NEW-INVENTED METHOD OF-ed,
Year: 1768

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, KOBERT
ALBION COX, of Little Britain, London, Smelter and Refiner, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date the
Eighth day of March, in the eighth year of His reign, and in the year of
our Lord One thousand seven hundred and sixty-eight, did give and grant
unto me, the said Robert Albion Cox, His especial licence, full power, sole
priviledge and authority, that I, the said Robert Albion Cox, my executors,
admors, and assigns, should and lawfully might, during the term of years
therein expressed, make, use, exercise, and vend, throughout that part of
His said Majesty's Kingdom of Great Britain called England, His Dominion
"NEW-INVENTED METHOD OF
of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
SMELTING AND REFINING OF GOLD, SILVER, COPPER, LEAD, AND ITS ORES, AND THE
WASTE AND SWEEPINGS THEREOF, WITH THE FOUL SLAGGS DRAWN THEREFROM, BY
MEANS OF A NEW AND PARTICULAR METHOD OF GRINDING, WASHING, AND WORKING
THE SAME, AND CONSTRUCTING THE SMELTING AND TESTING FURNACES;" in which
said recited Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Robert
Albion Cox, by writing under my hand and seal, to cause a description of my
said new Invention to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within four calendar months from the date of the said recited Letters Patent,

page_text: as in and by the same, relation being thereunto had, may more at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Albion Cox, in compliance with
the said proviso, do hereby declare that my said Invention is made and
performed in manner following, that is to say:
To smelt copper slaggs, or any sort of a metallic body which will not give
out its metal held in its scoria, or by means of a small quantity of sulphur
first roast or smelt those scorias or metallic body with sea salt, slam, or other
course salt, or otherwise, till well roasted and flowed, then cast in a sufficient
weight of head ashes, lead, or litharge of lead, to force a precipitation, or
whatever metal lays in those scorias or metallic bodies, which would not come
out without the help of this lead and process. The same method is used with
lead, slaggs, or any other metallic scorias or bodys, which metal, though rich
and small in quantity, would be burnt away without the addition of a body of
metal of affinity to lay hold of it, and weight, to cause it to precipitate or fall
under the slagg; it is then tapp't out of the furnace at ease, in a bed of loam
and charcoal dust. The charcoal dust preserves the metal from burning to
waste. In this tapping there are sundry metals; the lead, being greater in
quantity and heavier in gravity, takes with it a near affinity the perfect
metals, gold and silver,-at the bottom of the receiver; the copper, being a
lighter metal, swims at the top of the lead like oil in water, is subject to the
cold air, setts, is then taken of from the lead underneath in a cake, laid by,
and is called regulus of copper, which is described in the future process.
What metals remain in the receiver are gold, silver, or lead. This is tested
to draw off the the perfect metals, gold and silver, by the usual method. To
bring this copper regulus (which still contains much lead, with a small
quantity of gold or silver) to a fine copper, which before either burnt away
both the metals or saved so little copper as not to repay the expence, and
was seldom maleable, bring one of the smelting furnaces up to a very strong
degree of heat, having a good bottom, with a small receiver close to the inside
door of the furnace; charge it as fast as possible with the copper regulus;
then stop the charging doors with loam as close as possible, and keep up a
strong fire till the whole of the copper regulus is well flowed and melted; then
remove it to another furnace, called a seaguring or sweating furnace, having a
bottom made of clay and charcoal dust, descending to the tap hole, which
bottom has little channels formed to the tap hole for the lead to run thereto.
At the tap bole is an iron plate, with small holes fixed to the bottom; and then
gradually heat the copper regulus until it becomes near red hot, when the lead
contained in the copper sweats out drop by drop, and takes with it the little

page_text: remains of gold and silver that were therein, and then falls into little channels,
and voids itself at the tap hole into a receiver, until the whole lead is sweated
out, with the gold and silver therewith; then ladle off the lead, and test it for
the silver and gold, the copper still remaining in the furnace; and increasing
its heat to a blood red, so continue it till it has done smoaking, which proves
that the remains of the lead and sulphur left in it is burnt away, and it is then
called good black copper. Afterwards take the copper out of the furnace, and
carry it to the copper refining furnace, constructed as hereafter mentioned,
with a bottom of Felton or Stourbridge clay, mixt with bone ashes, glass-
grinder's sand, Rochester loam, charcoal dust, or other materials as shall be
sufficient and necessary, which furnace must also be brought to a very strong
heat before charged; then charge it, and stop the door, keeping up a strong
fire, and drawing off the slagg from the face of the melted copper till no more
arrives, and then continue the copper with the fire kept up till the same
becomes fine, and then ladle it out of the furnace with a crucible, or tap it
into a bed of loam or charcoal dust.
The mill to grind the gold and silver wash of the gold and silver workers,
and also slagg ores and other metallic bodies, its erected and works as follows:-
The levell of the floor is bedded with strong cast-iron plates, laid in and strongly
crampt, over which the mill passes, and grinds the matters, either dry or wet,
to a fine powder (all but the metal), and the foulness or dirt is voided at little
openings or spouts above the levell of the plates on which the mill rolls, at which
spouts are fixt shreens or sieves, or fine filthers, through which passes the
foul water into a trough below, and keeps back the richer mettals on the
iron bed. When the matters are well ground, take the rich mettals from
the bed, and wash or sift them clean.
The smelting furnace is made and constructed according to the Plan
hereunto annexed, marked No. 1, and explained at the bottom thereof.
The testing furnace is made and constructed according to the Plan also
hereunto annexed, marked No. 2, and explained at the bottom thereof.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighth
day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred
and sixty sight

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighth day of July, in the
year of our Lord 1768, the aforesaid Robert Albion Cox came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing, therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stampt according to the
tenor of the Statute made in the sixth year of the reign of the late King and
Queen William and Mary of England, and so forth.
Inrolled the Eighth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
seven hundred and sixty-eight.