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process used by the Japanese does not differ much in principle from our Western method. The whole working is divided into four stages:
1st.—Smelting of the metal containing silver with a certain quantity of lead, in order to dissolve the silver by means of the melted lead and to obtain a compound metal, called Awasi-buki-do, copper smelted together [with lead]:
2nd.—Heating of this alloy in a kind of liquation furnace with an inclined bottom, to carry off the lead and silver in a liquid state as de namari (lead which has run out [of the alloy]. The copper and other leas fusible metals remain in on unmelted condition, as porous masses, at the bottom of the furnace. This porous metal is called Nan-ban-buki-do (copper smelted after the manner of the southern barbarians.)
3rd.—Cupellation in a low furnace with a bottom of buck-ashes, in order to obtain raw silver, called hai-buki-gin (silver smelted upon ashes).
4th.—Refining or second cupellation in a small furnace. The old Portugese had very probably made known this operation to the Japanese. Bürger (l.c.) states that the Japanese used in olden times another (Chinese) desilvering process, but this method was not very profitable and could only be used with rich ores. This old process is dessribed in an ancient Chinese Leehrols gy, called Ten-ko-kei-butsu. About the year 1590 a foreigner (Portuguese?) named Haku-Sin shewed a Japanese called Sumitomo the manner of separating silver from lead or copper, even when it occurs in a small quantity only. Sumitomo introduced the new process into his metallurgical works, rose in wealth and power, and got an Imperial patent for the purification of copper and separation of silver from lead and copper. He lived with his family in Osaka and took the family name of Haku-sui, in addition to his own, in honour of and out of gratitude to the foreigner. Bürger believes, and we think rightly, that the foreigner Haku-sui must have been a Portuguese, because the name namban-bukido (copper smelted after the
