The Industrial Revolution 191 



using charcoal only. In 1788 the number of furnaces had 

 increased to 85, and the output to 68,300 tons, of which 

 55,200 tons had been produced by coke, and only 13,100 

 tons by charcoal. In 1796, when the charcoal process had been 

 almost entirely given up, the number of furnaces was 121 (in 

 England and Wales 104 ; in Scotland 17), and the produc- 

 tion was 124,879 tons. In this same year Pitt proposed to 

 put a tax on coal, and the following year he sought to im- 

 pose one on pig-iron ; but a taxing of raw material was not 

 to be tolerated, and he had to abandon each project. 



Adding to these details corresponding figures for other 

 years in the Canal Era, we get the following table : 



IRON FURNACES AND PRODUCTION IN ENGLAND, 



WALES AND SCOTLAND. 



Year. Number of furnaces. . Production (tons). 



1740 . . . 59 . . . 17,35 



1788 . . 85 ... 68,300 



1796 . . . 121 . . . 124,879 



1802 . . . 168 . . . 170,000 



1806 . . . 227 . . . 250,000 



1820 . . . 260 . . . 400,000 



1825 . . 374 . . 581,367 



This great increase in the output of iron meant, also, a 

 considerable expansion in the engineering trades of the 

 country in general, in the hardware trades of Birmingham, 

 in the cutlery trade of Sheffield, and in many other trades 

 besides. It led to the opening up of new centres of activity 

 and industry in addition to a greater aggregation of workers 

 in centres already established ; while the combined effect 

 on the coal industry itself of all these developments is well 

 shown by the following figures, giving the output of coal 

 in the United Kingdom, for the years mentioned, as estimated 

 by the Commissioners of 1871 : 



YEAR. TONS. 



1700 .... 2,612,000 



1750 .... 4,773,828 



1770 .... 6,205,400 

 1790 .... 7,618,728 



1795 . . . . 10,080,300 



