Among the iron-_producing_ countries of the globe Great Britain occupies by far the first rank, and there is every reason to believe that it will long continue to maintain it. The British ores, indeed, are generally poor, as clay, silica, phosphorus, and a variety of impurities which are with difficulty separated from the metal, enter into the composition of those which supply the greatest part of our iron; but this deficiency is more than counterbalanced by many advantages. Most of the British iron mines are situated in those districts where coal is cheapest, the ore being often even raised from the same pit as that from which the coal is extracted. Limestone, the necessary flux, is at hand, while fire-clay, no unimportant article in the building of the furnaces, on whose long- continued working so much depends, is found in the same ground as the ore itself. The largest and most complete manufactories have long been established in the most convenient places. With an almost unlimited amount of capital, the most perfect and the cheapest communication by water is open to all parts of the world; and the further processes which the metal has to undergo are performed at once on the spot in the best manner and at the smallest possible expense. No other land can boast of equal or greater facilities for the production of an unlimited quantity of cheap iron, so that, even with the assistance of heavy protective duties, most of the iron-producing countries of Europe find it difficult to compete in their own markets with the produce of Great Britain. The art of making iron in this country is of very ancient though of unascertained date. It was probably found by the Romans in a far advanced state. It certainly was carried on by them subsequently to a great extent—a fact proved by the immense beds of iron cinders discovered in the Forest of Dean; nor has it ever been discontinued by the other races who in succession have held sway in the island. But, though of such ancient origin, and enjoying so many natural advantages, our iron manufacture remained confined within very narrow limits so long as the ore was exclusively smelted by means of charcoal made from wood. The manufacture was even for some time partially prohibited in England, the consumption of wood-charcoal in the process of smelting being so great as to create apprehensions that, if care were not taken of the remaining forests, enough timber would not be left to supply the wants of the navy. It seems almost incredible in our days that Acts were passed in the reigns of Elizabeth and James forbidding the felling of timber for the smelting of iron, except in certain districts of Kent, Sussex, and Surrey, then the principal seats of the manufacture, and even there the erection of new works was expressly forbidden.