1866. | Our Coal Supply and our Prosperity. 471 
50 or 75 millions of tons. We, however, anticipate no such 
increase. 
Let us now pass to the second and third items of consumption 
(embracing also about one-third of the whole), viz. coal used in the 
production and conversion of iron. 
Mr. Bernhard Samuelson, M.P., a large ironmaster and 
machine-maker, expressed the view, when the coal question was 
first debated in the House, that if coal became very much dearer 
here, the export of iron from this country to many places would 
cease, and that the United States would beat England in neutral 
markets; but he might have gone still further, and might have 
said, with perfect truth, that not only the export trade in pig-iron, 
but also in some of the manufactures of iron would probably leave us. 
A question of equal, some think of greater importance with that of 
the coal supply in the production of an article of such low value as 
iron, 1s that of labour; and although there may be periods when 
that is high abroad, as a rule, it is greatly in favour of the con- 
tinental manufacturer. 
Let us mention a fact or two worthy of consideration. 
Whilst coal is actually so cheap as to serve as ballast for steam- 
vessels to America, and in some cases to be brought back again to 
England (as we shall explain hereafter), locomotive engines have 
been made abroad (we believe by a firm in Creusot) for one of our 
English railways ; others, by a house at Carlsruhe for Indian rail- 
ways; and a large firm of English ironmasters and coal-proprietors 
have lately ordered a pumping-engine in Belgium for one of their 
Northumbrian collieries. Furthermore, the cost of iron ships has 
latterly, owing to increased wages both in manufacturing iron 
and building the vessels, approximated so closely to the cost of 
iron ships built in France, that very little more would turn the 
scale in favour of the foreign maker. 
But what do these facts indicate? Certainly not that the 
demand upon our coal resources will increase, but rather that it will 
be pro tanto relieved, and that without a failure of our coal supplies, 
our industry and enterprise must be turned into new channels. 
Closely connected with this part of the subject, as Mr. Samuelson 
showed, is that of our manufactures and exports of textile fabrics. 
Whilst in 1865 about 30,000,000 tons of coal were consumed in 
the production of a class of articles, of which we sold to foreign 
nations in all 9 millions worth, only 3,000,000 tons were required 
for the manufacture of textile fabrics, of which our exports amounted 
in value to 96 millions of pounds sterling. This exhibits in a most 
striking manner how little our coal supply may have to do with 
our material prosperity in the future. That we may cease to be 
the producers of the coarse material—iron in its various forms— 
is not at all unlikely, but it by no means follows that we should at 
