THE STRUGGLE FOR MANUFACTURES 497 



the profits to be derived from it. In 1595 the estimated annual 

 consumption of alum in England was about 500 tons ; in 1609 a 

 production of 2,000 tons per annum was contemplated, and the 

 Crown proceeded to load the undertaking with fixed charges 

 based upon this output. It was farmed at an annual charge of 

 £22, 000, made up of annuities to the patentees and rent to the 

 Crown. The selling price of alum was fixed at £23 a ton, and 

 the cost of manufacture was £10 a ton. On a sale of the full 

 quantity — 2,000 tons — this left the farmers with £4,000 a year 

 profit, which must have appeared a very nice return. As a matter 

 of fact, they succeeded in producing about 500 tons only per 

 year, and some of this was exported and sold at as low a price 

 as £15. Clearly they could not meet their engagements. They 

 failed in 1612, and the works reverted to the hands of the king. 



Notwithstanding this want of success on the part of the first 

 farmers, there was a feeling of confidence in the ultimate results 

 of the enterprise. A report on the state of the works in 161 5 

 concludes thus : " So it appeareth that the works are worthy to 

 be privileged by a King : that set many thousand poor men on 

 work ; spend nothing but base materials, coal, urine, and earth 

 out of rocks and barren grounds ; employ many ships ; im- 

 poverish the Pope's coffers, and will advance his Majesty's 

 revenue many thousands a year." 



The king had already spent £50,000 ; he now agreed to spend 

 £10,000 more for the repair and provisioning of the existing 

 works and for extensions, and the works were leased for twenty- 

 one years to another company, who contracted to deliver to the 

 king 1,800 tons per annum at £10 a ton. Again the actual 

 production fell very far short of the estimate, amounting only to 

 between 500 and 600 tons. 



Passing over the vicissitudes of the next few years, in 1627 

 we find Sir Paul Pindar in charge of the undertaking, and with 

 marked results. The production in 1632 was 900 tons per 

 annum ; it advanced by rapid steps, and by 1637 had attained 

 the figure of the estimate of 1609, 2,000 tons. Pindar paid the 

 king a rental of £12,500 a year; in addition he paid rentals 

 amounting to £2,240 to the Earl of Mulgrave and Sir William 

 Penniman. There is no doubt that the enterprise had become 

 a success. Another indication of this is to be found in the fact 

 that in 1638 attempts were being made to induce some of the 

 workmen to go over to Denmark to set up the industry there. 



33 



