Person

Miller, Francis Bowyer (1828 - 1887)

Born
18 December 1828
Edgbaston, Warwickshire, England
Died
17 September 1887
Kew, Victoria, Australia
Occupation
Assayer

Summary

Francis Miller trained as an assayer in London before moving to New South Wales in 1854, having been appointed to the Sydney Branch of the Royal Mint. He invented a process of using chlorine gas to refine gold to a high degree of purity, publishing a number of papers on the subject. In 1867 he patented the process, which became known as the Miller Process and revolutionised the treatment of precious metals. In 1870 Miller moved to the Melbourne Branch of the Mint, and was twice Acting Deputy Master. While in New South Wales he was a Member of he Philosophical (later Royal) Society of New South Wales, serving on its Council.

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Details

Chronology

1853 - 1870
Career position - Assayer, Sydney Branch, Royal Mint
1854
Life event - Migrated to New South Wales
1859 - 1866
Career position - Member, Philosophical Society of New South Wales
1862 - 1863
Career position - Member of Council, Philosophical Society of New South Wales
1866
Career position - Member of Council, Philosophical Society of New South Wales
1866 - 1869
Career position - Member, Royal Society of New South Wales
1870 - 1887
Career position - Assayer, Melbourne Branch, Royal Mint
1870 - 1887
Career position - Corresponding Member, Royal Society of New South Wales

Related Corporate Bodies

Published resources

Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions

  • Collins, David, Chemistry in 19th Australia - Select Bibliography, An exhibition of the Encyclopedia circa 2005 with assistance from Ailie Smith and Gavan McCarthy., eScholarship Research Centre (original publisher), Melbourne, 2009, https://eoas.info/exhibitions/ciab/ciab_ALL.html. Details

Book Sections

  • Martin, Megan, 'Miller, Francis Bowyer (1828-1887), assayer' in Australian dictionary of biography: supplement 1580 - 1980, with a name index to the Australian dictionary of biography to 1980, Christopher Cunneen, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2005), pp. 278-279. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/miller-francis-bowyer-13099. Details

Journal Articles

  • Martin, Megan, 'Mr Miller of the Mint: 'rather a clever, agreeable man'', Insites (2003), 4-5. Details
  • Miller, F.B., 'On the Detection of Spurious Gold Dust', The Empire, Thurs., 19 July, 1860 , brief mention (1860). Details
  • Miller, F.B., 'On the Application of Chlorine Gas to the Toughening and Refining of Gold', The Chemical News and Journal of Physical Science, 18 (1868), 234. Details
  • Miller, F.B., 'On the Refining of Gold by Means of Chlorine gas', Transactions of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 3 (1869), 157-167. Details
  • Miller, F.B., 'Gold Refining by Chlorine Gas', The Chemical News and Journal of Physical Science, 21 (1870), 229-231, 241-242. Details
  • Miller, Francis Bowyer, 'On the Application of Chlorine Gas to the Toughening and Refining of Gold', Journal of the Chemical Society, London, 21 (1868), 506-513. Details
  • Miller, Francis Bowyer, 'Improved method of toughening brittle gold bullion, &c (Patent, 8 Sept., 1873)', Specifications of Letters of Registration of Patents for Inventions - South Australia, 2 (185) (1868-74), 3. Details
  • Wilkinson, C. S., 'President's address', Journal and proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 22 (1889), 1-43. Details

Resources

See also

  • Science and the making of Victoria, with Royal Society of Victoria, 2001, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/smv/index_m.html. Details
  • Day, A. A. and Day, J. A. F., 'A biographical register of Members of the Australian Philosophical Society (1850 -55) and the Philosophical Society of New South Wales (1856-66): part II', Journal and proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 129 (1996), 123-37. Details

Rosanne Walker and Helen Cohn

Created: 30 June 1997, Last modified: 20 November 2025

EOAS ID: biogs/P002451b.htm

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