The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-03-22
Seton. the Achemist.

About the year l60o there lived
very remarkable alchemist, in the per
son Of one Seton, Of whom many
strange stories are told. Alate number
OF Chambers journal preserves few o.
them. One tells how Seton went into
an, incredulous goldsmith's shop, and
offered to turn pieceof lead into gold
The goldsmith put the lead in the cruel
bic, furtively slipping in along with it a,
the same time, BY way Of making as
surance doubly sure, small piece O
zinc--a metal which he considered
would render the best gold brittle anj
incapable Of being worked. A small
quantity Of Seton's powder was project
ed on the fused metal. and the crucible
was taken from the fire and found to
contain perfectly pure, malleable, and
ductile gold. The goldsmith acknowl
edged himself convinced, disclosing the
trick Of attempting to embarrass Seton
by stealthily placing zinc in the crucible
The news of the experiments resounded
all over Cologne. " The frequenters OIL
the apo,hecary's shop ceased to laugh
at the transmutation of metals, and
popular opinion veered round in favor
Of alchemy. Seton, though anxiously
sought for in Cologne, did not venture
to show himself in public again, but he
resided quietly in the house Of his friend
Bordemann. .-.,a
There was party, however, in Co
logne headed by a skilful surgeon
named George, who were not convinced,
George had written against alchemy
and was so fully satisfied Of its sin and
folly that he would not condescend even
to witness an alcbemical experiment.
To dead such a person to a change OIL
opinion was a difficult task, but our
fervid Scot boldly attempted it, and was
rewarded in fully succeeding in convert,
ing him. Seton managed, through
Bordemann, to be introduced to George
as one of his own profession travelling
in pursuit of surgical knowledge. In
the course of conversation he inquired
how the German surgeons removed
diseased flesh that could not be operated
on with the knife. George, in reply,
mentioned the several escharotics then
in use. Seton then told him that the
Scottish surgeons had recently discover
ell a preparation which ate away dis
eased flesh without any pain, and with
out injuring nerves, muscles or veins.
The German, acknowledging the very
great value Of such preparation, ex-
pressed wish 70 know its ingredients.
The other affirmed it to be compound
of sulphur and lead; and added, further,
that il the surgeon would get him a
small quantity of these minerals ne
would at once show him how to make
| it. George Immediately ordered his as.
sistant to 60 and purchase some sulphur
and lead; and on Seton saying that a
furnace and crucible would also be
requisite, the unsuspecting surgeon pro-
posed that they should at once 60 to the
laboratory Of a goldsmith OF his &C.
quaintance, and the assistan: was told
to meet them there with the articles he
was sent to procure Accordingly, Seton
and the surgeon went directly to the
workshop Of one Hans Kempen. Hans
was not at home, but his son, four jour
neymen, and an apprentice, were at
work in the place. While waiting TOR
the arrival of the assistant, Seton en-
tered into conversation with the work
men as to the best method Of converting
iron into steel, and offered to show them
a better way than they were acquainted
with. He then apparently in pursu-
ance of his conversation, requested the
goldsmiths son to put piece of a COM
mon iron nail into 4 crucible, and place
it on the fire. As this was being done,
Georges assistant entered with the lead
and sulphur which he had been sent to
purchase; and these, also, by Seton 8
directions, were placed in another cruel
BILE and put on the fire. When the
metals became fused, Seton added the
powder in his usual manner, desiring
them to put on more charcoal and keep
up a brisk fire by blowing. In a few
minutes after, when he desired that the
crucible should be taken from the fire,
Georges assistant cried out, THE lead
is changed into gold!' while the gold
smiths son exclaimed, almost at the
same time, There is gold in my cruel
BILE also" In short, the contents OF
each crucible were turned into gold.
The apprentice ran and called the gold.
smiths wife, who, used to assays, sald
| it was pure gold, and offered to buy 1t at
the usual price; but Seton gave one
piece to George. and the other to the
workmen. The goldsmith's wife then
ran and told the wonderful occurrence
to the neighbors; the journeymen hur'
rahed at the honor done to their shop
by so distinguished an alchemist, and a
large crowd collected round the door,
through which Seton and the surgeon
with great difficulty forced their way
When they had got clear ofthe crowd the
sureeonsaid to the adept: at wasthen IN
reality an alchemical experiment which
YOU brought me to witness
Undoubtedly it was" replied Seton
"vou were too ineredulous to believe
| that | could convert an inferior metal
into gold, though you could swallow the
gross absurdity that l could make an
escharotic, which would burn flesh
without pain or injury to blood,vessel