This will either be crucible or open-hearth. A good crucible must he able to withstand the effects of the chill when drawn from a furnace of high temperature and immediately exposed to the atmosphere, after pouring. It must also be sufficiently refractory to withstand the highest temperatures, and it should not impart any of itself to an appreciable extent to the ingredients which are being melted in it. Plumbago crucibles are the most satisfactory in all respects, generally withstanding over forty charges before destruction. They can be used in a coke or gas furnace, the latter on the regenerative system. The former may be made either square or round, with wrought or cast-iron plates, lined with either fire brick or clay, about 18 inches internal diameter and 4 feet deep, with ordinary furnace bars, sunken ash-pit, high stack, and the top of the furnaces being on about the floor level. Although the regenerative crucible furnace for brass melting has not been generally adopted, objections being raised against the use of gas and oxidation, it has not been found that the difficulties are beyond surmounting. Experiments carried out by the author for Mr. Aspinall show a loss of 2.5 per cent, from oxidation. The furnaces are constructed to hold from fifteen to thirty 100 lb. pots, very similar to the arrangement adopted for crucible steel. They require overhauling about twice a year, when the chambers can be re-lined or chequers removed and a thorough repair accomplished in a day or two. A useful size for the open hearth is about 30 to 40 cwt. The charge would then consist of about 15 to 20 cwt. of brass scrap, including turnings, broken scrap, shot metal obtained from hot skimmings by grinding and washing, and about 5 cwt. of good copper scrap. It is worked by adding new metal, zinc, tin and copper, as the case may be, according to the nature of the fracture, which has been sampled from the molten metal. This should be close, homogeneous, fine grain and of even colour, zinc or copper being added until a satisfactory fracture has been obtained. This is a necessary mode of procedure, owing to the nature of the charge and the elimination of the zinc, resembling very much the sampling of a molten bath of steel.