THE HARDWARE TRADE AND COLONIAL INDUSTRIES 525 
and the history of this invention is recounted in the petition A.D. 1689 
. . . —1776. 
in which his son pleaded for a grant from the House 
of Commons in 1812 These last inventions were a great 
saving of time and labour; but it was the new form of the The trade 
blast-furnace which had the most remarkable effects on Cig) 
the distribution of the iron trade. While it had been 2m coc 
dependent on wood, it had flourished in Sussex and the 
Forest of Dean; when it became possible to use coal with 
the help of water-power to create a blast, the industry 
tended to be located in regions where water-power was 
available; hence the revival of the South Wales iron-works 
which had been discontinued long before from want of fuel; 
the use of coal and water-power gave a new impetus to the 
works at Cyfartha and Dowlais®. The application of steam, 
however, rendered the iron-masters independent of water- 
power, and blast-furnaces could be erected wherever the 
presence of coal and iron rendered it convenient. In 
Gloucestershire, the supply of fuel from the Forest was 
readily replaced with coal; but in other cases, and notably 
in Sussex, the ancient iron-works ceased to be of importance; 
while enormous new centres of activity and industry were 
created in parts of Scotland, Wales and the North of 
England, which had been practically barren before. 
During the earlier half of the eighteenth century, how- and manu- 
ever, the manufacturers had to be content with wood-charcoal facture 
as fuel, and the expense of smelting iron ore was very great. bo 
Considerable quantities of pig and bar iron were imported Figen 
from Sweden, and it appeared that, if smelting could be Sweden. 
developed in our own plantations, there would be a distinct 
saving to the mother country. Soon after the Revolution, 
an attempt was made to draw on the resources of Ireland. 
In 1696 and 1697 the duties were removed from bar-iron 
imported into England from Ireland?; this led to a develop- 
ment of iron smelting in Ireland and a consequent de- 
struction of the Irish forests; though various measures from 
were taken to prevent it, and to promote the planting of Rent, 
trees, they proved utterly ineffective. Not only so, but the 
exportation of timber to England was permitted on very easy 
1 Serivenor, 119. 2 Scrivenor, 122, 
8 7and 8 W. TIL c. 10. and 8 and 9 W. IIL ec. 20.