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LETTER II.

On the present State of Smelting., and by.what Means it is to be improved.

Sir,

I T appears, from the most authentic Ac-count of the Generation and Productionof Men and Things, that Smelting mayjustly claim the Prehemirtence of almost allother Arts and Sciences ; for God, after theExpulsion of Adam. out of the happy Abode,in which he was first delightfully situated,immediately made him acquainted withthe Usefulness and Benefit of Cloathing;so, neceflary, for the Preservation and wellbeing of human Nature, in the corruptibleState he was then oblig’d to exist in ; ib as hewas destinated to till the uncultivated Landfor his Support and Sustenance; we mayreasonably conclude (tho’ it is not particu-larly mentioned in that brief History) thathe was made acquainted with Irort-Ore,and the Method by which Iron was to bemade out of it; otherwise it would havebeen morally impossible for him to haveperform’d the Task appointed him ; there-fore we cannot reasonably believe, thatGod neglected to give him Instructions,and to furnish him with proper Means forobtaining the more necessary Part of hisSubsistence, when he had taken so much

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