was not it rather an incitement to a somewhat high and difficult step in an upward direction towards the attainment, on a higher platform of knowledge and skill, of a blessing for the whole province of Tuscany?  What was true in the history of that industry and its development is every whit as true of the much-lamented slackening of trade through foreign competition or other causes now in this country, and coming home to yourselves in the hat-manufacturing industry.  The higher platform to which it was somewhat difficult to step up, but upon which the battle must be fought and the victory won, was one of a higher scientific and technological education and training.  The chemist Hoeffer made the discovery of boric acid in the vapours, they would no doubt take note; but Hoeffer went no further; and it needed the man of both educated and practical mind like Count Lardarel to turn the discovery to account and extract the blessing.  In like manner it was clear that in our educational schemes for the benefit of the people, there must not only be the scientific investigator of abstract truth, but also the scientific technologist to point the way to the practical realisation of tangible profit.  Moreover, and a still more important truth, it is the scientific education of the proprietors and heads we want—­educated capital rather than educated workmen.

Borax.—­A good deal of the Tuscan boric acid is used in France for the manufacture of borax, which is a sodium salt of boric acid.  Borax is also manufactured from boronitrocalcite, a calcium salt of boric acid, which is found in Chili and other parts of South America.  The crude boronitrocalcite or “tiza” is boiled with sodium carbonate solution, and, after settling, the borax is obtained by crystallisation.  Borax itself is found in California and Nevada, U.S.A., and also in Peru, Ceylon, China, Persia, and Thibet.  The commercial product is obtained from the native borax (known as “tincal”) by dissolving in water and allowing the solution to crystallise.  The Peruvian borax sometimes contains nitre.  For testing the purity of refined borax the following simple tests will usually suffice.  A solution of the borax is made containing 1 part of borax to 50 parts of water, and small portions of the solution are tested as follows:  Heavy metals (lead, copper, etc.).—­On passing sulphuretted hydrogen into the solution, no coloration or precipitate should be produced. Calcium Salts.—­The solution should not give a precipitate with ammonium oxalate solution. Carbonates.—­The solution should not effervesce on addition of nitric or hydrochloric acid. Chlorides.—­No appreciable precipitate should be produced on addition of silver nitrate solution and nitric acid. Sulphates.—­No appreciable precipitate should be produced on adding hydrochloric acid and barium chloride. Iron.—­50 c.c. of the solution should not immediately be coloured blue by 0.5 c.c. of potassium ferrocyanide solution.