Amador weekly ledger., 1857-11-21
A Chapter on Silver.

This metal possesses great interest; its fire.
quent mention in the Scriptures-the sbekels
of silver, the talents of silver-indicates its
ancient use and application as money. 1t is
one of those metals which the alchemists of
old termed noble metals, because they found
that it could not be rusted; moreover, they
could not dissolve it in any menstruum they
possessed. Fire only made it brighter Al
lusion is made to this fact in the Book Of job
to illustrate the triumph of a good heart
over misfortune. Silver is found in all parts
of the world, and England yields its share
Bishop Watson, one of our early chemical
writers. says that the silver which was pro-
cured from the mines in Cardgansbire by Sir
Hugh Middleton, amounting to 1000 val
ue per month, enabled him to construct that
valuable work which we call the New River,
for the purpose of supplying portion of
London with water The Bishop also men,
tions that mint was established at Aberyst-
with for coming silver. In the English mines
this metal is found mixed with lead, from
which it is separated by very simple pro-
cess invented by Mr. Pattison of Newcastle
The mixed metal it melted in an iron pot; it
is then allowed to COOL The silver sets be-
fore the lead, and is then separated by simply
straining through a colander. Silver can be
beaten out into leaves so thin that Que grain
of it can be made to cover surface of more
than fifty square inches. Wire can also be
drawn from it finer than human hair In
these respects it has nearer resemblance to
gold than any other metal. With the me-
chanica qualities of silver most readers are
tod lint tc
known Of its chemical qualities, it may be
well to mention them.
Silver has, as it were, determination to
exist in no other form than the metallic state
in which we generally see it; and although
the chemist may dissolve it, and overcome
its mobility" yet it is SO prone to assume its
natural state that even daylight will restore
it to its pristine beauty. 1t is here that
chemistry shows its great power in adapting
peculiar property of meteral to some use
in the arts and manufactures. SO we see
that silver is the main instrument in the pho
tographic art. Silver is dissolved, some salt
is added, you look at it, and the result is that
your shadow is there ndelibly printed. The
poets may well liken soft-fowing rivers to
''siver threads covering the green velvet of
the carth;" but such types are prosy when
we compare them with the painting after life
produced by sunbeam on fabric imbued
with silver. Again, how carefully the good
housewife marks her linen!" She well knows
how it is thus preserved for her own use, but
perhaps is not aware Of the fact that the ''in-
dellibe ink" is nothing more than the solu-
ton of fourpenny piece, sor which she will
lingly pays shilling Sometimes little
furgus takes up its abode ON the human skin;
it grows very fast, but does not cause much
pain; nevertheless it is SO insidious that if
not carefully watched it will destroy life
The doctor comes, he rubs it over with lit
tie caustc, and health is restored. If you
ask what this caustic is called, the answer is,
Nitrate of Silver."-EngiiM Paper.