40 



the sea, care lias already Leen taken to build railroads. Even if therefore a short 

 railway-Hue may still be built here or there, it is not to be presumed, that the 

 consumption of iron will be greatly increased in consequence of large railway- 

 enterprises. 



How far the iron here produced would find an outlet in Chiua, would de- 

 pend, on the one Land, on the price and qualify of the product, on the other 

 hand, on the development of Chinese iron-works, of which it is now for instance 

 under consideration to make an establishment as Kaiping. As a set-off to those 

 circumstances, which eventually might cause an increase in the average-demand, 

 it is to be borne in mind, that the latter, during the last decade, has been com- 

 paratively high on account of purchases for the foundation of ladways, navy, 

 army, arsenals and all sorts of industries. It may moreover with certainty be 

 predicted, that, all the efforts of the government to the contrary notwithstand- 

 ing, the use of machinery &c. in this couutry will jet for some time to come 

 remain a limited one, and that consequently the import, at least of manufac- 

 tured iron, will still continue. The state of transport and other local circumst- 

 ances, habit ilea will likewise for a long future protect the old, national iron- 

 industry against being replaced by new, modern establishmeuts, and finally 

 the iron here produced will, for reasons already mentioned, scarcely be offered 

 at so low rates as to cause a rapid increase in the consumption. Under these 

 circumstances the conclusion appears justified, that the three charcoal-blast- 

 furnaces, now under construction, always provided that they as well as the ore- 

 deposits reali'o the expectations entertained, for the moment suffice to meet the 

 demand, and that the building of more blast-furnaces does not appear urgent. 



While thus the prospects for a large, natural development of iron -production 

 in Japan for the moment can scarcely be called brilliant, an examination of an- 

 other branch of mining-industry, eoal-mining shows favorable results. 



PRODUCTION AND EXPOET OF COAL. 



It appears from table V, that the export is contumacy increasing, and exceeds 

 the import nearly tenfold ; although the production, when compared with that 

 of other countries, is still very small, it should be borne in mind, that only two- 

 mines have recently commenced to be worked on modern system, aud that a 

 wide field is open for further progress. 



The fact, (hat there is dill an import of coal and cokes, nay that the same is 

 even on the increase, is explained in this manner, that the Japanese coals are not 

 fit for all purposes, especially do not afford so good heating material for steamers 

 as the best English coals and that English coke is generally preferred for found- 

 ry purposes. A comparison between tables V and III .»how, that on an average 



