Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1861-11-09
From the Register.1

EDITOR OF THE RALEIGH REGISTER AT a time
when all the natural resources of the State become
objects of direct interest it may be well to place
before your readers condensed statement of facts
which go to show the Importance Of one or two sub
stances the elements of which exist in great abund
ance in our State and which may Ee manufactured
at profit
At present these elements lie dormant Enter
prise and capital properly directed are only wanted
to develop these products which essential TO the
prosecution of the most important branches Of in
duStry and which, no doubt, would yield remun-
Grating profit to the producers and promote in an
essential manner the public good.
Among the substances Of the first importance, are
sulphur and suphuric acid.
Sulphur, or birthstone, in its simple state, does
not exist in the Confederate States in sufficient
quantity to be of any CONNER cal value. The con-
ditlon in which occurs, IS that of suphuret form
ing we'll known compounds with iron, copper, and
many other metals. AS a sulphuret it exists in a
proportion never less than third of the weight
of the bodies with which it is combined. FROM the
metals it may separated by the direct application of
heat and may be obtained in the condition Of an
impure sulphur, or by easy combination Of ele
mentS converted into oil Of yitTiol
Sulphur in its simple state forms an essential con-
stituent of gnn-powder in the proportion OF about
twelve per cent also in the manufacture Of friction
matches, india rubber goods, &c. But in this State
1t is lay far less important than the compounds pro-
duced from il. 1t is to be regarded the base
which lies at the foundation of hundreds of articles
which are in common use. Of these substances sui
phuric aCld is the most important. This substance.
produced from sulphur becomes in its turn the base
Of numerous products indispensable in civilized life
Nitric acid is produced bv the action of Sulphuric
acid upon ntre. All the nitric acid Of commerce is
made in this way, and no process has been devised
for the production of nitric acid without the aid Of
Sulphuric acid.
In the manufacture of bleaching powders, so cs-
sental to cloth and paper makers, suphurc acid is
Indispensable.
Soda is also now exclusively made by the action
of sulphuIic acid upon chloride of sodium common
salt)
In Scotland the manufacture of soda and bleach
ing salts, in connection, under one establishment,
has been carried on upon great scale. The chic
ride of sodium Common Salt,) and manganese arc
subjected to the action Of Sulphurc acld in furnaces
which, by the aid of heat iiberates the chlorine from
the soda, which is conducted to chamber contain
ing lime combining with which, forms the well
know article bleaching salts. Thus two articles Of
enormous consumption 10y the civilized world are
economically made by the aid of sulphuric acid
The establishment referred TO has enjoyed for the
last few years a monopoly of these two articles.
Another substance requiring Sulphuric acid for
its production is phosphorus, which enters into the
composition of matches. Few aware Of the ex-
tensive use of this article. Statistics show that
Austria alone consumed in the year 1S49. for the
manufacture of matches, 125,0O lbs. Of saltpetre
S2,5 500 lbs Of phosphorus, 100000 lbs. Of sulphur
Super. phosphate Of lime for agricultural purposes,
is prepared by the action Of Sulphurc acid bones
So again the manufacture of muriatic acid requires
suIphuric acid 1t an article indispensable in arts
and sciences. We might 60 on and add long list
of articles made by of sulphuric acid as the
manufacture of Ether Fluorine GOdine the purfca-
ton of Kerosene oil for lights, the preparation of
dye stufS, together with its extensive in gavan-
c batteries for working the Electric Telegraph
Some idea may be formed Of the vast amount of sui
Phuric acid which is required when we state that
Great Britain consumes over 100000 lbs. annu-
ally In fine, its use and Importance to the arts
can be compared only with the of steam a
moving power; the one, is chemical, the other a
mechanical power; and both are Indispensable to
the civilized world
E. EMM0NS,
State GeOlogist.
Raleigh, October 28th, 1861.