”Itmaybeaverredthatascertainlyastheageofironsupersededthatofbronze，sowilltheageofsteelreigntriumphantoveriron。”——HENRYBESSEMER。”Aujourd’huilarevolutionquedevaitamenerenGrande-BretagnelamemorabledecouvertedeBenjaminHuntsmanesttoutafaitaccomplie，etchaquejourlesconsequetcessenferontplusvivementsentirsurleconfinent。”——LEPLAY，SurlaFabricationdel’AcierenYorkshire。Iron，besidesbeingusedinvariousformsasbarandcastiron，isalsousedinvariousformsasbarandcaststeel；anditisprincipallybecauseofitsmanyadmirablequalitiesintheselatterformsthatironmaintainsitssupremacyoveralltheothermetals。
TheprocessofconvertingironintosteelhadlongbeenknownamongtheEasternnationsbeforeitwasintroducedintoEurope。TheHindooswereespeciallyskilledintheartofmakingsteel，asindeedtheyaretothisday；anditissupposedthatthetoolswithwhichtheEgyptianscoveredtheirobelisksandtemplesofporphyryandsyenitewithhieroglyphicsweremadeofIndiansteel，asprobablynoothermetalwascapableofexecutingsuchwork。TheartseemstohavebeenwellknowninGermanyintheMiddleAges，andtheprocessisonthewholeveryfaithfullydescribedbyAgricolainhisgreatworkonMetallurgy。*
[footnote……
AGRICOLA，DeReMetallica。Basle，1621。
Englandthenproducedverylittlesteel，andwasmainlydependentforitssupplyofthearticleuponthecontinentalmakers。
FromanearlyperiodSheffieldbecamedistinguishedforitsmanufactureofironandsteelintovarioususefularticles。Wefinditmentionedinthethirteenthcenturyasaplacewherethebestarrowheadsweremade，——theEarlofRichmondowinghissuccessatthebattleofBosworthpartlytotheirsuperiorlength，sharpness，andfinish。Themanufacturesofthetownbecameofamorepacificcharacterinthefollowingcenturies，duringwhichknives，tools，andimplementsofhusbandrybecametheleadingarticles。
Chaucer’sreferencetothe’Sheffieldthwytel’orcase-knifeinhisCanterburyTales，writtenabouttheendofthefourteenthcentury，showsthattheplacehadthenbecomeknownforitsmanufactureofknives。In1575wefindtheEarlofShrewsburypresentingtohisfriendLordBurleigh”acaseofHallamshirewhittells，beingsuchfruitesashisporecuntreyaffordethwithfamethroughouttherealme。”FullerafterwardsspeaksoftheSheffieldknivesas”forcommonuseofthecountrypeople，”andhecitesaninstanceofaknavewhocozenedhimoutoffourpenceforonewhenitwasonlyworthapenny。
In1600Sheffieldbecamecelebratedforitstobacco-boxesandJew’s-harps。Thetownwasasyetofsmallsizeandpopulation；forwhenasurveyofitwasmadein1615itwasfoundtocontainnotmorethan2207householders，ofwhomone-third，or725，were”notabletolivewithoutthecharityoftheirneighbours：theseareallBeggingpoor。”*
[footnote……
TheRev。JOSEPHHUNTER，HistoryofHallamshire。
Itmust，however，havecontinueditsmanufactureofknives；forwefindthattheknifewithwhichFeltonstabbedtheDukeofBuckinghamatPortsmouthin1628wastracedtoSheffield。Theknifewasleftstickingintheduke’sbody，andwhenexaminedwasfoundtobeartheSheffieldcorporationmark。ItwasultimatelyascertainedtohavebeenmadebyoneWild，acutler，whohadsoldtheknifefortenpencetoFeltonwhenrecruitinginthetown。Atastilllaterperiod，themanufactureofclasporspringkniveswasintroducedintoSheffieldbyFlemishworkmen。Harrisonsaysthistradewasbegunin1650。Theclasp-knifewascommonlyknownintheNorthasajocteleg。HenceBurns，describingthefamousarticletreasuredbyCaptainGrosetheantiquarian，saysthat——”Itwasafauldingjocteleq，Orlang-kailgully；”
thewordbeingmerelyacorruptionofJacquesdeLiege，afamousforeigncutler，whosekniveswereaswellknownthroughoutEuropeasthoseofRogersorMappinarenow。ScythesandsicklesformedotherbranchesofmanufactureintroducedbytheFlemishartisans，themakersoftheformerprincipallylivingintheparishofNorton，thoseofthelatterinEckington。
Manyimprovementswereintroducedfromtimetotimeinthematerialofwhichthesearticlesweremade。InsteadofimportingtheGermansteel，asitwascalled，theSheffieldmanufacturersbegantomakeitthemselves，principallyfromDannemoraironimportedfromSweden。ThefirstEnglishmanufacturerofthearticlewasoneCrowley，aNewcastleman；andtheSheffieldmakersshortlyfollowedhisexample。
Wemayherebrieflystatethattheordinarymethodofpreparingthisvaluablematerialofmanufacturesisbyexposingironbars，placedincontactwithroughly-granulatedcharcoal，toanintenseheat，——theprocesslastingforaboutaweek，moreorless，accordingtothedegreeofcarbonizationrequired。Bythismeans，whatiscalledBLISTEREDSTEELisproduced，anditfurnishesthematerialoutofwhichrazors，files，knives，swords，andvariousarticlesofhardwarearemanufactured。AfurtherprocessisthemanufactureofthemetalthustreatedintoSHEARSTEEL，byexposingafasciculusoftheblisteredsteelrods，withsandscatteredoverthemforthepurposesofaflux，totheheatofawind-furnaceuntilthewholemassbecomesofaweldingheat，whenitistakenfromthefireanddrawnoutunderaforge-hammer，——theprocessofweldingbeingrepeated，afterwhichthesteelisreducedtotherequiredsizes。ThearticlecalledFAGGOT
steelismadeafterasomewhatsimilarprocess。
ButthemostvaluableforminwhichsteelisnowusedinthemanufacturesofSheffieldisthatofcast-steel，inwhichironispresentedinperhapsitsveryhigheststateofperfection。Cast-steelconsistsofironunitedtocarboninanelasticstatetogetherwithasmallportionofoxygen；whereascrudeorpigironconsistsofironcombinedwithcarboninamaterialstate。*
[footnote……
MUSHET，PapersOnIronandSteel。
chiefmeritsofcast-steelconsistinitspossessinggreatcohesionandclosenessofgrain，withanastonishingdegreeoftenacityandflexibility，——qualitieswhichrenderitofthehighestvalueinallkindsoftoolsandinstrumentswheredurability，polish，andfinenessofedgeareessentialrequisites。Itistothismaterialthatwearemainlyindebtedfortheexquisitecuttinginstrumentofthesurgeon，thechiselofthesculptor，thesteelplateonwhichtheengraverpractiseshisart，thecuttingtoolsemployedinthevariousprocessesofskilledhandicraft，downtothecommonsawortheaxeusedbythebackwoodsmaninlevellingtheprimevalforest。
Theinventionofcast-steelisduetoBenjaminHuntsman，ofAttercliffe，nearSheffield。M。LePlay，ProfessorofMetallurgyintheRoyalSchoolofMinesofFrance，aftermakingcarefulinquiryandweighingalltheevidenceonthesubject，arrivedattheconclusionthattheinventionfairlybelongstoHuntsman。TheFrenchprofessorspeaksofitasa”memorablediscovery，”madeandappliedwithadmirableperseverance；andheclaimsforitsinventorthedistinguishedmeritofadvancingthesteelmanufacturesofYorkshiretothefirstrank，andpowerfullycontributingtotheestablishmentonafirmfoundationoftheindustrialandcommercialsupremacyofGreatBritain。ItisremarkablethataFrenchwritershouldhavebeenamongthefirsttodirectpublicattentiontothemeritsofthisinventor，andtohavefirstpublishedthefewfactsknownastohishistoryinaFrenchGovernmentReport，——showingtheneglectwhichmenofthisclasshaveheretoforereceivedathome，andthemuchgreateresteeminwhichtheyareheldbyscientificforeigners。*
[footnote……
M。LePlay’stwoelaborateandadmirablereportsonthemanufactureofsteel，publishedintheAnnalesdesMines，vols。iii。andix。，4thseries，areuniqueoftheirkind，andhaveasyetnocounterpartinEnglishliterature。Theyarerespectivelyentitled’MemoiresurlaFabricationdel’AcierenYorkshire，’and’MemoiresurleFabricationetleCommercedesFersaAcierdansleNorddel’Europe。’
LePlay，inhisenthusiasticadmirationofthediscovererofsopotentametalascast-steel，paidavisittoHuntsman’sgraveinAtterclifleChurchyard，nearSheffield，andfromtheinscriptiononhistombstonerecitesthefactsofhisbirth，hisdeath，andhisbriefhistory。Withtheassistanceofhisdescendants，wearenowenabledtoaddthefollowingrecordofthelifeandlaboursofthisremarkablebutalmostforgottenman。
BenjaminHuntsmanwasborninLincolnshireintheyear1704。HisparentswereofGermanextraction，andhadsettledinthiscountryonlyafewyearsprevioustohisbirth。Theboybeingofaningeniousturn，wasbredtoamechanicalcalling；andbecomingcelebratedforhisexpertnessinrepairingclocks，heeventuallysetupinbusinessasaclockmakerandmenderinthetownofDoncaster。Healsoundertookvariousotherkindsofmetalwork，suchasthemakingandrepairingoflocks，smoke-jacks，roasting-jacks，andotherarticlesrequiringmechanicalskill。Hewasremarkablyshrewd，observant，thoughtful，andpractical；somuchsothathecametoberegardedasthe”wiseman”ofhisneighbourhood，andwasnotonlyconsultedastotherepairsofmachinery，butalsoofthehumanframe。Hepractisedsurgerywithdexterity，thoughafteranempiricalfashion，andwasheldinespecialesteemasanoculist。Hissuccesswassuchthathisadvicewassoughtinmanysurgicaldiseases，andhewasalwaysreadytogiveit，butdeclinedreceivinganypaymentinreturn。
Intheexerciseofhismechanicalcalling，heintroducedseveralimprovedtools，butwasmuchhinderedbytheinferiorqualityofthemetalsuppliedtohim，whichwascommonGermansteel。Healsoexperiencedconsiderabledifficultyinfindingamaterialsuitableforthespringsandpendulumsofhisclocks。Thesecircumstancesinducedhimtoturnhisattentiontothemakingofabetterkindofsteelthanwasthenprocurable，forthepurposesofhistrade。HisfirstexperimentswereconductedatDoncaster；*
[footnote……
ThereareseveralclocksstillinexistenceintheneighbourhoodofDoncastermadebyBenjaminHuntsman；andthereisoneinthepossessionofhisgrandson，withapendulummadeofcast-steel。Themanufactureofapendulumofsuchamaterialatthatearlydateiscertainlycurious；itsstillperfectspringandelasticityshowingthescrupulouscarewithwhichithadbeenmade。