The Democratic advocate., 1878-02-09

frankIorts IN 1915, picture IS gwen OF
Lapland woman drawing the wires Ir
the fourteenth century the English clergy
were forbidden to wear hiHuIos stdRReGto,
erescent-shaped tin ornaments. The span
giles that adorn modern ballet dancers are
Of tin. Without it the coats of our sol
diers would lose half of their brilIiancy,
and our red bIOtting paper would have no
existence. For cochineal alone gives but
dull color, and tin, which brightens it,
gives it at the same time such permaneney
that it cannot be economically bleached.
Old soldiers coats, worn and soiled beyond
possibility of future use, are therefore
converted into pulp, for blotting paper.
Imitation gold leaf has been made for at
least three hundred years by covering thin
plates of tin with a transparent yellow var
nish, aud the so-caIled gold paper now sold
is made in the same way.
Aristotle tells us that Dionysius, the Ty-
rant Of Syracuse, struck medals or coins
(nummi) Of tin. Old geographers tell us
that before the Portuguese dominion was
established in India, large tin coins were
in circulation in Sumatra. Tin still forms
four per cent. Of our bronze coinage.
Cast tin vessels Of Roman workmanship
with Roman inscriptions, have been dug
up in Cornwall, but these relics of anti
quity are veryra Not a single one was
found at Herculaneum, though copper yes
sells silvered were among the treasures
Block tin vessels are used for variety of
chemical operations, and only recently this
metal has been for the first time drawn
into tubes. Vessels of pewter, into which
tin largely enters, were so valuable in the
time of Henry VII that they were classed
with silver. A regulation enforced in the
household Of that sovereign was, "0ficers
of the squillery to see all vessels, as well
silver as pewter, be kept and saved from
stealing"
At tleast one of the French churches was
rooted with timed copper in the sixth GEN.
tury, and this custom has not yet died out.
Pliny ascribes the invention of timing to
the Gauls, and especially praises the work
of the old inhabitants of Berry. He de-
scribes the process by which copper was
coated with tin. 1t is the same still en-
ployed for some articles The cleaned ar
ticles were to be immersed in melted tin,
covered with OIL Pliny says that when
finished they looked ike silver, and
weighed no more than they did before.
Il has been proved by experiment that
half an ounce of tin will cover 254 square
inches of surface.
The art of timing iron wifg not known
L
cred in Bohemia. A Catholic clergyman,
who became Lutheran, carried the art to
Saxony in 1920. The English endeavor-
ed initiate the German plates, but failed,
and in 1870 company sent Andrew Var
ranton to Saxony to learn the process.
This he did, but on bis return, and before
his company could get business, some
man Of distinction managed to learn the
secret, obtained the monopoly, and forced
them to give up the undertaking which
had cost them so dearly.
One of the schemes of the South Sea
bubble year (1720) was a manufactory for
tin plates, but, unlike its great forerunner
and n host Of its compeers, it was success
ful. The plate was made at Pontypool in
1870, and the manufacture was commenc-
ed at some earlier period in Monmouth
shire, where it still fourishes. The uses
of tin plates are of course innumerable.
The decorated metal introduced within the
last few years has opened new field for
its employment, and even old broken
plates and clippings are now largely used
for separating copper from solutions con-
tanning it. When a piece of tin plate is
placed in a solution containing copper it
speedily becomes red, and if allowed to
remain long enough, entirely disappears,
copper taking its place. Homer tells us
that tin was used for making mirrors. An
alloy of this metal is used now for the
mirrors of optical instruments, and large
quantities oftinfoil algamated with mer-
curry are used for the manufacture of all
kinds of mirrors and looking glasses. Tin
is now used in the manufacture of phos-
phor-bronze, and enters into the compost
tion of brass bells, printers type, Britain
MIA metal, bronze and gun metal. It is
an essential ingredient in the celebrated
Purple Of Cassius, used in glass and porce-
lain painting, and its use for fixing and
improving vegetable colors is still impor-
tant. Tin filings are popular vermifuge
medicine, and we're formerly admitted into
the practice of qualified medical men.