In various countries; but it abounds principally in Great Britain and Spain; the lead mines of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa, are among the richest in the world.  Lead is a metal of great utility; it easily melts and mixes with gold, silver, and copper; hence it is employed in refining gold and silver, as it separates all the dirt and impurities from them; it is much used in building, particularly for covering gutters, pipes, &c.; lead is also used in varnishes and oil-painting, and makes the basis of the glazing of all the earthen and pottery wares.

     Refining, cleansing, purifying.

     Varnishes, preparations for beautifying and preserving
     various articles.

What is peculiar to the ore of Lead?

The ore of this metal is so poisonous, that the steam arising from the furnaces in which it is smelted infects the grass of all the neighboring places, and kills the animals which feed on it:  culinary vessels lined with a mixture of tin and lead, are apt to convey pernicious qualities to the food prepared in them.  There are various preparations of lead, serving for different purposes.

     Infects, corrupts.

     Culinary, adapted to the purposes of cooking.

     Pernicious, hurtful, dangerous.

     Ore, the mineral soil, earth, or stone dug out of the
     mines, which contains the metal.

What is Black Lead?

It is a kind of mineral, of a deep shining black or bluish color, soft and unctuous to the touch; it is insoluble in acids, and infusible by fire.  Black lead has been found in many parts of the world, in a state of greater or less purity, but it is the English black lead which is the most esteemed.

     Insoluble, incapable of dissolving.

     Infusible, not capable of being melted.

Is Black Lead a proper term for this mineral?

No; because, in reality, there is not a particle of lead in it.  On the spot where it is procured, it is called by two or three different names, but the most usual is Plumbago.

Where is the best Black Lead found?

The best and greatest quantity is found in England, in a mine near Keswick, in Cumberland.  It is much used for pencils or crayons, for writing, drawing, &c.; for this purpose it is sawn into slips, and fitted into a groove in a strip of soft wood, as cedar, &c., over which another is placed and fastened with glue.

What is Platina?

A metallic substance, more recently discovered than the metals already described; and analogous to the perfect metals, especially gold,—­many of whose properties it possesses.

     Analogous, bearing a resemblance.

Whence is its name derived?

It is the diminutive of plata, silver, to which it appears very similar; platina being a silver-colored metal, in small grains.