To  aid  the  advancement  of  scientific  knowledge,
and  to  give  assistance  to  the  manipulator  or  worker
in  the  precious  metal,  is  the  object  of  the  writer  of
this  book ;  as  well  as  to  enable  the  artisan  and  the
uninitiated  to  acquire  a  general  knowledge  of  the
history,  and  useful  appliances  of  the  chief  material
connected  with  the  goldsmith's  art.  In  the  first
place,  with  the  idea  that  the  subject  may  be  in-
teresting to  the  general  reader  as  well  as  to  the
practical  man,  we  propose  to  review  the  ancient
history  of  gold,  together  with  its  modern  progress
and  usefulness  as  regards  ornamental  art.  The
last-mentioned  matter  will  be  amply  discussed
hereafter,  when  the  processes  and  treatment  of  the
precious  metal  will  be  explained,  together  with  all
that  can,  in  common  fairness  to   the   trade   of  a

B


2  HISTORY  AND   SOURCES   OF   SUPPLY.
manufacturing  goldsmith,  be  published.  This  in-
formation will  be  derived  both  from  actual  expe-
rience, and  from  the  study  of  the  works  of  most  of
the  leading  authors  who  have  written  upon  the
subject.
