roads。　　Arrived　in　London；　he　sold　his　pony　for　fifteen　pounds；　and
  the　money　kept　him　until　he　succeeded　in　finding　employment。　　He　was
  so　fortunate　as　to　be　taken　upon　trial　by　a　Mr。　Bicklewith；　who　kept
  an　ironmonger's　shop　in　York　Yard；　Upper　Thames　Street；　and　his　first
  duty　there　was　to　clean　out　the　office；　put　the　stools　and　desks　in
  order　for　the　other　clerks；　run　errands；　and　act　as　porter　when
  occasion　required。　　Young　Crawshay　was　very　attentive；　industrious；
  and　shrewd；　and　became　known　in　the　office　as　〃The　Yorkshire　Boy。〃
  Chiefly　because　of　his　〃cuteness；〃　his　master　appointed　him　to　the
  department　of　selling　flat　irons。　　The　London　washerwomen　of　that　day
  were　very　sharp　and　not　very　honest；　and　it　used　to　be　said　of　them
  that　where　they　bought　one　flat　iron　they　generally　contrived　to
  steal　two。　　Mr。　Bicklewith　thought　he　could　not　do　better　than　set　the
  Yorkshireman　to　watch　the　washerwomen；　and；　by　way　of　inducement　to
  him　to　be　vigilant；　he　gave　young　Crawshay　an　interest　in　that　branch
  of　the　business；　which　was　soon　found　to　prosper　under　his　charge。
  After　a　few　more　years；　Mr。　Bicklewith　retired；　and　left　to　Crawshay
  the　cast…iron　business　in　York　Yard。　　This　he　still　further　increased；
  There　was　not　at　that　time　much　enterprise　in　the　iron　trade；　but
  Crawshay　endeavoured　to　connect　himself　with　what　there　was　of　it。
  The　price　of　iron　was　then　very　high；　and　the　best　sorts　were　still
  imported　from　abroad；　a　good　deal　of　the　foreign　iron　and　steel　being
  still　landed　at　the　Steelyard　on　the　Thames；　in　the　immediate
  neighbourhood　of　Crawshay's　ironmongery　store。
  It　seems　to　have　occurred　to　some　London　capitalists　that　money　was
  then　to　be　made　in　the　iron　trade；　and　that　South　Wales　was　a　good
  field　for　an　experiment。　　The　soil　there　was　known　to　be　full　of　coal
  and　ironstone；　and　several　small　iron　works　had　for　some　time　been
  carried　on；　which　were　supposed　to　be　doing　well。　　Merthyr　Tydvil　was
  one　of　the　places　at　which　operations　had　been　begun；　but　the　place
  being　situated　in　a　hill　district；　of　difficult　access；　and　the
  manufacture　being　still　in　a　very　imperfect　state；　the　progress　made
  was　for　some　time　very　slow。　　Land　containing　coal　and　iron　was　deemed
  of　very　little　value；　as　maybe　inferred　from　the　fact　that　in　the
  year　1765；　Mr。　Anthony　Bacon；　a　man　of　much　foresight；　took　a　lease
  from　Lord　Talbot；　for　99　years；　of　the　minerals　under　forty　square
  miles　of　country　surrounding　the　then　insignificant　hamlet　of　Merthyr
  Tydvil；　at　the　trifling　rental　of　200L。　a…year。　　There　he　erected　iron
  works；　and　supplied　the　Government　with　considerable　quantities　of
  cannon　and　iron　for　different　purposes；　and　having　earned　a
  competency；　he　retired　from　business　in　1782；　subletting　his　mineral
  tract　in　four　divisionsthe　Dowlais；　the　Penydarran；　the　Cyfartha；
  and　the　Plymouth　Works；　north；　east；　west；　and　south；　of　Merthyr
  Tydvil。
  Mr。　Richard　Crawshay　became　the　lessee　of　what　Mr。　Mushet　has　called
  〃the　Cyfartha　flitch　of　the　great　Bacon　domain。〃　　There　he　proceeded
  to　carry　on　the　works　established　by　Mr。　Bacon　with　increased　spirit；
  his　son　William；　whom　he　left　in　charge　of　the　ironmongery　store　in
  London；　supplying　him　with　capital　to　put　into　the　iron　works　as
  fast。　　as　he　could　earn　it　by　the　retail　trade。　　In　1787；　we　find
  Richard　Crawshay　manufacturing　with　difficulty　ten　tons　of　bar…iron
  weekly；　and　it　was　of　a　very　inferior　character；*
  ＇footnote。。。
  Mr。　Mushet　says　of　the　early　manufacture　of　iron　at　Merthyr　Tydvil
  that　〃A　modification　of　the　charcoal　refinery；　a　hollow　fire；　was
  worked　with　coke　as　a　substitute　for　charcoal；　but　the　bar…iron
  hammered　from　the　produce　was　very　inferior。〃　　The　pit…coal　cast…iron
  was　nevertheless　found　of　a　superior　quality　for　castings；　being　more
  fusible　and　more　homogeneous　than　charcoal…iron。　　Hence　it　was　well
  adapted　for　cannon；　which　was　for　some　time　the　principal　article　of
  manufacture　at　the　Welsh　works。
  。。。＇
  the　means　not　having　yet　been　devised　at　Cyfartha　for
  malleableizing　the　pit…coal　cast…iron　with　economy　or　good　effect。
  Yet　Crawshay　found　a　ready　market　for　all　the　iron　he　could　make；　and
  he　is　said　to　have　counted　the　gains　of　the　forge…hammer　close　by　his
  house　at　the　rate　of　a　penny　a　stroke。　　In　course　of　time　he　found　it
  necessary　to　erect　new　furnaces；　and；　having　adopted　the　processes
  invented　by　Henry　Cort；　he　was　thereby　enabled　greatly　to　increase
  the　production　of　his　forges；　until　in　1812　we　find　him　stating　to　a
  committee　of　the　House　of　Commons　that　he　was　making　ten　thousand
  tons　of　bar…iron　yearly；　or　an　average　produce　of　two　hundred　tons　a
  week。　　But　this　quantity；　great　though　it　was；　has　since　been　largely
  increased；　the　total　produce　of　the　Crawshay　furnaces　of　Cyfartha；
  Ynysfach；　and　Kirwan；　being　upwards　of　50；000　tons　of　bar…iron
  yearly。
  The　distance　of　Merthyr　from　Cardiff；　the　nearest　port；　being
  considerable；　and　the　cost　of　carriage　being　very　great　by　reason　of
  the　badness　of　the　roads；　Mr。　Crawshay　set　himself　to　overcome　this
  great　impediment　to　the　prosperity　of　the　Merthyr　Tydvil　district；
  and；　in　conjunction　with　Mr。　Homfray　of　the　Penydarran　Works；　he
  planned　and　constructed　the　canal*
  ＇footnote。。。
  It　may　be　worthy　of　note　that　the　first　locomotive　run　upon　a
  railroad　was　that　constructed　by　Trevithick　for　Mr。　Homfray　in　1803；
  which　was　employed　to　bring　down　metal　from　the　furnaces　to　the　Old
  Forge。　　The　engine　was　taken　off　the　road　because　the　tram…plates　were
  found　too　weak　to　bear　its　weight　without　breaking。
  。。。＇
  to　Cardiff；　the　opening　of　which；　in　1795；　gave　an　immense　impetus　to
  the　iron　trade　of　the　neighbourhood。　　Numerous　other　extensive　iron
  works　became　established　there；　until　Merthyr　Tydvil　attained　the
  reputation　of　being　at　once　the　richest　and　the　dirtiest　district　in
  all　Britain。　　Mr。　Crawshay　became　known　in　the　west　of　England　as　the
  〃Iron　King；〃　and　was　quoted　as　the　highest　authority　in　all　questions
  relating　to　the　trade。　　Mr。　George　Crawshay；　recently　describing　the
  founder　of　the　family　at　a　social　meeting　at　Newcastle；　said；〃In
  these　days　a　name　like　ours　is　lost　in　the　infinity　of　great
  manufacturing　firms　which　exist　through　out　the　land；　but　in　those
  early　times　the　man　who　opened　out　the　iron　district　of　Wales　stood
  upon　an　eminence　seen　by　all　the　world。　　It　is　preserved　in　the
  traditions　of　the　family　that　when　the　'Iron　King'　used　to　drive　from
  home　in　his　coach…and…four　into　Wales；　all　the　country　turned　out　to
  see　him；　and　quite　a　commotion　took　place　when　he　passed　through
  Bristol　on　his　way　to　the　works。　　My　great　grandfather　was　succeeded
  by　his　son；　and　by　his　grandson；　the　Crawshays　have　followed　one
  another　for　four　generations　in　the　iron　trade　in　Wales；　and　there
  they　still　stand　at　the　head　of　the　trade。〃　　The　occasion　on　which
  these　words　were　uttered　was　at　a　Christmas　party；　given　to　the　men；
  about　1300　in　number；　employed　at　the　iron　works　of　Messrs。　Hawks；
  Crawshay；　and　Co。；　at　Newcastle…upon…Tyne。　　These　works　were　founded
  in　1754　by　William　Hawks；　a　blacksmith；　whose　principal　trade
  consisted　in　making　claw…hammers　for　joiners。　　He　became　a　thriving
  man；　and　eventually　a　large　manufacturer　of　bar…iron。　　Partners　joined
  him；　and　in　the　course　of　the　changes　wrought　by　time；　one　of　the
  Crawshays；　in　1842；　became　a　principal　partner　in　the　firm。
  Illustrations　of　a　like　kind　might　be　multiplied　to　any　extent；
  showing　the　growth　in　our　own　time　of　an　iron　aristocracy　of　great
  wealth　and　influence；　the　result　mainly　of　the　successful　working　of
  the　inventions　of　the　unfortunate　and　unrequited　Henry　Cort。　　He　has
  been　the　very　Tubal　Cain　of　Englandone　of　the　principal　founders　of
  our　iron　age。　　To　him　we　mainly　owe　the　abundance　of　wrought…iron　for
  machinery；　for　steam…engines；　and　for　railways；　at　one…third　the
  price　we　were　before　accustomed　to　pay　to　the　foreigner。　　We　have　by
  his　invention；　not　only　ceased　to　be　dependent　upon　other　nations　for
  our　supply　of　iron　for　tools；　implements；　and　arms；　but　we　have
  become　the　greatest　exporters　of　iron；　producing　more　than　all　other
  European　countries　combined。　　In　the　opinion　of　Mr。　Fairbairn　of
  Manchester；　the　inventions　of　Henry　Cort　have　already　added　six
  hundred　millions　sterling　to　the　wealth　of　the　kingdom；　while　they
  have　given　employment　to　some　six　hundred　thousand　working　people
  during　three　generations。　　And　while　the　great　ironmasters；　by　freely
  availing　themselves　of　his　inventions；　have　been　adding　estate　to
  estate；　the　only　estate　secured　by　Henry　Cort　was　the　little　domain
  of　six　feet　by　two　in　which　he　lies　interred　in　Hampstead　Churchyard。
  CHAPTER　VIII。
  THE　SCOTCH　IRON　MANUFACTURE　…　Dr。　ROEBUCK　DAVID　MUSHET。
  〃Were　public　benefactors　to　be　allowed　to　pass　away；　like　hewers　of
  wood　and　drawers　of　water；　without　commemoration；　genius　and
  enterprise　would　be　deprived　of　th