Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 39.djvu/436

 of steel from bar-iron by a direct process. Although the method cannot be distinguished in principle from that followed by the Hindoos in the preparation of wootz, the patent was sold to a Sheffield firm for 3,000l. (, Iron and Steel, pp. 670, 672). His other patents relate to the extraction of iron from cinder and to improvements in the process of puddling iron.

Mushet's communications to the ‘Philosophical Magazine’ were in 1840 collected by him into a volume entitled ‘Papers on Iron and Steel, &c.,’ 8vo, London. He also wrote ‘The Wrongs of the Animal World,’ 8vo, London, 1839, in which he denounced the use of dogs as draught-animals. He was the author of the articles ‘Blast Furnace,’ and ‘Blowing Machine’ in Rees's ‘Cyclopædia’ and ‘Iron’ in the ‘Encyclopædia Britannica’ Supplement.

Mushet died at Monmouth on 13 June 1847 (Gent. Mag. 1847, p. 220). By his wife Agnes Wilson he was father of Robert Forester Mushet, who is noticed separately. An older son, David (cf., Papers on Iron and Steel, Pref.), was a metallurgist and took out several patents.



MUSHET, ROBERT (1782–1828), of the royal mint, sixth son of William Mushet and Margaret Cochrane, his wife, was born at Dalkeith on 10 Nov. 1782. He was a brother of [q. v.] According to a statement contained in his evidence before the House of Lords’ committee on the resumption of cash payments in 1819, he entered the service of the royal mint about 1804, but his name does not occur in the ‘Royal Kalendar’ until 1808, when he appears as third clerk to the master. Subsequently he held the post of first clerk to the master, melter, and refiner. He paid particular attention to the currency question, and gave evidence before the committee above mentioned on 29 March and 7 April 1819. He was also examined before Peel’s committee in the House of Commons on the same subject on 19 March. He stated that he had made out tables of the exchanges and prices of gold from 1760 to 1810 (see the printed reports of those committees). In 1823 he took out a patent (No. 4802) for preparing copper for sheathing ships by alloying it with small quantities of zinc, tin, antimony, and arsenic. He died at Millfield House, Edmonton, on 1 Feb. 1828, having married Henrietta, daughter of (1745-1837) [q. v.] of St. Andrews, by whom he had issue.

Mushet wrote:
 * 1) ‘An Enquiry into the Effect produced on the National Currency and Rates of Exchange by the Bank Restriction Bill,’ 2nd ed., 1810; 3rd ed., 1811. This was noticed in the ‘Edinburgh Review,’ 1810, xvii. 340.
 * 2) ‘Tables exhibiting the Gain and Loss to the Fundholder arising from the Fluctuations of the Value of the Currency from 1800 to 1821,’ 2nd ed., corrected, 1821.
 * 3) ‘An Attempt to explain from Facts the Effect of the Issues of the Bank of England upon its own Interests, Public Credit, and Country Banks,’ 1826. This was noticed in the ‘Quarterly Review,’ 1829, xxxix. 451.



MUSHET, ROBERT (1811–1871), of the royal mint, born at Dalkeith in 1811, was second son of Richard Mushet—a brother of [q. v.] and of (1782–1828) [q. v.] His mother was Marion Walker. He came up to London to assist his uncle Robert Mushet in the mint, and in 1833 his name appears for the first time in the ‘Royal Kalendar’ as ‘second clerk and probationer melter.’ Upon the reorganisation of the mint in 1851 when the ‘moneyers,’ as they were called, were abolished, Mushet was appointed senior clerk and melter with a residence at the mint That office he held until his death. He died on 4 Sept. 1811 at Hayward's Heath, and was buried there.

He was the author of:


 * 1) ‘The Trinities of the Ancients,’ London, 1837.
 * 2) ‘The Book of Symbols,’ London, 1844; 2nd ed., 1847.
 * 3) The article ‘Coinage’ in the eighth edition of the ‘Encyclopædia Britannica;’ reprinted in ‘The Coin Book,’ Philadelphia, 1873.



MUSHET, ROBERT FORESTER (1811–1891), metallurgist, born at Coleford, Forest of Dean, on 8 April 1811, was the youngest son of [q. v.] He received the name ‘Forester’ from the place of his birth, but he never seems to have used it until 1874 in a patent which he took out in that year. He was always known as Robert Mushet.

His early years seem to have been spent at Coleford, assisting his father in his metallurgical researches and experiments. In that way he became familiar with the value of manganese in steel-making, and in 1848 his attention was accidentally directed to a