SECT. XV.] RESULTS OF THE INQUIRY. 



275 



earth, are found everywhere. There remain the 

 metals. As iron comprises nine-tenths of the value 

 of all the worked metals, we limit our remarks to 

 this article. 



Shropshire was in possession of this branch of 

 industry in England, because iron is there found in 

 the neighbourhood of the coal ; but in a corner of 

 Wales coal has been found together with iron and 

 limestone * ; three ingredients which are necessary 

 in these works. The iron-works of Shropshire 

 have therefore been in great part abandoned, and 

 the Commissioners admit that coal-mines have not 

 been discovered in Ireland f. 



Supposing that a similar discovery were made 

 in Ireland to that in Wales these three ingre- 

 dients together and that the works might fur- 

 nish employment for 200,000 families or 1,000,000 

 persons : this would only tend to increase the ge- 

 neral misery ; since the Commissioners admit that 

 Ireland contains 8,000,000 inhabitants and pro-, 

 duces food for only 5,000,000 The manufactures 

 of foreign articles produce the same ill effect. The 

 prosperity of hand-labour, manufactures, commerce 

 and navigation, is therefore only a consequence of 

 the prosperity of agriculture, which is the sole 

 source of all wealth. 



[* This is the case also in all the districts between Birmingham and 

 Wolverhampton. TRANSL.] 



[t Not exactly so ; see above, p. 274. TRANSL.] 



T 2 



