phosphorus, silicon, and the like-would be burned away, and a" mild steel," easy to cast and of considerable strength, would be the result. This was not reached per saltum, but only by dint of great labour and numberless experiments. A small furnace was put up, and air forced by an air-pump through a bath of molten iron. The heat produced was so intense as to melt the Stourbridge firebricks, of which the furnace was built, and reduce them from four and a half inches in thickness to a mere shell, half an inch thick. Later experiments were made, on quantities of iron, varying from ten to fifteen hundred weight, and the result was deemed so successful that Bessemer, after taking out several patents, proclaimed his method to the world in a remarkable paper read at the Meeting of the British Association, held at Cheltenham in 1856, under the title of "On the Manufacture of Iron and Steel without Fuel." A short digression may here be of interest in order to show how Sir Henry was enabled to bring his invention forward. He had casually alluded to it to the President of the British Association (Mr. George Rennie), and so struck was the great engineer with what he had heard, that notwithstanding Bessemer's name was not down for a paper, the former not only included him, in the list of speakers, but placed him at the head of the whole of them, so that his paper should take precedence of all the others, and thus gam a special share of attention. An amusing story is current in connection with this now historical gathering to the effect that an inhabitant of Wales-we believe a large iron master-who had been attracted by the novelty of the title of Sir Henry Bessemer's paper, got into conversation with the great inventor, and asked him if he were going to hear "this mad chap from London, who was about to tell the veteran engineers and Iron Masters of England that he could turn cast iron into steel without fuel?" Sir Henry replied in the affirmative, and when he ascended the platform we may assume that his companion of a short time previously looked scarcely at his case. After Sir Henry had concluded his address, this gentleman, who was, as we have seen, an extensive iron master rose in the body of the meeting and explained that he had certainly attended to call into question what he had hitherto looked upon as an extravagant and impracticable theory, but so impressed was he with what the lecturer had stated, that he was prepared to allow Sir Henry Bessemer to come to his works and make what experiments he liked,

in order to practically illustrate his theories, free of expense. We believe that Bessemer at once availed himself of the offer. It was an excellent exemplification of the sacred story of the man coming to "scoff" but remaining to "pray." The manner in which the new process was received, is well illustrated by an extract from Dr. Percy's account of an experiment he witnessed at Baxter House (Sir Henry's then residence). The apparatus employed was a large crucible-shaped vessel with six air-holes or tuyeres at the bottom, through which air was forced by an air-pump. After turning on this blast, the melted crude iron was run in from a cupola furnace to a depth of about one foot. "Then," says Dr. Percy, "all proceeded quietly for a time, when a volcano-like eruption of flames and sparks suddenly occurred, and bright red-hot scoriæ or cinders were forcibly ejected, which would have inflicted serious injury on any unhappy bystanders whom they might perchance have struck. After a few minutes all was again tranquil, and the molten malleable iron was tapped off. At first I doubted whether the metal which I saw flowing was actually malleable iron; and after the analysis in my laboratory of a portion of this identical iron, and the detection in it of phosphorus somewhat exceeding one per cent. my scepticism was rather confirmed than otherwise. However, I soon became convinced that Mr. Bessemer was correct in asserting that he had succeeded in producing a temperature higher than ever before attained in metallurgical operations, sufficient, indeed, to render malleable iron. as liquid as water," and this without the employment of any fuel, except that contained in the crude iron, in the form of carbon and other foreign matter, which it was necessary to eliminate.

The new process was severely criticised, and was met with the objection hinted at in Dr. Percy's above-quoted remarks that phosphorus and sulphur, two deadly enemies to iron, were not removed. The remedy was, however, soon found in the exclusion of all iron containing those two elements from the operation of the "Bessemer Converter," which was the improved form of the crucible-shaped vessel used at first. This, and the easy adaptation of the process to the manufacture of true steel by adding to the decarburised iron a specified proportion of the useful alloy called "spiegeleisin," were rapid developments of the invention which soon assumed a permanent place in the industries of

this and other iron-producing countries. The quantity of "Bessemer Steel" made annually in England alone is now over a million tons. The quality of the metal produced depends entirely on the strict carrying out of the theory of the inventor. With proper care, the finest "tool steel" can be produced, and plates may be beaten out into flasks and bottles as readily as if they had been made out of pure copper. Lately, too, armour plate has been made of Bessemer steel of a mild type, so admirably does it answer to the conditions laid down by the military authorities. When we call to mind how all our great and well established manufacturing processes are the result of the combined efforts of numerous successive inventors, often extending over long periods of time, it is not a little remarkable that the precise form of the apparatus, even to its smallest details, which was devised by Sir Henry Bessemer some twenty years since, should be still used in every establishment in this and other countries where Bessemer steel is made; indeed so admirably adapted to the peculiar requirements of the process are the means devised, that it seems almost impossible for any great or important change to be made with advantage, thus furnishing a rare example of manufacturing and commercial success attained by the original inventor of a perfectly novel system of manufacture.

Few inventions have spread themselves over the world so rapidly as the Bessemer process, or have been more liberally acknowledged in foreign countries. The first public body to recognise its value here was the Institution of Civil Engineers (of which Sir Henry is a Member), who awarded him the Telford Gold Medal for his invention. The Iron Board of Sweden made him an Honorary Member of that body, and the Freedom of the City of Hamburg was presented to him by the municipality. The King of Wurtemburg also presented him with a gold medal, accompanied by a letter acknowledging in the most flattering terms, the advantages which the invention had conferred on his kingdom. In 1872, the Society of Arts presented him with the Albert Gold Medal. In Austria the invention had been most successful, and the Emperor conferred on Sir Henry the distinguished honour of a Knight Commandership of the Order of His Imperial Majesty, Francis Joseph. The subject of our memoir also gained the Howard Quinquennial Prize, voted by the Council of the Institute of Civil Engineers, which consists

of a splendid cup, manufactured by Messrs. Hunt and Roskell. He was in addition, presented with the Freedom and Livery of the Turner's Company, in recognition of his services in the Arts and Manufactures. In the same year, 1879, the Court of Common Council of the City of London, at a public meeting at the Guildhall, presented Sir Henry Bessemer with the Freedom of the City of London, contained in an elaborate gold casket on which a draped female figure, representing Commerce, stands between a converting vessel, such as is employed in the Bessemer steel process, and a stack of pig iron, beautifully modelled in oxydized silver, the front of the casket bearing a chastely executed medallion of Sir Henry, whilst on the other side is an appropriate inscription. The casket is also enriched by the City Arms in enamel, and the monogram and family crest of Sir Henry, the whole resting on a plinth of highly polished steel, made by the Bessemer process. On the evening of the Presentation, the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, Sir Francis Wyatt Truscott (a memoir of whom will be found, ante, page 72, APRIL), gave a Banquet in his honour at the Mansion House. On the 19th of January of the present year (his birthday), the Worshipful Company of Cutlers also presented Sir Henry Bessemer with the Freedom and Livery of the Cutlers' Company. Among the foreign recognitions of Sir Henry's genius, none could perhaps exceed that of America, which is certainly unique. In one of her great opening territories, where iron ore exists in myriads of tons, and which is now the centre of a developing industry, the foundations of a new city have been laid, to which the name of BESSEMER has been given in honour of his invention.

The late Emperor of the French (previously referred to) who took so deep an interest in the invention, and who in a manner was the indirect cause of its being made, was desirous of presenting Sir Henry Bessemer with the Grand. Cross of the Legion of Honour; but it was intimated that unless Her Majesty the Queen would permit it to be worn in this country, the honour would not be conferred. Sir Henry accordingly proceeded to Paris, and twice made application to the Foreign Office for the necessary permission, and was twice refused. The Emperor in consequence was precluded from carrying out his original intention, but, notwithstanding this, with his own hand, and with very flattering observations, His Imperial Majesty gave

Sir Henry Bessemer a magnificent Gold Medal in lieu of the more highly prized Legion of Honour. Since this period, these Foreign distinctions may be received.

There is, perhaps, no country in the world which owes its position and commercial importance to the talent and industry of its inventors so much as Great Britain. Strangely enough, also, there is none which offers so little reward to talent and ingenuity, and it was not until Sir Henry Bessemer's invention had been largely adopted in every State in Europe, and had arrived at an extraordinary development in America, that any attention was paid to it by the Government of this country. A score or two of Merchant ships had been built of Bessemer steel; more than a thousand factory steam boilers were at work in our manufactories; more than a thousand locomotives and boilers had been constructed and used by the London and North Western Railway Company alone; the great iron highways in every part of the United Kingdom were being replaced by Bessemer steel, and no less than 15,000 miles of steel rails had been laid down. In fact, the great iron trade of this country was actually revolutionised by the Bessemer steel manufacture before it attracted the attention of Statesmen. It was, therefore, impossible that Sir Henry Bessemer should not have felt deeply disappointed in being deprived of the honour intended to be conferred upon him by the great French nation, and to which he was so legitimately entitled. There was, however, one recognition which neither national nor international etiquette could well prevent, and that was the recognition, which was also a crucial test of Sir Henry's invention, given it by the gigantic manufacturing firms of this country, and who most cheerfully paid him over a million sterling for its use. The real magnates of the iron manufacture, too, paid the subject of this memoir the well-earned compliment of electing him President of the Iron and Steel Institute, in succession to the Duke of Devonshire. His term of office was signalised by the foundation of the Bessemer Medal, which has been awarded successively to Mr. Isaac Lowthian Bell, ex-M.P. for Hartlepool (see post, page 101), Dr. C. W Siemens, Mr. R. Mushet, Professor von Tunner, Dr. Percy, and Mr. William Menelaus, whose names, like that of Sir Henry Bessemer, in their various departments, stand prominently out in the history of British Science and Commerce.

It was reserved to Lord Beaconsfield to compensate