Messrs. Farraday and Stodart, a few years since, made a series of experiments on the combinations of some other metals with steel, an account of which was published by them in the Philosophical Transactions for 1822; amongst the results of these experiments the following appear to be most worthy of notice. Silver can be alloyed with steel only to the extent of a five-hundredth part; when more was used, it either evaporated, or separated as the button cooled, or was forced out in forging. The alloy was said to be excellent; and the addition of price was no obstacle to its use for fine instruments. Steel, alloyed with one-hundredth part of platinum, though not so hard as the silver alloy, has more toughness; where tenacity as well as hardness is required, the extra cost was considered to be more than counterbalanced by its excellence. As far as the experimenters could judge, neither gold, tin, nor copper, improved steel. Messrs. Stodart and Farraday's memoir on this subject having been noticed in the public journals, some of our Sheffield manufacturers wisely considered that it afforded them a favourable opportunity to advertise themselves to the public, along with their wares made of " silver-steel;" and, for a while, knives and scissars, exquisitely finished, made of that "invaluable" alloy, were alone the fashion.

Rival manufacturers sought in turn to amuse the public with Wootz, and Damascus, and Peruvian steel; and each of these were, for a time, necessary to the novelty-loving part of the public. Time had, however, swept nearly all the notices of these wonders of the day from our shop windows, and old-fashioned steel was quietly resuming its sway, when suddenly meteor steel made its appearance, not from the clouds, nor the moon, nor from a volcano, but from the patent office, as will appear from the subjoined account of the enrolled specification.