FROM NAZARETH TO CARLISLE 201 



formerly in a position to send their pig and bar-iron 

 to England at a profit ; that is to say, they were ex- 

 empt from the heavy imposts which Russian and 

 Swedish iron had to pay in England. This was the 

 case chiefly in the middle colonies, and during the 

 years 1768-70 the export to England amounted to some 

 2592 tons bar-iron, and 4624 tons pig, with which they 

 paid for at least a part of their return cargoes from 

 England. And besides they took back axes, hoes, 

 mattocks, shovels, nails, scythes and other fabricated 

 ware ; for although several of these articles could be 

 as conveniently made in America as in Europe it could 

 only be done at a price three times as high. Thus there 

 has been no especial profit hitherto in America in any- 

 thing except cast-iron. There was even a time when 

 crude American iron might be sent to England cheaper 

 than it could be supplied there. The English owners 

 of iron-works were in this way inconvenienced and 

 there was much debate in Parliament over the permis- 

 sibility of letting in this article from America duty- 

 free. However, under the pretext it was a worse prod- 

 uct, every ton of American iron was paid for at an 

 off-set amounting to the duty on Swedish and Russian 

 iron. The advantages which this export to England of 

 American iron formerly enjoyed are, naturally, now 

 removed ; and for the first time attention will now be 

 given in America to the preparation and sale of the 

 cheaper domestic product, so as to hinder the import 

 of foreign iron. Steel was formerly made to some 

 little extent in New York, Jersey, and Pensylvania ; 

 but during and since the war greatly more has been 

 done in that regard, and it is asserted that at Philadel- 

 phia steel has been prepared quite as good as the 



