Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. The science of Metallurgy treats of the properties of the metals and of the processes by which they are prepared from their ores. The science further includes a study of the ores, fuels and all the materials used in metallurgical industries, together with the structures and machinery employed. Metallurgical processes are essentially chemical. The metals generally occur in such stable combinations as to require reacting substances and often the powerful agency Of heat to bring about their separation and purification. As viewed in this light, metal lurgy might be classed as a branch Of industrial chemistry. The industry has, however, grown to such enormous proportions, and is so closely linked with other branches of engineering, as to war rant its being studied as a separate branch.