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wood and drawers of water; without commemoration; genius and

enterprise would be deprived of their most coveted distinction。〃Sir

Henry Englefield。





The account given of Dr。 Roebuck in a Cyclopedia of Biography;

recently published in Glasgow; runs as follows:   〃Roebuck; John; a

physician and experimental chemist; born at Sheffield; 1718; died;

after ruining himself by his projects; 1794。  Such is the short shrift

which the man receives who fails。  Had Dr。 Roebuck wholly succeeded in

his projects; he would probably have been esteemed as among the

greatest of Scotland's benefactors。  Yet his life was not altogether a

failure; as we think will sufficiently appear from the following

brief account of his labours:  



At the beginning of last century; John Roebuck's father carried on

the manufacture of cutlery at Sheffield;*

 'footnote。。。

Dr。 Roebuck's grandson; John Arthur Roebuck; by a singular

coincidence; at present represents Sheffield in the British

Parliament。

 。。。'

in the course of which he realized a competency。  He intended his son

to follow his own business; but the youth was irresistibly attracted

to scientific pursuits; in which his father liberally encouraged him;

and he was placed first under the care of Dr。 Doddridge; at

Northampton; and afterwards at the University of Edinburgh; where he

applied himself to the study of medicine; and especially of

chemistry; which was then attracting considerable attention at the

principal seats of learning in Scotland。  While residing at Edinburgh

young Roebuck contracted many intimate friendships with men who

afterwards became eminent in literature; such as Hume and Robertson

the historians; and the circumstance is supposed to have contributed

not a little to his partiality in favour of Scotland; and his

afterwards selecting it as the field for his industrial operations。



After graduating as a physician at Leyden; Roebuck returned to

England; and settled at Birmingham in the year 1745 for the purpose

of practising his profession。  Birmingham was then a principal seat of

the metal manufacture; and its mechanics were reputed to be among the

most skilled in Britain。  Dr。 Roebuck's attention was early drawn to

the scarcity and dearness of the material in which the mechanics

worked; and he sought by experiment to devise some method of smelting

iron otherwise than by means of charcoal。  He had a laboratory fitted

up in his house for the purpose of prosecuting his inquiries; and

there he spent every minute that he could spare from his professional

labours。  It was thus that he invented the process of smelting iron by

means of pit…coal which he afterwards embodied in the patent

hereafter to be referred to。  At the same time he invented new methods

of refining gold and silver; and of employing them in the arts; which

proved of great practical value to the Birmingham trades…men; who

made extensive use of them in their various processes of manufacture。



Dr。 Roebuck's inquiries had an almost exclusively practical

direction; and in pursuing them his main object was to render them

subservient to the improvement of the industrial arts。  Thus he sought

to devise more economical methods of producing the various chemicals

used in the Birmingham trade; such as ammonia; sublimate; and several

of the acids; and his success was such as to induce him to erect a

large laboratory for their manufacture; which was conducted with

complete success by his friend Mr。 Garbett。  Among his inventions of

this character; was the modern process of manufacturing vitriolic

acid in leaden vessels in large quantities; instead of in glass

vessels in small quantities as formerly practised。  His success led

him to consider the project of establishing a manufactory for the

purpose of producing oil of vitriol on a large scale; and; having

given up his practice as a physician; he resolved; with his partner

Mr。 Garbett; to establish the proposed works in the neighbourhood of

Edinburgh。  He removed to Scotland with that object; and began the

manufacture of vitriol at Prestonpans in the year 1749。  The

enterprise proved eminently lucrative; and; encouraged by his

success; Roebuck proceeded to strike out new branches of manufacture。

He started a pottery for making white and brown ware; which

eventually became established; and the manufacture exists in the same

neighbourhood to this day。



The next enterprise in which he became engaged was one of still

greater importance; though it proved eminently unfortunate in its

results as concerned himself。  While living at Prestonpans; he made

the friendship of Mr。 William Cadell; of Cockenzie; a gentleman who

had for some time been earnestly intent on developing the industry of

Scotland; then in a very backward condition。  Mr。 Cadell had tried;

without success; to establish a manufactory of iron; and; though he

had heretofore failed; he hoped that with the aid of Dr。 Roebuck he

might yet succeed。  The Doctor listened to his suggestions with

interest; and embraced the proposed enterprise with zeal。  He

immediately proceeded to organize a company; in which he was joined

by a number of his friends and relatives。  His next step was to select

a site for the intended works; and make the necessary arrangements

for beginning the manufacture of iron。  After carefully examining the

country on both sides of the Forth; he at length made choice of a

site on the banks of the river Carron; in Stirlingshire; where there

was an abundant supply of wafer; and an inexhaustible supply of iron;

coal; and limestone in the immediate neighbourhood; and there Dr。

Roebuck planted the first ironworks in Scotland;



In order to carry them on with the best chances of success; he

brought a large number of skilled workmen from England; who formed a

nucleus of industry at Carron; where their example and improved

methods of working served to train the native labourers in their art。

At a subsequent period; Mr。 Cadell; of Carronpark; also brought a

number of skilled English nail…makers into Scotland; and settled them

in the village of Camelon; where; by teaching others; the business

has become handed down to the present day。



The first furnace was blown at Carron on the first day of January;

1760; and in the course of the same year the Carron Iron Works turned

out 1500 tons of iron; then the whole annual produce of Scotland。

Other furnaces were shortly after erected on improved plans; and the

production steadily increased。  Dr。 Roebuck was indefatigable in his

endeavours to improve the manufacture; and he was one of the first;

as we have said; to revive the use of pit…coal in refining the ore;

as appears from his patent of 1762。  He there describes his new

process as follows:   〃I melt pig or any kind of cast…iron in a

hearth heated with pit…coal by the blast of bellows; and work the

metal until it is reduced to nature; which I take out of the fire and

separate to pieces; then I take the metal thus reduced to nature and

expose it to the action of a hollow pit…coal fire; heated by the

blast of bellows; until it is reduced to a loop; which I draw out

under a common forge hammer into bar…iron。〃  This method of

manufacture was followed with success; though for some time; as

indeed to this day; the principal production of the Carron Works was

castings; for which the peculiar quality of the Scotch iron admirably

adapts it。  The well…known Carronades;*

 'footnote。。。

The carronade was invented by General Robert Melville 'Mr。 Nasmyth

says it was by Miller of Dalswinton'; who proposed it for discharging

68 lb; shot with low charges of powder; in order to produce the

increased splintering or SMASHING effects which were known to result

from such practice。  The first piece of the kind was cast at the

Carron Foundry; in 1779; and General Melville's family have now in

their possession a small model of this gun; with the inscription:  

〃Gift of the Carron Company to Lieutenant…general Melville; inventor

of the smashers and lesser carronades; for solid; ship; shell; and

carcass shot; &c。  First used against French ships in 1779。〃

 。。。'

or 〃Smashers;〃 as they were named; were cast in large numbers at the

Carron Works。  To increase the power of his blowing apparatus;

Dr。Roebuck called to his aid the celebrated Mr。 Smeaton; the

engineer; who contrived and erected for him at Carron the most

perfect apparatus of the kind then in existence。  It may also be

added; that out of the Carron enterprise; in a great measure; sprang

the Forth and Clyde Canal; the first artificial navigation in

Scotland。  The Carron Company; with a view to securing an improved

communication with Glasgow; themselves surveyed a line; which was

only given up in consequence of the determined opposition of the

landowners; but the project was again revived through their means;

and was eventually carried out after the designs of Smeaton and

Brindley。



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