exulting hurráhs, advancing or recéding, sláckening or redoubling. At length1 áll is òver; the redoubt has been recòvered; that which was lóst' is foùnd again; the jewel which had been made cáptive' is ransomed with bloòd. Crimsoned with glorious góre, the wreck of the conquering party is reliéved, and at liberty to return. From the ríver you see it ascènding. The plume-crested officer in command' rushes forward, with his left hand raising his hát in homage to the blackened frágments of what once was a flag; whilst with his ríght hand he seizes that of the leader, though no more than a private from the ranks. That perplexes you not: mystery you see none in that. For distinctions of órder perìsh, ránks are confounded, "hìgh and lów" are words without a meaning, and to wrèck goes every notion or feeling! that divides the noble from the noble, or the brave man from the bràve. But whèrefore is it that now, when suddenly they wheel into mutual recognition, suddenly they paùse? This sòldier, this ófficer-who are they? O, reáder! ónce befòre they had stood face to face-the sòldier it is that was struck; the officer it is that struck him. Once again they are meeting; and the gaze of ármies is upon them. If for a mòment a doubt divídes them, in a moment' the doubt has pèrished. One glance exchanged between them! publishes the forgiveness that is sealed for èver. As one who recovers a brother whom he had accounted dead, the officer sprang forward, threw his arms around the neck of the soldier and kissed him, as if he were some màrtyr glorified by that shadow of death' from which he was returning; whilst on his part, the sòldier, stepping back, and carrying his open hand through the beautiful motions of the military salute to a supérior, makes this immortal answer-thát answer which shut up for ever the memory of the indignity óffered to him, even whilst for the last time allúding to it: "Sir," he said, "I told you before! that I would make you repent it." DE QUINCEY. THE HEAVY METALS. Alloy, (allier, F.; ad, ligo, L.) Fusible, fundo, L.) that may be Hæmatite, (haima, G.) blood-stone. Lava, a melted substance thrown out by volcanoes, Loadstone, (lead) Lit. the stone that leads or draws. Magnetic, of the nature of a magnet or loadstone. Malleable, (malleus, L.) that may be Meteoric, (meteoros, G.) Sonorous, (sono, L.) giving sound Spathose, (spath, German for spar) sparry. Specular, (speculum, L.) having a mirror-like surface. Sulphuret, a compound with sulphur. Thermometer, (thermos, metron, G.) an instrument for ascertaining the temperature of anything. PLATINUM, GOLD, MERCURY. FROM the metallic bases of soda, lime, and alumina, and a few others of like character, the metals proper are distinguished by their great weight, in which they surpass all other substances. Some of them are found in a pure, or (as it is usually called) native state; but a much greater number have to be separated, by artificial means, from compounds called ores. These ores always contain one or more nonmetallic elements. When two metals combine together, the result is not called an ore, but an alloy, unless one of them is mercury, in which case it is called an amalgam. The most important metals are platinum, gold, mercury, silver, copper, tin, lead, and iron. Platinum is chiefly procured from the Ural mountains and from South America. It is the heaviest substance known, weighing more than twenty times its own bulk of water. But it is chiefly remarkable for its refractory and unalterable nature, even when exposed to intense heat, or to the action of those acids by which most other metals are dissolved. It is capable of taking a good polish, and is not liable to rust or tarnish. These qualities render it extremely useful in the construction of many philosophical instruments, such as crucibles, mirrors for telescopes, measuring rods, pendulums, watch wheels, and the like. Gold has been known from the earliest times. The mummies of Egypt are adorned with it, and medals of it still exist, which are of very high antiquity. Not long ago, our supplies were mostly derived from Siberia, the west coast of Africa, Peru, and Brazil; but the gold-fields of those districts have been completely thrown into the shade by the announcement of successive discoveries in California, Australia, New Zealand, and British Columbia. From these places most of our gold is now obtained. It occurs native, or alloyed with silver, and sometimes also with small quantities of copper and iron, either in veins traversing quartz and similar rocks, or in beds of sand and other alluvial substances that have been washed down by rivers. Its beautiful colour, and the splendid polish it is capable of receiving, have caused it to be largely employed for decorative purposes. Objects of pure gold, however, would not only be too expensive, but too soft to retain their shape; and hence, in Europe at least, it is usually alloyed with copper or some other metal. Fortunately for luxury, the extreme malleability of gold enables us to cover with it all sorts of substances, which thus acquire, externally, the same brilliancy as the metal itself. The gold leaf used for this purpose is said to be, in some cases, a thousand times thinner than paper. Gold is also the most ductile of the metals; one ounce of it may be drawn out into a wire several miles long; and the same quantity is sufficient to gild a silver wire whose length would be measured by hundreds of miles. Gold is well known to be the symbol of wealth, and the standard of value for other substances. For coinage it is admirably adapted; it has a high intrinsic value, increased by its scarcity; it is also very durable, capable of exact subdivision, and easily distinguished from other substances. The sterling gold, of which sovereigns are made, contains twenty-two parts of pure metal to two of alloy. Mercury, or Quicksilver, is remarkable as the only metal which remains fluid at the ordinary temperature of the atmosphere. In this, its usual state, it has the brilliant whiteness of silver, and, when pure, neither rusts nor tarnishes by exposure. It is very heavy, has neither taste nor smell, and feels particularly cold. The most important ore of mercury is cinnabar, a compound of the metal with sulphur. It is found in several localities, of which the most celebrated are Almaden in Spain, and Idria in the south of Austria. Quite recently it has been discovered in great abundance, and of remarkable purity, in California. The uses of mercury are many and important. Calomel, one of its compounds, is a valuable medicine; another, corrosive sublimate, containing exactly the same elements in a different proportion, is a deadly poison. Mercury is also an ingredient of the beautiful pigment called vermilion, and forms with tin an amalgam used for silvering the backs of looking glasses. Every one has seen the little tube of mercury in the barometer and thermometer, the construction of which will be afterwards described. But perhaps the most important application of this metal is that by which silver and gold are separated from their ores. SILVER, COPPER, TIN, LEAD. Silver is so well known as hardly to need description. When pure, it is white and brilliant, but it becomes tarnished by exposure to the air. It is very malleable, flexible, and ductile. Native silver is sometimes found in grains, and sometimes in larger masses, but it is from ores that our supplies of this valuable metal are chiefly obtained. Of these ores, the most important are sulphurets, or compounds of the metal with sulphur. They often contain other metals besides silver. Galena, for example, though considerable quantities of silver are sometimes extracted from it, is properly an ore of lead. Among the principal silver mines may be mentioned those of Mexico and Peru, of the Hartz mountains in Germany, and of Kongsberg in Norway. A curious plan is adopted for separating this metal from its ores. The ores, after various preparations, are mixed with mercury, which amalgamates with the silver; the amalgam so formed is then run off, and subjected to fire, which drives off the mercury in vapour, leaving the silver nearly in a state of purity. Silver is never used quite pure, but always alloyed with copper, to render it harder and more durable. It is not affected by any of the substances generally used as food; hence, being at once cleanly and beautiful, it is admirably adapted for culinary and domestic purposes. It is also formed into vases, candelabra, statues, and other ornamental articles. As a medium of exchange it was used as early as the days of Abraham (Gen. xxiii. 15, 16). Copper, if not the most important of the metals, is unquestionably one of very general utility. It is highly malleable, flexible, and ductile, harder and more elastic than silver, more fusible than iron, and the most sonorous of all the metals. It occurs native in many parts of the world. In America, large masses of native copper are met with, sometimes lying on the surface of the soil. The most abundant ore of this metal is usually known as yellow copper, or copper pyrites, and contains nearly equal quantities of copper, iron, and sulphur. It is found in various localities, both in our own and other countries. A richer but less plentiful ore of copper is the red oxide, which yields four-fifths of its own weight of metal. Copper and its alloys are applied to purposes innumerable. We cover the hulls of ships with plates of it, and we form it into cauldrons, distilling apparatus, cooking utensils, &c. For the latter purpose it is, to a certain extent, dangerous; one of its salts, called verdigris, which it generates when acted on by certain acids, being a virulent poison. Hence the inside of copper vessels is usually coated with tin. An immense quantity of copper is used for coin, for which purpose it is generally more or less alloyed. Its alloys are, indeed, still more important than the metal itself. It would be impossible to enumerate all the articles, from a pin to a cannon, which are made of alloys of this metal with tin or zinc, or both together, and occasionally with nickel, lead, and iron. These alloys are known under various names, |