ths," for example, has
existed in and about Birmingham since the fifteenth century. As a
consequence of this the Birmingham country has for several centuries
been the greatest seat of the metal or hardware industries in the
world. Again, the manufacture of woollen cloths has been an industry
successfully specialised in West Yorkshire from the fourteenth
century. It results that nowhere in the world is the woollen
manufacture carried on more prosperously than in West Yorkshire
to-day. The potteries of Staffordshire have been in existence time out
of mind, and in the eighteenth century they took a pre-eminent place
among the industries of the world. They hold that place of
pre-eminence now, even though since then the methods of manufacture
have been several times revolutionised.

THE COTTON MANUFACTURES OF GREAT BRITAIN

But the influence which more than anything else has determined the
specialisation of industries in certain places in Britain rather than
in others has been the presence of coal-fields. In only a very few
instances have great industries been maintained in districts that are
not coal-producing. The busiest industrial centre in all Britain is,
perhaps, South Lancashire, the great seat of the COTTON MANUFACTURE.
South Lancashire is one great coal-field. LIVERPOOL, the great cotton
port of the world, is at one edge of this field. MANCHESTER, the
cotton metropolis of the world, is at the other edge. Between and near
these two chief towns is a whole nest of large towns and
cities--PRESTON, BURNLEY, BLACKBURN, ROCHDALE, BOLTON, BURY, ASHTON,
STOCKPORT, OLDHAM, etc.--every one of which is wholly devoted to the
cotton interest. From their position all these towns obtain both their
motive power and their raw material at the lowest possible cost. But,
in addition to its advantages of cheap coal and cheap raw material,
South Lancashire has one other great advantage in favour of its
special industry--its climate is eminently suited to the industry. Its
atmosphere is moist, and not too moist, and its temperature is not too
cold. Cotton thread can be spun and woven in Lancashire which
elsewhere would break. In scarcely any other place in England has
cotton-weaving or cotton-spinning ever proved a success. The cotton
industry of Scotland is not so localised as it is in England, but
PAISLEY (65,000) is famous all the world over for its identification
with the manufacture of cotton thread. Ireland has no important cotton