St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1893-09-09
OLD GOLD WORKERS.


manuscr1pts.
There is a papyrus which gives re.
ccipes for various alloys used in the
manufacture Of cups and vases; for
making gold and silver ink; for gild-
ing and silvcring. and for testing the
purity of precious metals. Other rec
ipcs teach the method Of falsifying
them by adding baser metals-an oper-
alton called the diplosis. or doubling.
for the mass of the gold and silver
was doubled, while their color re-
maincd unchanged; and, as the COM
piler of the manual remarks. a skilled
workman would find it difficult, or
even impossible. to detect the fraud.
The recipes which recur most frc-
quently describe various modes of pre-
pairing asem. word which originally
meant q natural alloy of gold and sill
yer. known to the Greeks as electrum.
It was at'first looked upon as a distinct
metal, was considered sacred to Jupi-
ter. and was designated by the sign of
that planet; but at q later period the
name was applied to all alloys. and NJ.
Barthelot remarks that in this fact
seems to lie the explanation of the
origin of alchemy. Both gold and sill
yer could be extracted from genuine
asem, and it seemed ms though it could
be changed at the will Of the operator
into either one or the other: it
could also be made artificially
by mingling gold and silver, or
closely initiated by some Of the
numerous alloys, eleven or twelve
varieties of which are described in
the Papyrus of Leyden. 1t would
seem, therefore, that from this fact
there arose some vague notion that
perhaps the imitation of the precious
metals and the reproduction of their
essential qualities could be brought to
such perfection that the counterfeit
might become identical with the reality.
The clear and simple language Of
these recipes is very different from tho
obscure and mystical jargon of the
alchemi.ts.. The following. for in.
stance. occurs three times. with slight
variations: ITO make asem - Tin,
twelve drachmas: mercury, four drach-
mas: Chan earth. two drachmaS. Melt
the tin, add the earth in powder, then
the mercury; stir with piece Of iron.
With regard to another recipe nearly
similar, NJ. Berthelot remarks that the
result would be an amalgam of tin
for the purpose Of whitening cop
per. Another runs: Take four
parts Of tin four times refined,
three parts Of white copper and
one part of asem. Melt them and re-
fine them several times; then make
whatever you wish; it will be asem Of
the first quality, which will deceive
even the workman" The white copper
Just mentioned is prepared. as another
recipe shows. by mixing II with . sui
phide of arsenic. =,
According to the recipe which
teaches how to give a ring thcsppear-
ance Of gold, so that IL will stand the
test of the touchstonc, 1.-TWO parts of
LEAD and one of gold must be reduced
xOs fine powder. mixed with gum and
rubbed on the ring. which is then
heated This must be repeated several
tiiies, ,.tiA the ring is well colored. IL
svip be- hard, TO discover the fraud, for
the ring, If rubbed. will give trace Of
rold. and heat will destroy tho lead"
Una recipe is remarkable as represent
iaEp!very carly method Of gliding by
meaus of lead, anterior probably to the
discovery of quicksilver, which is not
mentioned till the fifth century B. c.
Edinburgh Review.