus found such
large quantities of gold, in such large masses, that they thought
they had (Rand the Eldorado. A labouring man or a sailor
sometimes found as much in a day as was worth £2JO. Gold is
found in great abundance between the tropics. All regions
nevertheless contain it, and it is probable that mountains contain
considerable quantities of it, and that it is washed down into the
rivers by rain. We receive annually 4000 ounces Of gold dust
from Africa, which is separated from the sand of the rivers
flavving. through 'that'country: Great quantities of gold are
found in the sand of the river Aranos; the collection of which
affords employment to 70(10fsmilies. The-current of one of the
tiverssin-Brazif was turned fin' the purpose of extracting the
gold from its sandy-bottom 'Many of- the European rivers
contain particles of gold amongst their sands ; amongst these
are the Rhine, the Rhone:The Danube, the Tagus, the Elbe,
the Oder, and the Schwaritz. Golitseeking is a very bad trade
in Africa, and very indifferently rewards those engaged in
The mode of separating it from the' rivet sand is extremely sim•
pie. The natives• judge front the 'appearance and colour of the
sand whether it is rich in g01d..-;41 is found in greatest abun-
dance in .rich nehmen,: sand containing iron, after heavy storms
of rain, by which it is brought dikkm feion the mountains by the
force of the torrent. When the particles Of gold are separated
from the sand they are found perfectly sameth, as if abraded by
the action of the sand and water. Now those who collect the
gold keep the sand containing it in pereethal agitation in a
vessel beneath the surface of the water, by which means the gold
sinks to the bottoM by its greater gravity. They continue this
process until they think a quantity of geld has accumulated at
time button of their vessel, when they pick out its minute leit•ti-
des For commercial purposes this process is pursued on a
larger scale, anti mercury' emoloved faetlie'intrpose of forming
`an amalgam with the gold. The pavess of' mercury is then
strained off through leather ; arid antaigion being subjected
to a sufficient degree of heat, ttia.iicercury is 'driven off, and we
have a bution et' tolerably pure geld•iretinaining. Whengold is
in the state of nee, or Cilmbinedwith the baser metals, excepting
silver, it must undergo situ proe-eses"Otqefloitio by the refiner's
hearth. The alloy which ,contains thiegold is wrapped up in
sheet leadsand-plaeed oh the hearth of the fernece, and a very
intense Eire is allewed to play it First the leatt*ill knelt,
and,- becathing an et\i;le. he .converted ' into a vitreous state„
when thetrasee Metals Will combine with it, leaving. the gold in
the copel in a pure stiite. The woskinitri knows when this
'takes place, by the surfoceof the mettil appearing. quiescent,
and of a gmeniSh Cidonr. When silver is allayed with gold the
mode of separation is that described in the previous lecture.
Thit process is celled quartation. In modern times another
made is resorted to. The alloy Containing silver is rolled lulu
sheets, and placed in nittic acid. Thenitric acid Will dissolYe
'the sliver but not the gold. - The mode of redueifig it from ore
-in the South Ainet.iviii mines is, first to stamp it into a coarse
:powder, in staniping drills. The p mdet is then placed upon an
inclined plane with ledges, covered with sheep skins, or some
:other fibrous-material.. A stream of water its permitted to flow
upon • this inclined plane, h carries away gradually the
lighter .portions of the ere. The Ortieles of gold and other
inetals, being so much heavier „than the matrix, are kept to-
gether by' the fibres of't lre-stidefa4Atiiis, Which have a remarkable
teneeity in keeping•these partieleS-of gold. The particles are
then beaten and washed out of the sheep skins, and they un-
dergo the process- dtarnalgamathin cad beating in a cope!, as
previously described. •
We may dissolve small portions of gold in liquid chlorine, but
nitro-nutria' icicid Compased of two Darts inariatic to one part
of nitric acid will easily dissolve it in large quantities. All tire
'rather common metals,•exeept platinum; are dissolved in nitric
threfore by this means tve separate them from phis The
gold of commerce is'never pure; in order to obtain it so we
"must resort to this process, though, in the opinion of some che-
mists it cannot be procured chemically pure, unless it be fur-
ther separated from foreign substances by dissolution in sill-
, phuric ether. 'We then have the heaviest known metal but one,
dissolved in the lightest known fluid but one. By evaporating
the ether we have perfectly 'pure gold. This etherial solution
of gold was formerly employed in medicine; and supposed to be
a panacea for all kinds of diseases, in fact it was considered
equal to 'garrison's pills. But it is no wonder, because the
physician compelled the patient to furnish him with the gold to
-dissolve, a tittle of which probably was returned to the patient
in the medicinal state. Our physicians, however,- in these days
man-age matters much better:—they never profess to cure any
npatient by returning any portion of gold. We may gild steel
articles by, means of this solution. In this way the eves of la-
dies' needles are gilded. Lancets, pen-knives, swords, and
other bright steel instruments may,-in this manner, be protected
from the weather.
Pure gold is too soft for our doMeitic purposes, and there-
fore it becomes necessary to. alloy it with somethitig to make it
hard. Copper is chiefly used for this purpose, especially at the
anintr In estim klieg the purity: ot gold the term carat is ein-
ployecl; every portion of gold is supposed to be divided into_
tarots'-four parts, and each of these is called a carat; if the
-alloy vontain eighteen parts gold and six ailov, it is called go!d
eighteen c,r.its fine. Our geld coin is usually twvoly-rwo was
rats tine. N.w in Great Britain every article of gold and silver
abuse a certain weight must be stamped, and in older to access
tain whether it be of the reqiiired degree of fineness every arti-
'cle'sarit 'to Geldsmithe Hall undergoes the operation of assay-
ing•'Fir this pnrpose minute pietions of the article are de-
tached by Means of a file, and the alley is fused in a impel, ac-
cerding to the previously menthried process, when the gold ob-
tainertby this means free front the alloy of copper is. werirlied
and contrasted with the previous weight of the alloy. When
gold is alloyed With silver the process of quartation must be re-
serted to, In France the ;sold must Le twenty carats fine, hut
in England gold of eighteen carats fine is considered standard.
The French mode of asssying gold differs. from thet of the Eng-
lish, Tee manotacturer staves the alloy. .The article is then
rubbed lotto) a touchstone, and the mark very accurately no-
ticed. The workman then rubs a needle composed of similar
: alloy upon the stone, and it the needle touch similarly to the
article tieing assayed, and leave a similarly tinted mark the
gold is considered standard. Such is the ,skill and dexterity
which these workmen possess by their, continual practice that
'they seldom err. The high duty paid at Goldsmiths' Hall ou
'the various articles assayed them has induced many persons to
commit singular frauds upon the public. A person used to
come regularly to the hall to have a pair of light gold watch
eases assayed, untif one day the assayer noticed' a flaw in the
cases similar to one which be hail made in a similar pair as-
/saved pti:/iously and stamped, had,
led. to suspicion, and it
was found that the watch-cane maker was in the habit of cutting
the hall mark. ut (if the case, arid soldering it into other gold
..cases of inferior purity. The art- of -seldeling gold is carried to
such a degre p(o/fe-ctien tliat fe cap tell where their
vredding rings tire Suldered. The fraiid' was detected, and the
man transported.
eat'able shas tt metal,eenf a
found
have d
invaltioi
,'lorntsaideofr Like
tha world, tu tgold• this
chiefly in
cold eitUntries. The greatest quantities of it have beets found
in the high lands', 'or mountains in Mexico and Peru, which. are.
consideraidv elevated. above the level of the sea. The chief
sources of it in Europe have been the cold countries of Bohe-
mia. Sweden, Norway, acid Transylvania. We have no silver
. mines in England, andyet with 'the exception of HungarY no
European kingdom has produced so much silver. It is feund
in 'the galena or -sulphuret of lead.
..The.Atiantity, however,
is not always sufficient-to render it worth eXtrailitig. We have
had such enormous qeantities of silver f itindlAti'learly-tiMes in
this galena,.that setae geogrephical writers 11p,v4
,assest,d jbat
silver mines formerly existed in England. It IS said ihat ju the
reign of Edward I. a mine iu Desatiushire aielded• 16001b5.-te
sly-ears and that another ig Derigslatiliq rtaaidto Vs in iat 440-
, 6-ilbs. Per ton wete eXtilt r-ed 1'1441 elebi tr Huph- de
I\i iddiettin, Of C antigatti it.likt,liorioalrlititiiiithifil!Caukctikit of' sliver
from his lead ;nines: (hetweenp,:iyA t 73.(rAttqqpthe4kni) with
the proceeds of detN'hittlilinf 10 coinfirete (fie stupen-
dous- tiedestaking of bringing-the new 'river ipdpi nerefordShire
to lotiolon, all enterprise which, thou;_ii it ruined lion, has
•the. foriatiesthaanys ' - •
The.quantityof silvetsenntainad.in the sameipet inl'en 'of ga-
lena often spies. The crown, lot mealy, could third ;my •tithe fu
tl.e
.provided Citlllllll,tl as Mild] gold or silver
Styr` v bile separating- accerdinely,!itnaction was broneld
It!,' the erown in a court tit' justice, in 1(19(1, against the pro-
prietors of several mines. but the proprietors proved thii:t the
varyingvtantity .of silver fhuod Mahe ore WOW! not repay the
woiking of the :Mines, and gained a v..idiet. This right of the
erea a its.,gilitsmup julthe /reign of Willi on ant. I Marv; but, .to
the: preseOt day; the
,crown. bias a prior right in the silver
rilitalued in the kingditin at it rate abitve a market price of the
ore. Silver is refilled in the matne manner as gold, and can be
separated Irian lead by cupella , tion; Pure 'silver is the whitest
end email lustrous of-metals. It is obtained. in the greatest
quantity from the mines of Potosi:in' Mexico. This mine was
discovered by accident ; named, Diego Huelpa,
was hunting a llama an the mountain of Potosi, and, being in
danger, sea tight hold of a, shuttle which, yielding to his grasp.
discovered to bun a quantity of pure silver shout its toots. He
replaced the shrub; but, as he could not a-elk this mine alene,
he ciniimunicated • his secret • lii a fellow workmap. - They
worked it by: night, and_ removed large quantirreS of silver;
'hut. iluetpa's fellow-workman having, revealed.the secret in a
fit dru4kvuuvs,.,,,,theAnines were seized by the Crown, and
became the royal,,pr rip •riy. Prom the commencement of the
working of. this 11.1111tt to the present, century. the quantity
nt silver „obtained Irmo these mines has exceeded three
hundred millions of !salmis, and within a few years of its
discovery, although it existed hi a barremmotintain, a town
was built near it which contained 100,000 inhabitants. This
mine, itfis said; is. uet by.aity tneans so productive as fermerly.
Silver, like gold, is little liable to alteration. 14, however,
' combines very freeiy with the sulphur of the sulphuretted by-
drogen, and tarnishes much more readily than gold. Hit be
exposed to a,violent heat it will not burn, but it will boil; and
if a gold,vt sae! lie .held over the vapour of the boiling silver, it
will he coated with a ,film of silver. Nitric acid is the best
.selvent for ; but
.w,e may dissolve a iniuutc portion of it
-in boiling sulphuric acid.. Nitric acid mixed with' one-half its
weight of: water .will dissolve one-half its tse,ight of silver.
• When the excess of acid and.water is evaporated and the Salt
('used, it .Will,continunicate an iadellible black to the skin, and
,is employed ip. dyeing vat ions substances black. Gold counnu-
`nicates: an indelible purple stain to the skin. Now silver is
/very extepsively used in this 'state, in whichit is chemically
collet) nitrite of silver, but commonly lunar caustic.
It is etn-
pioyed as a caustic for the purpose 'if arresting. the proersss iif
'local inflanlatmn• - It is enipluyed in the prei:atation of (le
'water, in the preportion of one or ten grains to au enure of
water, in which state it is an invaluable lotion for weak eyes,
It is likewise taken in eases of epilepsy,
.but it has the
sillg"iarsPnll', Of steitiires' the whole skin ofa deep slate
(„o„ur, aypreseitino, to iiistkr etas' which malting will remove.
This ertiele•is etrolittetl in the reparation of indelible
:
jusikino ink, Ni,,t Ibis walking ink, nhich ms ."la at S 10) pn,
ry
is ,
but oth ngliudt
druggist
•ggsiosltu tot:
hoi
ifs
(n.tiitsit.t,i?ttrnieoenoif.-
tasiot vbet
Notch t •
tenth rum and coloured with Indian ink. is not
slue (line.
uii.iei e.
tteis srby_oerar
1 urst the
buy
i Ycabos e ttl;oieflPrreaP''.a
little pearlash
dud water: coloured red. In orAer to write with this, thelinen
or of her material is to be dipped in the alLitine liquor. It is