Pagina 474 van 2651

The demand for those metals arises partly from their utility, and

partly from their beauty. If you except iron, they are more

useful than, perhaps, any other metal. As they are less liable to

rust and impurity, they can more easily be kept clean; and the

utensils, either of the table or the kitchen, are often, upon

that account, more agreeable when made of them. A silver boiler

is more cleanly than a lead, copper, or tin one; and the same

quality would render a gold boiler still better than a silver

one. Their principal merit, however, arises from their beauty,

which renders them peculiarly fit for the ornaments of dress and

furniture. No paint or dye can give so splendid a colour as

gilding. The merit of their beauty is greatly enhanced by their

scarcity.