106 Sir FredericJ^ Abel [April 22. 



steel manufacture dates back only nine years, and already the year's 

 product of tlie basic process amounts to orer l.SOO.OOO tons of steel. 

 But althougli it is to Englishmen that the owner of iron property 

 and the steel-maker are again indebted for these important results, 

 and to English manufacturers that the first practical demonsti-ation 

 of the success of this process is due. its application has been far 

 more rapidly elaborated upon the Continent than here ; in Germany 

 the importance of the subject was at once realised, and it is there 

 that considerably the largest proportion of steel is produced by the 

 basic treatment ; it is in Germany also that the value of the slag for 

 agricultural purposes has been developed ; the first steps in its utilisa- 

 tion here being but just now taken, in Stafiordshire. 



I have already referred to the remarkable strides which have 

 been made in the extension of iron manufacture in the United 

 States : the development there of steel production has been no less 

 marvellous. In 1879, 928.000 tons of Bessemer steel were produced ; 

 in 18S5 the make amounted to 1,701,000 tons, while the productive 

 capacity in that year was estimated at 4,102,000 tons. tVith other 

 extensive steel-producing works in course of completion, provision is 

 being made for increasing the power of production by another 

 million tons. Looking to the fact that at the present time the 

 railway mileage in the United States exceeds that of the whole of 

 Europe, there being 1,300,000 miles of railway in operation, while 

 at the beginning of 1865 there were only 34,000 miles, the causes of 

 this enormous development of the iron and steel manufacture are 

 evident; the resources of the country in ore and fuel are gigantic, 

 and the systematic technical training of the people has made its 

 influence felt upon the development of this as of every other branch 

 of industry which our friendly rivals pursue. But it is not only in 

 the United States that the development in the production of iron 

 and steel has greatly increased of late years ; thus, in Germany the 

 increase in the production of pig iron alone, during the last twenty- 

 one years, has been 287 per cent., in Austro-Hungary 152 per cent., 

 while the increase in France and Belgium is 64 per cent., and 

 therefore not greatly inferior to our own [To per cent.). 



Although, however, the increase in actual production of iron and 

 steel in this country has not kept pace with that of some other 

 countries, it is satisfactory to know that our productive power 

 has very greatly increased in late years, and there is probably no 

 one branch of our industries in which we have maintained our 

 position so satisfactorily in regard to quality of product as 

 that of iron and steel manufacture, even although, every now and 

 then, we have indications that in the struggle with other Xations 

 for superiority of product and for pre-eminence in continuity of 

 progress, we have to look to our laurels. While this Country 

 owes a deep debt of gratitude to such men as Xeilson, Mushet, 

 Bessemer, Siemens, Thomas and Gilchrist, who by their brilliant 

 discoveries and inventions have maintained Great Britain's posi- 



