ON METALS. 251

To sum up their character, then, a metal is a brilliant,
opaque, heavy, malleable, ductile, and fusible mineral.

G. I think I can hardly remember all that.

T. The names may slip your memory, but you
cannot see metals at all used, without being sensible
of the things. | |
_ G. But what are ores? I remember seeing a heap
of iron ore, which men were breaking with hammers,
snd it looked only like stones.

ot The ore of a metal is the state in which it is
geuerally met with in the earth, when it is so mixed
with stony and other matters, as not to show its proper
qualities as a metal. |

HT, How do people know it, then P

T. By experience. It was probably accident that,
in the early ages, discovered that certain fossils, by the
force of fire, might be made to yield a metal. The
experiment was repeated on other fossils; so that, in
length of time, all the different metals were found out,
ad all the different forms in which they lie concealed
in the ground. The knowledge of this is called Afine-
ralogy, and a very important science it is.

G. Yes, I suppose so; for metals are very valuable
things. Our next neighbour, Mr. Sterling, I have
heard, gets a great deal of money every year from his
mines in Wales. ,

T. He does. The mineral riches of some countries
are much superior to that of their products above
eround, and the revenues of many kings are in great
part derived from their mines. :

H. I suppose they must be gold and silver mines.

T. Those, to be sure, are the most valuable, if the
metals are found i~ tolerable abundance. But do you
know why they are so?

/¥ Because money is made of gold and silver.

T. That is a principal reason, no doubt. ‘But these
metals have intrinsic properties, that make them highly
valuable, clse, probably, they: would not have been
chosen in so many countries to make money of. In