Experiments on wootz

The fine cakes of the kind of steel called Wootz, which form the subject of the present paper, were delivered to Mr. Mushet, for the purpose of examination, by Sir Joseph Banks. Mr. Mushet begins his account of them by giving a very minute description of the form, the grain, and every other external character of these cakes. This description cannot well be abridged, and is too long to be repeated. We shall therefore only say that Mr. Mushet states, as a general remark, that the grain and density of these cakes of wootz were uniformly homogeneous, and free from metallic iron towards the under or round surface, but that they were always the reverse towards the upper side, called by Mr. Mushet the feeder. The appearances observed upon forging these cakes are then particularly described, from which Mr. Mushet deduces the following general remarks.