Letter: Thomas Johnson to unknown addressee, possibly George Washington, August 17, 1791

              Wed. 17. August 1791

Sir:

Your Letter of the 25th of July came to Hand so late as the 13 Instant: It gives me great pleasure to see from thence and some of your letters to others the Attention of Congress is drawing to our Home Manufacturers.

The Ideas I took up on the Peace on not altered but confirmed[.] I am more and more satisfied that we are now in a Condition to exclude some of the European Manufacturers and rival others and it is a singular pleasure to me that our Emulation would be with the British.

Casting in iron was in so low a State in Maryland before the war that only one Furnace that on the Eastern Shore owned I believe by Lightfoot and Vaughan had ever done any Thing worth Notice that perhaps had made in two years in the whole 80 tons[.] [T]he principal workman was one Morgan Bustead who had Recourse to me in the way of my profession and necessarily gave me very minute Information[.] About the same time Mr. Jacques and I from our back situation were [illegible word] led into considerable Expence and Trouble we could find but one Man skilled in the Business and he was a [illegible word] we did not make half a Ton and those not merchantable. Now not only at Catoctin but other Furnaces Castings are made as light[,] neat[,] and tougher than the English and will not I believe sell at Baltimore for more if so much as sixty Dollars Cash -- this Branch is not confined to this State we have but a small Share of it[;] it has even

(travelled)