Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1856-10-07
RICHMOND WING.


- From fke Losdoa Tn>s SGD lei
India at this moment presents Of those industrial
rsoaa.bie character have oener been solved by
than by human enterprise. IL might the easiest
thing In the world TO make railways any in Ia
da when there 10 other country that contains
iron Of the best quality In the accessible
and the most rrducibe FORMS not to speak Of copper.
lead and other valuable In other country il la
bor cheaper the supply Of charcoal tar nexhaus
bic. From Nsrbudds To Assam. Central Inds-soon. e
will hope, 10 be tav-rssd by RAILWAYS n direction
-abounds not only In ironstooe, but in eosl-beds ln
deed. iron abundant and OF richness and
quality much superior our, that the only question
Is 90 coal This Is not only abundant, but Ia many
places Is an immediate proximity to iron Coal occurs
extensively In eight provinces. says Dr. j. MCieaad-
namely, rcnasAen ArrAcsn, Orissa (Cuttsck Bengal
Proper, Burd~an svhet Assam. Raginchsl Behsr, and
Nerbudda la every instance either the
mon CLAY on-t,ne red yellow ironstone, containing
from 80 per cent Of iron, with the coal
extensively In the district Mr. Williams, geoogi
surveyor the East India Company reports that he
actual OF mining coal in India including sgrncy and
rent IL rupee two shlings, per ton and the cost
Of mining iron would exceed three shings per IL
could be mined In large quantities Tor much less Coal has
been mined considerably lss cost in the Soane district
iroestooe aud limestone also abound Taking ho~eS
the average Indian rates. and coal together with the
of the the pits mouth generally less than half
that In Scotland Wales Nor these rates offs
ly local. accidental temporary character likely TO hc
much raised extensive demand. All the elements
of the calculation including the important-that
laboursre practically inexbaustibe. The population Is
where. should expresst at home IN ot
floating character ready 60 anywhere do anything
for bare existence; and have the testimony of cng
merits of the patient and clever Hindoo
mining seing and all the other processes Of the iron
manufacture Here, then, all the conditions of the
problem. On the other hand, there is immense
demand for the OF railways. Yet strange say
tive iron native fuel skill aud native abour,
bine IA established manufacture Thousand years
old have far been made Of least worth
menuou in the construction of Indian railways. The
East Inisn lrou Companys works turn out y,OOO TO-
oOJ year. In description another, but chiefly
in the shape ct pgon and OF this the greater part Gomez
70 England a market and there ietches II! The
rena icr i worked up into castings aud macsbe iron
on the spot sold the railways the Government
the general In Malaoar however, the seat at
its operations there is coal aud charcoal is Tor maN
on- much expensive fuel to alloS OF
petition with coal made iron for rails.
Thus the whole OF the rails used in India,
amounting many thousand TONS have IRON this
country For a time the supply checked by the di-
OF all chipping to the purposes OF the war; and In
gland stood the dscredtable position OF neither
having developed the natural resources OF India nor being
able 20 supply the deficiency from her Now, how
ever what with Brtish and what with American shipping,
there of freight and hear OF American sail
in vessels taking 600 tons at time. Notwithstanding
th old caution against dead weight OF this Sort vessels
nov load with iron beyond tie register tonnage tilt
stopped by the high rates demanded by the underwriters
under the only other restriction being
the difficulty of getting return freight IRON India IL
possible then, that the seAboard it may always be
difficult for the iron nasters-should such class
into eIistence-to compete WITH the bni-
ish hut IN the interior it ought not be
IL 1850 even Moradabad the market price OF Eng.h
bars about the as those of the best humaon
iron iouod only 81 miles of, viz about Isl ton, aud
the latter not in available form as the former
Inleei yEher the Hndoo blacksmith has the choice
between British iron coal made and OF inferior quality but
iu Sheets bars wire and other ready orns anu ma
iron much superior quality; readily yielding to his
charcoal furnace and rough forge, but in shaPeles i'm
ptactcabe The cost OF the native manufactured
iron also much increased by the needless and almost IN
credible that takes place in rendering the crude
metal malleabe. Thus il is OF "civIzatiOn, at
gat distance and with bad material competing success
fully with native ignorance and poverty cheap labour and
the material There is why sscb rivalry
should be determined, often has been before
favour the laborrer the material and the demand
the spot No great OF skill and capital required
obtain quantity of in Central India, for Is
close the surface snelt with coal which would pro-
dace iron good enough for rails. aud to erect mills
foundcs and FORCES sufficient Tor the supply OF every -
dan railway. We believe it would surprise most of our
readers hear how small expenditure il would b.,
possible up works large enough to supply India
with rails aud everything necessary for any probable
amount OF railways So long, hoseyer the native iron
trade remains dependent its present methods aud
will suffer by the introduction of railways
They will orng into every part OF India English Iron, OF
much quality but in the convenient form at sheets
bars, bolts and wire, which the natives only produ
in the toughest workmanship
Here thea, appears rare opportunity Tor combining
immense national benefit With private profit Why has
wealthy aud enterpdsing England slept Into the gap,
AMI brought together the vaOu, clements OF this simple
cacuitoa2Wr take it that those who have the required
capital do ike plunge themselves into the heart oi
India aud little do they choose trust their money
an undertaking which they must manage abscntrrs.
The Company will not undertake the operation, and,
deed The Indian railway npanies prrpar.
ing Uges and other works for repairs but
think il right 10 impeh their profits in aud alb.
soute Necessary speculation such irOnwOrks would
undoubtedly be. 50 again the appeal reverts TO BRUSH
enterprise aud It certainly does very strange II India
rch pOpulous. peaceful quietly yielding
ryhing 10 paramount sovereignty, regular IN its
of money aud produce this country, with
powerful Government should not be considered security
enough for 81 simple speculation No speculation is
without risk but that India present, srlter
risks than are inevitable in every field OF enterprise
Surely there rich enough; surely there the skill
spare surely there of sufficient honesty
intrused with the conduct Of undertakings l2UOG
miles oy OF course, association il the best form Of
undertaking Ton such business aud IL is much the in
terrst Of the st Inda authorities that it should succeed
that doubt Ihey would give every facility IN their
power. The immediate object is the application of coal
the production OF quality Of iron sufficient for Ordinary
railway purposes and within carriage OF the RAILWAYS
that are or ought To be made That b. a
very object tor the investment of British capit
and skill.