The Chinaman has no knowledge whatever of chemistry, and of the principles of natural philosophy and statics generally his notions are of the most rudimentary and primitive description. How, then, in the face of these obvious disadvantages have the Chinese contrived to place themselves in the front rank amongst nations in the matter of certain chemical manufactures, one of the most important of which is the subject of this article--Vermilion? We have seen with what ingenuity and pertinacity in carrying out his ends the Chinaman has succeeded in making perhaps the most delicate and perfect iron castings in the world. He has succeeded in that instance, not by any deep researches into the hidden mysteries of Nature, by no process of thought involving an enquiry into the “reason why”; to this the Chinaman is averse, the whole tendency of his education, such as it is, tends to make him satisfied with observing effects; it is sufficient to him to know that things are so, without going into troublesome or elaborate investigations into those changeless laws of Nature into which his philosophy teaches him that, as he cannot alter or control, research is fruitless: but that he has in his own small, ingenious, patient way observed effects to very good purpose, the unrivalled excellence of some of his manufactures testifies. We will now enter a vermilion manufactory and watch the process from the first stage of mixing its two ingredients--mercury and sulphur--to the final process of weighing and packing this costly and beautiful pigment for the market. The first objects to attract the visitor’s attention on entering the yard attached to the works will probably be large piles or stacks of charcoal, crates or baskets of broken crockery ware, and numerous rusty old iron pans of somewhat similar shape to rice pans, but considerably thicker and heavier. There will also probably be a few broken and disused cast-iron mortars. All these articles are the cast off or worn out implements of the manufacture, and will be described in their proper order. On entering the factory proper, scores of little stone mills, each being turned by one man, and other long rows of workmen weighing out and wrapping up the vermilion, will be seen. The furnaces are then arrived at: there may be a score or more in number, and may be ten or twelve in each furnace room, five or six on each side. After passing these, the stores of quicksilver, sulphur, alum, glue, new spare iron pans, serviceable crockery ware, and sieves and other utensils used in the factory are arrived at, and this completes the view of the works.