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<DATE>2014-09-05</DATE>
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<NAME>Susie Lorand</NAME>
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<PB N="1" REF="1">
<HEAD>THE MISCHIEF Of the Five Shillings Tax upon COAL.</HEAD>
<P>THe Tax of Five Shillings upon the Chaldron of Coals (<HI>London</HI> Mea&s;ure) being taken off by the fir&s;t Se&s;&s;ions, and laid on again by the la&s;t Se&s;&s;ions of the late Parliament, was no &s;mall &s;uppri&s;e to mo&s;t Men, that expected never to have heard of this Tax again which had been univer&s;ally Petition'd again&s;t, and taken off in full Hou&s;e, after full and ample Examination by the Com|mittee, and after the &s;ad Experience of its partiality, e&s;pecially upon the Poor, and of its pernitious Con&s;equences upon Trade and Navigation.</P>
<PB N="2" REF="2">
<P>Nothing in any Government is to be Compa&s;&s;ed to the utmo&s;t Punctilio, of Utility and Nece&s;&s;ity. The wi&s;|e&s;t Mini&s;ters that ever were in the World, have &s;hot wide of the&s;e Marks. And if ours have been diverted, from their Aim at any time, its no more then what was Expected from the Efforts of that Party of Men, that has made &s;uch Bu&s;tle both in the Hou&s;e and out of the Hou&s;e, again&s;t the Nece&s;&s;ary Supplies for the War, that they have not failed, either to di&s;credit, or to have Thrown out, tho&s;e ways and Means that were Propo&s;ed, and would have prov'd more Gentle and Efficatious then others, which the Be&s;t Friends to the Government have been forced to take up with at la&s;t.</P>
<P>This Tax upon Coal wants to have no other Horo|&s;cope ca&s;t for it: And one may venture to &s;ay without being &s;u&s;pected of Magick or Divination, that it cannot be long Liv'd: Since It is a Tre&s;pa&s;s upon Common Sen&s;e and Experience, as well as the Chief Intre&s;t and Safe|ty of the Nation.</P>
<P>I &s;ay a Tax upon Coal is a tre&s;pa&s;s again&s;t Common Sen&s;e and Experience, becau&s;e we have already felt its Inju&s;tice and partiality, and have had it thrown out in full Hou&s;e, altho it was then laid on us, more Equally and with better countenance to Trade, then at pre&s;ent. But how ever it be or can be laid, it will &s;till prove partial and unequal to the Subject: If its laid on Coal at the Pits, its a Tax upon not one half of the Nation. If its laid on Coal Waterborn and Shipped, its a Tax upon not above a Tenth part of the Nation. And both this Half, and this Tenth, are not the Ea&s;y and Wealthy, But the Poor and the Laborious parts of the People, as its too &s;en&s;ible to the Poor of the City of <HI>London:</HI> And the Poor Ale-hou&s;e Keepers of <HI>London</HI> (which toge|ther)
<PB N="3" REF="2"> contribute more towards this Tax then the whole Nobility and Gentry, or the Landed and Monyed Men in the Kingdom.</P>
<P>This is a Notorious Re&s;pect of Per&s;ons; but with this Tax there is &s;omething yet that's fatal to the Property of the Subject, and particulary that part of it that de|&s;erves a better u&s;age from Us, I mean the Navigation; the Money laid out in Shiping by the Owners, is &s;o much Money, &s;ure laid out, upon the Stength and Defence of the Nation; But &s;o far un&s;urely laid out for their own profit, that its Notorious the Fourteen hundred Sail of Ships, imploy'd in the Collier Trade (as appears by the Coa&s;t Books of the Cu&s;tom-hou&s;e in the Port of <HI>New|ca&s;tle</HI>) which co&s;t in Building One thou&s;and pounds one with another, have not given, when this Tax is on, nor never will give, as long as it continues, one Farthing profit to the Owners. Here is the Intere&s;t of Fourteen hundred thou&s;and pounds lo&s;t from the Proprietors of Shipping, and from the Nation it &s;elf. Nor can the Principal &s;tand out the intended Life of the Tax, for Shipping is a Peri&s;hing Commodity. In Five Years; if you venture it to Sea, it will go to Bottom, and if you lay it by the Walls, it will go to Wrack; if a Pe&s;tilence, a War, or a Famine, laid wa&s;t, con&s;umed or de&s;troyed an E&s;tate in Land, all Mankind have an A&s;&s;urance that E&s;tate will recover it &s;elf, when God is plea&s;ed to with draw his avenging Hand; And this a&s;&s;urance will get the Proprietor Credit and Sub&s;i&s;tance. But in this ca&s;e of Shipping with this Tax upon it, the Owner mu&s;t at once &s;ee his Annual profits, and the Stock it &s;elf &s;wal|lowed up, without the fir&s;t motions of Expectation here|after: And this ha&s;ts me to what is chiefly Intended by this Treati&s;e, <HI>(viz.)</HI> to &s;hew how pernicious this Tax upon
<PB N="4" REF="3"> Coal is to Trade and Navigation, the &s;afety and glory of <HI>England.</HI></P>
<P>I appeal to common &s;en&s;e, if what le&s;&s;ens the numbers of our Ships and Sailors, may not be ju&s;tly judged to be pernicious to Navigation, and con&s;equently the &s;afety and glory of <HI>England.</HI> We are very &s;en&s;ible that the Safety and Tranquillity of this I&s;land is owing to its happy Scituation. We are divided by the Sea from all the World, and the re&s;tle&s;s Ambition, Power and Violence, that rowls in it, from Kingdom to Kingdom, with perpetual alarms and doubtful &s;ucce&s;s. But we are not able to maintain this ble&s;&s;ed Po&s;t which the Creation hath plac'd us in, without a va&s;t &s;trength at Sea, in Fleets of Ships, and numbers of Sailors. I &s;ay we are very &s;en&s;ible of this: But what I have to &s;ay is no le&s;s true, and is to be wi&s;h'd we were no le&s;s &s;en&s;ible of it, <HI>(viz.)</HI> The Collier Trade is the true parent and &s;upport of our Navigation. It is the greate&s;t, the mo&s;t con&s;tant, and almo&s;t Univer&s;al Nur&s;ery of our Ships and Sailors. This will appear to be no unde&s;erved Character, I give the Collier Trade, when we con&s;ider She alone imploys at lea&s;t Two thirds of all the Tunnage of Shipping that belongs to <HI>England.</HI> I &s;hall not bring into this Com|putation that part of the Collier Trade in St. <HI>George</HI>'s <HI>Channel,</HI> Exported from <HI>White-haven, Wales,</HI> and the River <HI>Severn</HI> Coa&s;tways, and Over-&s;ea, and unto <HI>Ireland;</HI> But reckon only upon the Coal Exportation from <HI>Bi&s;hop|rick</HI> and <HI>Northumberland,</HI> which I put thus. It appears by the Cu&s;tom-hou&s;e Books for the Coa&s;t duty of the Twelve pence <HI>per</HI> Chaldron on Coals at <HI>Newca&s;tle,</HI> that there is Exported from that Port, <HI>cum unibus annis</HI> in times of Peace, Two hundred thou&s;and Chaldrons of Coals, <HI>Newca&s;tle</HI> Mea&s;ure. <HI>Newca&s;tle</HI> has but Two thirds of the
<PB N="5" REF="3"> Collier Trade, <HI>Sunderland, Cullercoats, Blyth,</HI> and <HI>Sea|ton</HI> have another Third; &s;o that I may with &s;afety al&s;o affirm, that there is Exported from <HI>Newca&s;tle,</HI> and its member Ports, Three hundred thou&s;and Chaldron of Coals; which is in Tunnage of Shipping Seven hundred and ninety five thou&s;and Tun; to which if we add the Over-&s;ea Collier Trade, I doubt not to affirm, that the Collier Trade imploys Nine hundred thou&s;and Tunnage in Shipping <HI>per Annum;</HI> which is more then Two thirds of all the Tunnage of Goods Imported or Exported every where, from or into this Kingdom in Engli&s;h Bottoms.</P>
<P>For this very Rea&s;on it is that mo&s;t of our Shipping in <HI>England,</HI> is built upon the mea&s;ures of the Collier Trade. The model of our Building is Calculated for the depth of Water, upon the Bar of <HI>Tinmouth,</HI> and Breadth, Strength, and Firmne&s;s is given to the Ship, for the hea|ving of her Bala&s;t at Sea.</P>
<P>The Collier Fleet is the great body of the Shipping of <HI>England,</HI> and all our other Trades are &s;erved by De|tachments from it. Our <HI>Ea&s;t</HI> Country, <HI>Norway,</HI> and a great part of the <HI>We&s;t India</HI> Fleet, are but parts of the Collier Fleet; from which they may depart one or two Voyages in the Year, as the Contingency of the Market abroad, or a chance Fraight at home offers; From which, as &s;oon as performed, they return again into the Collier Trade, that is, indeed, the Refuge, as well as the Nur&s;e|ry of our Navigation.</P>
<P>Its the Collier Trade alone that affords con&s;tant work to the Navigation of <HI>England.</HI> Its here that every idle Ship, and every idle Saylor are &s;ure never to want a Voiage, or a Birth to <HI>Newca&s;tle;</HI> and if it were not for this con&s;tant Employment the Navigation finds in the Collier Trade; the Purcha&s;e of the Nations pre&s;ent Stock
<PB N="6" REF="4"> in Shipping, would not be worth Two <HI>per Cent,</HI> or rather no better then nothing; for without the Collier Trade, one Fourth part of our Engli&s;h Bottoms would carry on all our Forein Trades; and if we Freight our Ships to any of our Neighbours, the Freight which we can hope for from them will not an&s;wer the Wear and Tear.</P>
<P>Our Progenitors have time out of mind never &s;uf|fered any Inquiry to be made for Coal near the City: Nor permitted any Coal to be Shipped <HI>South</HI> of the Ri|ver <HI>Weare,</HI> in the Bi&s;hoprick of <HI>Durham;</HI> for no other rea&s;on but the Rai&s;ing, and Increa&s;ing of the Navigation. This &s;eems to be the mo&s;t Ancient Maxim of our Go|vernment, at lea&s;t Cooeval with the fir&s;t ri&s;e of our Na|vigation, and has been Inviolably ob&s;erved until the&s;e late days. This Principle has been fir&s;t laid, and &s;ince followed with mo&s;t Excellent good Ob&s;ervation and Judg|ment; for the Collier Trade; is the mo&s;t Huge and Bulky Trade, that po&s;&s;ibly can be managed: And therefore in its Nature mo&s;t proper, above all others, to Employ not only va&s;t numbers of People upon it, but to afford continually work for them. All our other Trades are by Fits and Starts. Ships and Sailors mu&s;t have con&s;tant work; the former lo&s;e more by lying by the Walls, then by going to Sea, although they don't get one Farthing by the Voyage. The latter are too apt to &s;pend in one Month a Shore, what they have got before in &s;ix at Sea.</P>
<P>Without this con&s;tant never failing work for the Na|vigation the Collier Trade affords, we never could have been able to Breed the nece&s;&s;ary numbers of Men for Manning any con&s;iderable Fleet at Sea. I have &s;aid all our Over-&s;ea Trades amounts not to one third of the Tunnage of the Collier Trade, and now I affirm, put them all together, they kill as many Engli&s;h Sailors as
<PB N="7" REF="4"> they Breed. The <HI>Ea&s;t India</HI> Trade returns not to the Nation half the Men &s;he carries from it. The <HI>We&s;t India</HI> (if I may u&s;e this word) and the <HI>Guiny</HI> Trades, kill certainly a Third of the Men they fir&s;t &s;et out with from <HI>England.</HI> The Salt Meat, the Stench Water, and the Hot Climates, are unavoidable Pe&s;ts and Plagues to our Engli&s;h Bodies. The <HI>Turky,</HI> the <HI>Greenland,</HI> and all the other Over-&s;ea Trades, are not altogether &s;o unkind unto us; but one and all have this fatality attends them, That whatever of their Ships come to be Stranded, or in Di&s;tre&s;s, the Far and unho&s;pitable Shores and Seas never fail to devour both Ship and Men together; Whereas the Collier Trade Breeds all, and De&s;troys none: Her Victuals are fre&s;h and good, She gives her Men Beer in&s;tead of Water, and her Climate is the &s;ame her Say|lors have been Born under. Its not one in Twenty of her Ships that &s;inks or Founders at Sea, mo&s;t are lo&s;t upon the Shallows, or the Shoar by the Violence of the Ea|&s;terly Winds, where the Sailors may be &s;aid to fall, but into their Mothers Lap, where their Lives are &s;aved after the Ve&s;&s;el is left to the mercy of the Winds and Seas.</P>
<P>The want of this Con&s;ideration in &s;ome Men (that have had neverthele&s;s the unlucky amu&s;ement to ap|prehend, that the Collier Ships Sail with fewer Hands, then other Trade Ships of the &s;ame Burthen) has led them to undervaluing thoughts of the Collier Trade. Nay upon this Foot &s;he has been arraign'd in Council and conver&s;ation. But its my bu&s;ine&s;s rather to convince, then expo&s;e any Man; and therefore I &s;hall leave this ungrate ful Remark after putting my Reader in mind, that the&s;e Sailors that are de&s;troyed by our Over-&s;ea Trade, are the be&s;t and able&s;t of our Seamen, that have had their Education before in the Collier Trade, which
<PB N="8" REF="5"> has the undi&s;puted Character of Breeding the brave&s;t, and Experte&s;t Sailers in the World. The art of Govern|ing a Ship, and Sailing through the Shallows, and over the Banks of Sand that lye all along our Coa&s;t in mid&s;t of a va&s;t Contrariety of Tides, being Infinitely more difficult, then through the full Ocean, or the remote&s;t Seas.</P>
<P>Nor can our Rivers breed &s;ufficient Men for Equipping any con&s;iderable part of our force at Sea. If the Navi|gation goes to Pot, it mu&s;t carry all our fre&s;h Water Trade down along with it. The River <HI>Thames</HI> would make but a thin and bleak pro&s;pect, if the Collier Fleet were out of it. To the &s;ame proportion the Import of Coals into the Port of <HI>London</HI> falls, the bu&s;ine&s;s upon the Ri|ver <HI>Thames</HI> mu&s;t fall. What will become of our Lighter-Men, Barge-Men, Balla&s;t-Men, and Coal-heavers, and tho&s;e Innumerable Crews, and Gangs of People, that depend ab&s;olutely upon the delivering of the Collier Ships at <HI>London,</HI> they mu&s;t &s;urely decrea&s;e in Number to what the Coal Importation does in quantity.</P>
<P>But after all, River-water Men are but Fre&s;h-water Men at be&s;t, and without an Affront to the Genius of the Nation, are not to be compared to our Sea bred Sailors. The more any Man has of the Land, or of the Fre&s;h water, the le&s;s he has of the Genius of our Seamen, that are hardned to a temper, and animated with a Spirit that &s;hews it &s;elf, and ri&s;es with the Fury and Rage of Fights, and Stormes, and does wonders there, that the&s;e water Rats of River men may in Shoales admire, and like their Brother Vermine, rather think of leaving the Ship then re&s;i&s;ting and contending with the growing terrors, and dangers all is under in the&s;e times.</P>
<P>Our Sea bread Men have Au&s;piciou&s;ly di&s;tingui&s;hed them&s;elves upon all occa&s;ions. The <HI>French</HI> have carried
<PB N="9" REF="5"> no particular Science higher then they have done the Theory of Navigation. Mon&s;ieur <HI>Turvile</HI> is thought to be the be&s;t Arti&s;t in the World; But his and his Seconds want of Practice, has once &s;av'd the whole Fleet of <HI>Eng|land,</HI> and another time a con&s;iderable Squadr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">n of it, with the greate&s;t part of the Riche&s;t <HI>Turky</HI> Fleet under her Convoy <HI>England</HI> ever &s;ent out. The French Mon|&s;ieurs could not &s;ail with their Numbers to get the better of the Engli&s;h Admiral, as things were laid: Nor could Sir <HI>George Rooke</HI> think to make more of his Misfortunes, then to &s;ave what he could of his Ships of War, and Merchant-men, from falling into the Enemies hands; he did what was po&s;&s;ible, and may ju&s;tly &s;ay without vani|ty, if his mode&s;ty do him nor Inju&s;tice, at lea&s;t we have rea&s;on to believe he overcame the united Strength and skill of <HI>France</HI> at Sea by a &s;uperior Under&s;tanding in Navi|gation.</P>
<P>The <HI>Dutch</HI> by their Native Indigency, are forced to be the mo&s;t Seafaring Nation in the World; their Country Growes nor Breeds not what is Nece&s;&s;ary to Feed the Hundredth part of their People. This fir&s;t want of mo&s;t things within them&s;elves, creates a con&s;tant and never failing work for their Navigation. The French, that have every thing within them&s;elves, as much as any Nation in the World, have not the &s;ame occa&s;ion to rai&s;e and Support any con&s;iderable number of Ships and Sai|lors: For want of which they have been forc'd to In|&s;titute Marine Companies, and Gardemarines, to the num|ber of fourteen or fifteen Thou&s;and, that are taught to the Theory of Navigation a Shore, and to the Practice Aboard their Kings Ships at Sea. The&s;e Marines do all the Offices of Land Souldiers a Shore, and are no le&s;s Di&s;ciplin'd to Land Service then any other part of the
<PB N="10" REF="6"> French Troops: They are indeed an Amphibious Order of Men; which perhaps is the be&s;t Sub&s;titution that can be made in the Room of Sea-bred Sailors. But how ever this &s;ucceeds with the French, we have no rea&s;on to follow their Example. The&s;e Gardemarines and Marine Com|panies, are a perpetual Standing Army at Land to all In|tents and Purpo&s;es, for which we have no more occa&s;ion on Shore then we have for them at Sea. Nature has pro|vided for our Safety and Tranquillity both ways. The Sea is the be&s;t and only Unparalellable Frontire in the World; and <HI>England</HI> has va&s;t and Unexhau&s;table Stores of Product and Manufacture within her &s;elf, &s;ufficient to create a Navigation able to defend us again&s;t the united Force of the World, in which the Collier Fleet challenges the Fir&s;t and Supream place.</P>
<P>Our Progenitors did very Prophetically fore&s;ee this, and therefore In&s;tituted the Collier Trade, which has been more propitious to this Kingdom, then all the Or|ders of Knighthood in <HI>&V;rope</HI> have been to the &s;everal Nations, to who&s;e Service they are particularly devoted. In pur&s;uit of this, their Succe&s;&s;ors have ever Supported and Incouraged the Collier Trade, as the Grand Nur|&s;ery of our Navigation, in which the Safety, Intere&s;t, Glory, and Honour of the Engli&s;h Nation con&s;i&s;ts. And how we have been Led to Tre&s;pa&s;s upon &s;o Sacred, and &s;o Profitable an Ob&s;ervation, is not &s;o much worth In|quiry, as to make a Speedy Return to what we have &s;o unaccountably departed from.</P>
<P>That we have Tre&s;pa&s;&s;ed upon this propitious Maxim of our Government, by the late Tax upon Coals, is but too Notorious; for thereby we &s;hall damnifie the Colleir Trade, one half; and &s;o Con&s;equently the Navigation that depends immediately upon it, to the &s;ame proportion.
<PB N="11" REF="6"> It is computed by all Men of under&s;tanding in the Col|lier Trade, that this Tax will le&s;&s;en at fir&s;t d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">h the Im|portation of Coals into the Port of <HI>London,</HI> One hun|dred thou&s;and Chaldron (<HI>London</HI> mea&s;ure) which is at lea&s;t One hundred and fifty thou&s;and Tuns in Naviga|tion, and more then a third part of what has been Im|ported into <HI>London, cum unibus annis</HI> &s;ince the Re&s;tora|tion of King <HI>Charles.</HI> The rea&s;ons for this are but too &s;en&s;ible, as the Poor Hou&s;e-keeper, and the Poor Labo|rious Trade&s;man do tell us. The Hou&s;e-keeper &s;ays, he has but a certain Sum that he can afford to lay out upon Fireing: (As for Example) he can afford to lay out Six pounds upon Coals, and if he can have them at Twenty &s;hillings <HI>per</HI> Chaldron, he will have &s;ix Chaldron, and if he mu&s;t pay Thirty &s;hillings for a Chaldron, he mu&s;t only have four; and &s;o in proportion more or le&s;s, as the price of Coals varies, he will make the better or wor&s;e Fires. The Trade&s;man tells us, as the price of Coals In|crea&s;es, his Trade Decrea&s;es, all &s;orts of Manufacture de|pending upon Fire, being either Imported from abroad, or from other parts of this Kingdom, where this Tax upon Coals does not take place, and are &s;old in Shops at ea&s;ier rates then the poor Trade&s;man can afford to work them at home. This will appear to be both Rea&s;on and Fact, by what I have to &s;ay afterwards.</P>
<P>In other Ports of the Kingdom, the Importation of Coals will be much more le&s;&s;ened by this Tax: For in many Ports of this Kingdom the People chu&s;e to burn Coal at Sixteen or &s;eventeen &s;hillings <HI>per</HI> Chaldron, when they cannot afford to burn them at Twenty two or Twenty four &s;hillings <HI>per</HI> Chaldron, they having Turfes and other Fewel found unto them, which is cheaper, and as u&s;eful to them as when Coals are at a high rate, tho
<PB N="12" REF="7"> they are not &s;o when Coals are at a low rate. And altho by the great Importation of Coals all over this Kingdom before the Commencement of this Tax, and the expectation of new Supplies, and in hopes the Par|liament will take off this Tax, Coals has kept about One pound <HI>per</HI> Chaldron; yet if the Tax continues, Coals will never be under two or three and twenty, at which rate not one half will be Imported into the out Ports of this Kingdom, of what would be if Coals were at &s;ix|teen or &s;eventeen &s;hillings <HI>per</HI> Chaldron.</P>
<P>The price of Coals is the true and certain Cau&s;e of the variation in the Import and Export of this Commo|dity: And it appears to be &s;o not only by the univer|&s;al opinion of all Men of under&s;tanding and Experience in the Collier Trade, but likewi&s;e by the Meeters Books at <HI>London,</HI> and likewi&s;e by the Books of the Town Cham|ber of <HI>Newca&s;tle,</HI> and the Books of the Coa&s;t duty of the twelve pence <HI>per</HI> Chaldron upon Coals at <HI>Newca&s;tle:</HI> By the&s;e la&s;t Books it appears, that the Proceed of the Ex|portation of Coals from the River <HI>Tine,</HI> Coa&s;tways, a|mounts to two hundred and twenty thou&s;and Chaldrons of Coals, <HI>Newca&s;tle</HI> mea&s;ure, <HI>Communibus Annis,</HI> &s;ince the Re|building of the City in tho&s;e Years, when Coals gave but &s;ixteen or &s;eventeen &s;hillings <HI>per</HI> Chaldron. But in other Years when Coals gave twenty five or twenty &s;ix &s;hil|lings <HI>per</HI> Chaldron, there is not above One hundred thirty &s;ix thou&s;and eight hundred and fourty &s;even Chaldron of Coals Exported from that Port, as in the Year Ninety; But that the Reader may have full &s;atisfaction in this matter, let him peru&s;e the following Tran&s;cript.</P>
<PB N="13" REF="7">
<P><TABLE>
<HEAD>An Account of the Quantity or Number of Chaldrons of Coals Shipt for the Coa&s;t at the Port of <HI>Newca&s;tle,</HI> the Years following.</HEAD>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Annn Dom.</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Chald. Coals.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1661</CELL>
<CELL>166919</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1662</CELL>
<CELL>194421</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1663</CELL>
<CELL>178747</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1664</CELL>
<CELL>198369</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1665</CELL>
<CELL>124124</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1666</CELL>
<CELL>84101</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1667</CELL>
<CELL>106422</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1668</CELL>
<CELL>188420</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1669</CELL>
<CELL>175920</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1670</CELL>
<CELL>185100</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1671</CELL>
<CELL>189241</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1672</CELL>
<CELL>150429</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1673</CELL>
<CELL>156053</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1674</CELL>
<CELL>170268</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1675</CELL>
<CELL>194268</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1676</CELL>
<CELL>194946</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1677</CELL>
<CELL>194405</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1678</CELL>
<CELL>217782</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1679</CELL>
<CELL>194948</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1680</CELL>
<CELL>202262</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1681</CELL>
<CELL>218942</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1682</CELL>
<CELL>190380</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1683</CELL>
<CELL>210972</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1684</CELL>
<CELL>204770</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1685</CELL>
<CELL>213659</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1686</CELL>
<CELL>178265</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1687</CELL>
<CELL>198528</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1688</CELL>
<CELL>231265</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1689</CELL>
<CELL>167663</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1690</CELL>
<CELL>136847</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1691</CELL>
<CELL>177270</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1692</CELL>
<CELL>156299</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1693</CELL>
<CELL>179650</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1694</CELL>
<CELL>160413</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1695</CELL>
<CELL>170974</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1696</CELL>
<CELL>151096</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1697</CELL>
<CELL>181280</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE></P>
<PB N="14" REF="8">
<P>The Variation in the Export of Coals in the Years pre|ceding the War, from the Years in time of the la&s;t War, is very apparent by this Account. The &s;ame Varia|tion would appear in the Import into the River of <HI>Thames,</HI> as would appear by the Books in the Meeter Office of the City of <HI>London,</HI> if any &s;ure computation could be made upon that Meeter Office, becau&s;e the Meeters were not &s;o hone&s;t in the former, as they have been in the latter times; every body knows the detecti|on that has been made in this matter. There is no ground now to &s;u&s;pect that Office. During the War, by its Books it appears there has not been above two hundred and &s;e|venty odd thou&s;and Imported into the River of <HI>Thames, Communibus Annis,</HI> notwith&s;tanding this City is rendered more populous by the French Prote&s;tants, and the People taking every way to the burning of Coals more &s;ince the War then before: whereas if Coals had been fifteen or &s;ixteen &s;hillings a Chaldron, there had been not le&s;s then 400000 Chaldron Imported during the War into the Ri|ver of <HI>Thames,</HI> there having been near that quantity de|livered there &s;ome Years before the War. But from <HI>Michaelmas</HI> 1695, to <HI>Michaelmas</HI> 1696, when this Tax was fir&s;t laid on, there was Imported into <HI>London</HI> but 254269 Chaldron, notwith&s;tanding this Tax went off the Eighteenth of <HI>May</HI> 1696, four full Summer months, &s;hort of the Year, and the principal time in which Two thirds of the whole Years Trade is generally managed. But this is not all, that Tax was upon all Coals <HI>Water|born</HI> as well as upon <HI>Coals Shipped,</HI> by which the <HI>North</HI> as well as the <HI>South</HI> was affected; but by this la&s;t Tax upon <HI>Coals Shipp'd,</HI> only the <HI>South</HI> is affected, and the <HI>North</HI> goes &s;cotfree; had the Tax in Ninety five been laid only on <HI>Coals Shipp'd,</HI> I doubt not but it had reduc'd the
<PB N="15" REF="8"> Coal Importation into <HI>London</HI> much lower, as I &s;hall make appear hereafter.</P>
<P>By the foregoing account of the Export of Coals from the River <HI>Tyne,</HI> it appears there has not been Shipp'd off from thence for the <HI>Coa&s;t</HI> during the War, above 160000 Chaldron, <HI>Newca&s;tle</HI> mea&s;ure, <HI>Communibus Annis,</HI> which is about 20000 Chaldron le&s;s then what was Exported thence before the Fire of <HI>London.</HI> During the War we wanted neither Ships nor Convoys to have fetch'd and carried more Coals, but the Ma&s;ters could not af|ford to &s;ell them under twenty &s;ix &s;hillings (there being a great advance upon the charge of the Navigation in Seamens Wages, and a&s;&s;urance Money) but at this rate the People could not afford to burn what they would have done at Sixteen or &s;eventeen &s;hillings <HI>per</HI> Chaldron. The Collier Trade is &s;o con&s;tant and true to this Variation in the Import and Export according to the Price of Coals, that we that have the&s;e Books in our hands, know and expect this Increa&s;e and Decrea&s;e of Trade in Coals, with the &s;ame a&s;&s;urance and certainty as we do the Revolutions of the Sea&s;ons, or the Flux and Reflux of the Sea. In|deed we cannot but &s;ay this Tax upon Coals, with the con&s;equences that mu&s;t follow upon it, mu&s;t le&s;&s;en the Exportation of Coals <HI>Coa&s;tways</HI> almo&s;t one half, and Con|&s;equently the Navigation to the &s;ame Proportion; and if this Tax continues five Years, as is Intended by the Act, it will &s;till fall more heavy upon the Navigation, which cannot be half Imploy'd as long as this Tax continues, and when Expir'd, we &s;hall find the other half Sunk or Rotten in our Harbours, without hopes of a Re&s;urection.</P>
<P>This is a mo&s;t certain truth, and what all concerned in the Navigation do &s;adly &s;ee and feel, their &s;hares in Shipping having fallen &s;ince this Tax, 40 <HI>l. per Cent,</HI> altho perhaps
<PB N="16" REF="9"> the greate&s;t part of the One hundred and &s;ixteen Mem|bers that Voted and carried this Tax upon Coals, were not &s;o &s;en&s;ible of it: They were no doubt &s;educ'd by the fir&s;t Impre&s;&s;ions of the Peace, to believe that this Tax of Five &s;hillings a Chaldron in times of Peace, could but very little affect the Nation; and no doubt they Rea|&s;oned very generou&s;ly in re&s;pect to Dome&s;tick u&s;e, and their own Pockets, as Gentlemen worth from Five hun|dred pounds to Five, Six, Ten, or Twenty thou&s;and pounds a Year; But from Five hundred pounds to nothing, I pre|&s;ume the Argument cannot hold &s;o well. But moreover, this Tax has tho&s;e Malignant A&s;pects upon Trade, Ma|nufacture and Navigation, which unluckily the&s;e Gentle|men were not aware of; otherways we dare a&s;&s;ure our &s;elves, it never had been heard of again. Its perhaps a Paradox to &s;ome People, but too plain a truth to other Men, that this Tax upon Coals is more prejudicial in times of Peace then War, tho un&s;ufferable at all times. In War the Ships make few Voyages, but are certain gain|ers; if they mi&s;s to be Sunk or Taken, they never mi&s;s of a good Market; The Sailors if they make few Voyages, they have Five-fold Wages; if they have not &s;o many Births aboard of Merchant-men, they have the King's Ships to go into, where they are &s;ure to find Sub&s;i&s;tance for the time, or Death, which rids them of their pre&s;ent cares and anxieties, or Preferment, which provides for them for the future. But in time of Peace the Ships, with this Tax upon them, mu&s;t turn out to Sea, and indeed may return, but not gain one Farthing; and turn out again and again untill they have lo&s;t their Stocks, and then they mu&s;t lie and Rot by the Walls, and the Sailers mu&s;t be &s;ent to their Shifts at Land, which is more unea&s;y to them then to be Ship-wrackt at Sea. Under this di&s;&s;ipa|tion they may truly complain they have nowhere to lay
<PB N="17" REF="9"> their heads. The Earth was not made for them, nor can they live out of their Element, and we cannot expect they will Starve at Home; which indeed would prevent them from A&s;&s;ociating with Pirates at Sea, or flying into the Service of our now grown powerful Neighbours at Sea: Where with both, its to be fear'd, they will meet with too much welcome and &s;ucce&s;s, and we may come to receive Irreparable Injuries, that can never be more terrible unto us then from Engli&s;h hands.</P>
<P>This Tax mu&s;t bring our Navigation to this Di&s;mal State, and gives us no better Pro&s;pect of future Safety and Being to the Nation. What Figure or Defence can we make at Sea after our Navigation is Lo&s;t, at lea&s;t to a degree Inferiour to &s;everal of our &s;ingle Neighbours? What will our Boa&s;ted Scituation avail us, when we are out-&s;tript in Numbers of Ships and Sailors? Our Engli&s;h <HI>Oakes</HI> may threaten Heaven with their growing heads at Land, but never awe at Sea our Neighbours again? <HI>Our Seamen,</HI> but to u&s;e Mr. <HI>John&s;on</HI>'s Phra&s;e, <HI>Our hearts of Oake</HI> are turn'd again&s;t us, and are ready to Exert the noble Rage upon our Heads, that they have &s;o often &s;hewed in De|fence of their Country, which heightn'd by De&s;pair, mu&s;t make us feel tho&s;e dire Effects which we &s;hall too late repent of: And what Fate can the People of <HI>England</HI> hope for, to follow upon this Black and Di&s;honourable Scene? &s;ure they can expect no better then to fall a prey to their over-powering Neighbours, as they did be|fore to the <HI>Saxons, Danes,</HI> and <HI>Normans</HI> &s;ucce&s;&s;ively, in the like ca&s;e of an Over-match in Navigation.</P>
<P>Its an Ignorant Complaint, and a Satyr upon the Na|vigation, to &s;ay as &s;ome have &s;aid, We have <HI>Over-built
<PB N="18" REF="10"> our Trade:</HI> If we have more Shipping then Trade, the Go|vernment will find Trade for our Shipping. I &s;ay we have lo&s;t our Trade, and our Shipping mu&s;t go to Wrack; and indeed it is too &s;ad a Truth. Our <HI>Nowfound-Land</HI> Trade is almo&s;t lo&s;t, and our <HI>Ea&s;t</HI> Country Trade in En|gli&s;h Bottoms is not in much better Condition; For not|with&s;tanding Freights were never &s;o low as la&s;t Summer, by rea&s;on the Shipping was driven out of the Collier Trade, by the Violence of the Five &s;hillings Tax, into all parts of the World, where the Ma&s;ter could barely hope to &s;ave him&s;elf from Starving, and his Ship from Rotting; yet the <HI>Danes, Sweeds</HI> and <HI>Ea&s;terlings,</HI> brought their Native Commodities in their own Bottoms upon us, and under-&s;old us within our own Harbours. This is not at all to be wondred at, for there is an ab&s;olute Impo&s;&s;ibility it can ever be otherwi&s;e. The <HI>Danes, Sweeds, Dutch,</HI> and <HI>Ea&s;terlings,</HI> Build and Sail for half the Charge of what we can; Their Wages are &s;mall, their Victuals are wor&s;e, and one can fit out a Ship ready for Sea in their Countries, for the &s;ame Charge we can Build the Hull in <HI>England.</HI> If it had not been for the Act of Navigation, we had not had at this day a Ship built with Engli&s;h Wood, nor by Engli&s;h Carpenters, nor Sail'd with Engli&s;h Men, nor Victuall'd with Engli&s;h Meat and Drink. If matters had fallen out &s;o, our <HI>Landed Men</HI> had been the only Lo&s;ers (&s;aving the Being and Glory of the Nation) Trade wou'd have &s;hifted better for it &s;elf in Forreign then in Engli&s;h Bottoms; and its therefore Unaccountable the&s;e Gentle|men do not take the Navigation into their care and Pro|tection, by which their E&s;tates are &s;o much Enhanced. One would Expect the Increa&s;e they have &s;weetly felt in their Rents, by the advance upon Cattel and Corn, oc|ca&s;ioned by the Con&s;umption on Board the Royal Navy
<PB N="19" REF="10"> this War, &s;hould teach them their Intere&s;t to Promote and Increa&s;e the Engli&s;h Navigation, for as That ri&s;es or falls their E&s;tates &s;hall keep pace. And indeed its more unaccoun|table the&s;e Gentlemen will not mo&s;t of all favour the <HI>Coa&s;t Navigation,</HI> that can never be Victuall'd out of <HI>England,</HI> whereas our <HI>We&s;t India</HI> and <HI>Guinea Men</HI> Victual in <HI>Ireland,</HI> or <HI>New England,</HI> and our <HI>Ea&s;t India Ships</HI> Victual not at <HI>Home</HI> for above One third of the time they &s;tay out of <HI>Eng|land;</HI> all our other Forreign Trades take as little as po&s;&s;ible of Engli&s;h Meat and Bread, and Water is the general Drink of our Over-&s;ea Traders. Its the <HI>Coa&s;t Trade</HI> that mu&s;t &s;up- our Landed Men, and <HI>England</HI> it &s;elf at la&s;t; and indeed nothing but a flouri&s;hing Collier Trade can re&s;tore and pre&s;erve our Ships and Sailors, which if we take care of, it will take care of us, make us &s;afe and ea&s;y at Home, and formidable Abroad.</P>
<P>The Collier Trade being of this ab&s;olute u&s;efulne&s;s for the Navigation of this Kingdom, the <HI>Safeguard</HI> and <HI>Tute|lar</HI> of the <HI>Nation,</HI> one cannot but think we &s;hould have &s;tudied to Promote and Increa&s;e, and not to Le&s;&s;en and Cramp it. The Act does not only impo&s;e Five &s;hillings <HI>per</HI> Chaldron upon all Coals Landed in <HI>England,</HI> but by Ex|empting the <HI>Loading Ports</HI> from the Tax, hath Commit|ted &s;uch a Tre&s;pa&s;s upon that Propitious Maxim of our Government, to Encourage the <HI>Shipping</HI> of Coals, that I tremble to think of its con&s;equences, which are be&s;ides immediate perdition to the better half of the pre&s;ent Col|lier Trade, hereafter &s;ure and fatal di&s;couragement to it and the Navigation, without end or di&s;continuance. For this Exemption of the <HI>Loading Ports</HI> will draw mo&s;t &s;orts of Manufacture made with Sea-Coal, into the <HI>Bi&s;hoprick</HI> and <HI>Northumberland,</HI> or into the other Coal Countries,
<PB N="20" REF="11"> where we &s;hall hereafter have that quantity of Coals &s;pent which are now u&s;ed by the Smith, the Gla&s;s-maker, and the Salter, in the <HI>South,</HI> which at lea&s;t amounts to a better half of the whole Coal Exportation from the <HI>North,</HI> the Con&s;umption of the <HI>Forge</HI> and the <HI>Furnace</HI> being greater then that for <HI>Dome&s;tick u&s;e.</HI> And if this Tax continues five Years, it will give that Footing to the making Gla&s;s, Salt, and all &s;orts of gro&s;s Iron work in the&s;e <HI>North</HI> and other Coal Countries, that at once we can never hope to have them remov'd from thence, nor to &s;ee the half of that Work found for the Navigation, that the Collier Trade has afforded in former Times: And this will appear to be Demon&s;tration by what follows.</P>
<P>A Chaldron of Coals <HI>Newca&s;tle</HI> mea&s;ure, which at pre-pre&s;ent makes two <HI>London</HI> Chaldrons, can be had at <HI>New|ca&s;tle</HI> for ten &s;hillings, and the two <HI>London</HI> Chaldrons af|ter this Tax cannot be hoped for under Forty two or For|ty four &s;hillings; nay, and if we have not a currant Trade, (which often happens by contrary Winds, and the di&s;a&s;ters at Sea, as fell out in the Years Ninety five and Ninety &s;ix, in which we lo&s;t two hundred Sail of Collier Ships, that were de&s;troyed by the meer Ca&s;ualties of Navigation) we may ju&s;tly fear to &s;ee Coals at a much higher rate at <HI>London:</HI> and if hereafter we come to find Coals, with this Tax upon it, at two, three, or four pounds a Chaldron, it cannot be taken for an unexpected or unaccountable Accident.</P>
<P>Now I do appeal to common Sen&s;e, to pronounce the fate of all our Manufacture made with Sea-Coal under the&s;e certain Advantages the <HI>North</HI> have above the <HI>South</HI> Countries. They will mo&s;t certainly by the&s;e means, be
<PB N="21" REF="11"> run out of the <HI>South</HI> into the <HI>North;</HI> nay, they have al|ready got Footing there. Since the War there is a va&s;t Increa&s;e of Manufactures made with Coal in the <HI>North;</HI> nay, the humor takes &s;o fa&s;t, that we have daily Adver|ti&s;ements in our <HI>Gazetts</HI> and <HI>News-Papers</HI> about it.</P>
<P><HI>Po&s;t-Boy Number</HI> 510, Mr. <HI>Crowley</HI> at the <HI>Doublet</HI> in <HI>Thames-&s;treet, London, Ironmonger,</HI> doth hereby give Notice, that at his Works at <HI>Winlaton</HI> near <HI>Newca&s;tle</HI> up|on <HI>Tyne,</HI> any good Workmen that can make the follow|ing Goods, &s;hall have con&s;tant Imployment, and their Wages every Week punctually paid, <HI>(viz.)</HI> Augers, Bed-&s;crews, Box and Sad-Irons, Chains, Edge-Tooles, Files, Hammers Hinges, Hows for the Plantations, Locks, E&s;|pecially Ho-Locks, Nailes, Patten Rings, and almo&s;t all other &s;orts of Smiths Ware.</P>
<P>Mr. <HI>Crowley</HI> mo&s;t certainly under&s;tands his bu&s;ine&s;s very well, for he has got better then a hundred thou&s;and pound in &s;ix Years by it; and if its found that the Fabrication of the&s;e &s;maller matters turns to account, where the charge of the Coal bears no Proportion with what it is in An|chors, Anvils, and other gro&s;s Iron-work, its not to be que&s;tioned, but the whole Manufacture of Iron-work will take one and the &s;ame cour&s;e; and at once we &s;hall &s;ee, not only this Manufacture, but almo&s;t all others, de|pending upon Sea-Coal, lo&s;t from the <HI>South</HI> to the <HI>North,</HI> and thereby the Navigation lo&s;t from the Nation.</P>
<P>I &s;ay, this will be the fate of mo&s;t of our Manufactures made with Sea-Coal, as would appear by comparing the Charge of the Coal at <HI>London,</HI> with the Charge of the Coal at <HI>Newca&s;tle,</HI> that each Manufacture requires to be
<PB N="22" REF="12"> made with. But it would take a large Volume to bring every Manufacture depending upon Sea-Coal, upon this Scrutiny; I &s;hall confine my &s;elf only to two, <HI>(viz.) Gla&s;s</HI> and <HI>Salt,</HI> becau&s;e they are of them&s;elves &s;ufficient to make good what I Intended by this Treati&s;e.</P>
<P>The Charge of Coal in making of <HI>Gla&s;s,</HI> is at lea&s;t one Fifth part of the <HI>whole</HI> in all &s;orts of Gla&s;s Manufactures; but in cour&s;e Window Gla&s;s and Bottle Gla&s;s, one makes the &s;ame quantity for Fourty &s;hilling in the Coal Countries, that the Gla&s;s-makers of <HI>London</HI> cannot do under &s;ixteen pounds. Let the Gla&s;s-makers at <HI>London</HI> &s;peak for them|&s;elves, what they may Expect upon the continuation of this Tax, and I doubt not they will not &s;tick to &s;ay, that they mu&s;t either remove into the <HI>North,</HI> or remove out of the <HI>Kingdom.</HI> And the more we mu&s;t pity their fate, that they are &s;o ill rewarded, after they have Excel|led all the World, and beat the Dutch Intirely, and al|mo&s;t all our Neighbours, out of the Trade of Gla&s;s. This they have done by the advantage of the cheapne&s;s of Coals. But now this Tax has ca&s;t the Scale again&s;t them; for our own Coal is &s;old Thirty <HI>per Cent</HI> cheaper at this very pre&s;ent time in <HI>Holand</HI> and <HI>France,</HI> then they can buy it at <HI>London;</HI> &s;o its very plain, what Gla&s;s we con&s;ume at Home mu&s;t be made in the <HI>North,</HI> and Coal Countries, and what we &s;ent abroad before, mu&s;t now be kept at <HI>Home,</HI> or not made at all.</P>
<P>Nor will it help us to &s;ay, we will over-heighten our Over-&s;ea duty upon Coal, or di&s;charge the Exportation of Coal out of <HI>England;</HI> for thereby we &s;hall lo&s;e that part of our Navigation Imployed in carrying of Coal beyond the Sea, and a con&s;iderable part in the <HI>Ballance of Trade</HI>
<PB N="23" REF="12"> we have over the <HI>Ea&s;t</HI> Country, <HI>France,</HI> and <HI>Holland,</HI> by the Exportation of this Commodity; A con&s;equence not to be parted with by the Nation, for the whole five Years produce of the five &s;hillings Tax it &s;elf. Not but I am of the opinion, that the Lowing of the Over-&s;ea duty upon Coals that was done in the la&s;t Se&s;&s;ions of the <HI>Penult</HI> Par|liament, from twenty &s;hillings to ten &s;hillings in <HI>Forreign Bottoms,</HI> and from eight &s;hillings to three &s;hillings <HI>Eng|li&s;h Bottoms,</HI> has been, and will be of very ill con&s;equence upon the Nation. The three Years Experiment we have made of the Low duty, has abundantly Ju&s;tified the mat|ter; for there has not any greater quantity of Coal been Exported Over-&s;ea under the Small duty, then was for|merly under the High duty. This abatement has had no other Effect, then to lo&s;e the King two thirds of His Duties upon Coal, and to fall the price of Coal <HI>Abroad,</HI> Ju&s;t &s;o much as the duty was le&s;&s;ened at <HI>Home;</HI> from which Foreign Artificers have been highly Encouraged to &s;et about their Endeavours to beat us out of our Manu|factures depending upon Sea-coal; which with the Ire&s;i&s;t|able a&s;&s;i&s;tance of the Fve &s;hillings Tax upon Coals at Home, mu&s;t Infallibly &s;ucceed and pro&s;per with them. But on the other &s;ide, it will take a &s;teady hand to fix where about this Over-&s;ea duty ought to be Placed, &s;o as to In&s;ure <HI>England</HI> Effectually in the benefits of the Coal Trade, and at the &s;ame time to hinder the <HI>Scotch</HI> and the <HI>Liege</HI> Nations from Sharing or Running away from us with them. We have had long Experience of the twenty &s;hillings duty <HI>per</HI> Chaldron upon <HI>Coals Shipp'd</HI> Over-&s;ea, and no doubt we mu&s;t have recour&s;e again to it, as the only means to pre&s;erve to <HI>England</HI> the making of the Manu|factures depending upon Sea-coal. At this pre&s;ent time one can buy all &s;orts of <HI>Iron</HI> Manufacture thirty <HI>per Cent.</HI>
<PB N="24" REF="13"> cheaper in <HI>Holland</HI> then they can in <HI>England.</HI> Hereafter, our Navigation mu&s;t have all her Iron work, but e&s;pecial|ly her Anchors, in <HI>Holland,</HI> if this Tax continues: whereas, if taken off, with an allowance of a Drawback to the value of the pre&s;ent duties upon Iron, for Iron Manufactures made in <HI>England,</HI> and Shipped Over-&s;ea, the <HI>Navigation</HI> of all <HI>Europe</HI> mu&s;t have their Anchors made in <HI>England</HI> hereafter. The <HI>Coal</HI> of <HI>England</HI> is as the <HI>Wooll</HI> of <HI>England,</HI> and as no Cloth can be made without Engli&s;h Wooll, or &s;ome mixture of it, &s;o no Gla&s;s-work, nor gro&s;s Iron-work, can be Fabricated (&s;o as to hold Trade again&s;t us) without all or part of Engli&s;h Coal. But yet this twenty &s;hillings Tax will not &s;ecure unto us our Forges and Furnaces, with|out taking off the late Tax of Five &s;hillings <HI>per</HI> Chaldron upon Coals &s;pent within the Kingdom; for that will but &s;et the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> upon the &s;ame Bottom with the <HI>Forreign</HI> Artificer and to venture higher with our Over-&s;ea Tax upon Coals, I am afraid we dare not, for Rea&s;ons above men|tioned.</P>
<P>This fatal di&s;couragement to the <HI>South,</HI> will Incompa|rably more &s;hew it &s;elf in the Salt. The Charge of mak|ing of Salt is almo&s;t Intirely in the Coal. Sea-water in|deed requires a Prodigious quantity of Coal to Boyl it up to <HI>Salt.</HI> Every Weigh or Tun of Salt, which is twenty hundred weight, cannot be made with le&s;s then two Chal|dron and a half of Coal <HI>Newca&s;tle</HI> Pan-mea&s;ure, which is at lea&s;t &s;even Tun of Coals, or four Chaldron and two Thirds of <HI>London</HI> mea&s;ure. This quantity of Coals the Salter in the <HI>North</HI> can buy for Seventeen or Eighteen &s;hillings: But for the &s;ame quantity the Salter in the <HI>South</HI> mu&s;t now pay Six pounds at lea&s;t, but at <HI>Port&s;|mouth</HI> or <HI>Lemington,</HI> Seven or Eight pounds. All other Charges, which are but Incon&s;iderable, are as much in fa|vour
<PB N="25" REF="13"> of the <HI>North,</HI> as the <HI>South</HI> Country Salters. Un|der this di&s;couragement it cannot be doubted, but that the Intire Trade of making of Salt mu&s;t be run from the <HI>South</HI> into the <HI>North</HI> Country. Indeed before this Tax, the making of Salt by Sea-coal has been for many Years a going off into the <HI>North,</HI> and yet there are a great many Salt-Pans &s;tanding upon the Coa&s;t; but by this <HI>late</HI> and <HI>fatal Tax</HI> upon Coal, <HI>they</HI> are for ever condemn'd, and doom'd never to Smoke again.</P>
<P>It is mo&s;t certain, that nothing can be more Pernicious, then this Connivence the Nation has made at the <HI>North</HI>'s &s;tealing the Manufacture made with Sea-coal from the <HI>South.</HI> But one cannot Imagine, without doing Violence to the Genious of this Kingdom, the Nation will any longer &s;uffer the Fabrication of the&s;e Manufactures to &s;ettle and Increa&s;e in the <HI>North;</HI> for thereby the <HI>Collier Trade</HI> and <HI>Navigation,</HI> that go hand in hand, mu&s;t both &s;uffer to a far greater degree then what I have before faintly repre|&s;ented, and am le&s;s able to bear the Tragical pro&s;pect of it. But the Con&s;olation is, we are not In&s;en&s;ible of the&s;e things, and no doubt the pre&s;ent Parliament will have all due regard to the <HI>Navigation</HI> and <HI>Collier Trade</HI> of <HI>England,</HI> who&s;e Ca&s;e is plainly thus.</P>
<P>With this Tax we &s;hall not Export from the <HI>North Coa&s;tways,</HI> above One hundred and fifty thou&s;and Chaldron, <HI>Newca&s;tle</HI> mea&s;ure; Nor Employ half the number of Ships and Sailers, upon the <HI>Collier Trade,</HI> we did before this Tax came on: For there will remain no further occa&s;ion for Coal in the <HI>South,</HI> then for <HI>Dome&s;tick u&s;e;</HI> their <HI>Forges</HI> and <HI>Furnaces</HI> being run by this Tax, either into the <HI>North,</HI> or out of the <HI>Kingdom.</HI> And in&s;tead of a Hundred thou|&s;and
<PB N="26" REF="14"> pounds <HI>per Annum,</HI> which is Expected from this Tax, we &s;hall find <HI>it</HI> will not bring in above Fifty thou&s;and pounds, (which Sum I doubt not can be rai&s;ed from the <HI>Heigh duty</HI> upon Coal Shipped Over-&s;ea without hazard to our <HI>Navi|gation,</HI> or lo&s;s to the Over-&s;ea <HI>Collier Trade,</HI> as can ea&s;ily be made appear,) but &s;hall fall in the Proceed of other Tax|es above double that Sum. One half of the <HI>Collier Trade</HI> failing, and one half of the Men &s;he &s;upports at <HI>Sea,</HI> in our <HI>Rivers,</HI> and at <HI>Land,</HI> being either driven abroad, or reduced to Live upon the <HI>Alms</HI> of the Pari&s;h at Home, (twenty thou&s;and Souls is the lea&s;t we &s;hall find to fall under the&s;e mi&s;erable Circum&s;tances) mu&s;t make a va&s;t <HI>abate</HI> in the Proceed af the Taxes, the <HI>Poll Money, Births and Burials,</HI> the <HI>Exci&s;e</HI> on <HI>Beer, Ale,</HI> and <HI>Salt,</HI> the <HI>Duties</HI> upon the <HI>Materials</HI> for Navigation, and mo&s;t <HI>Branches</HI> of His Maje&s;ties Cu&s;toms.</P>
<P>Perhaps the Fir&s;t or &s;econd Years of the Tax, this <HI>abate|ment</HI> in the Proceed of His Maje&s;ties, <HI>Duties</HI> and this <HI>Tran|&s;portation</HI> of our <HI>Manufactures,</HI> will not &s;o fully &s;hew them|&s;elves, as in the following ones. For this Year every Body being convinc'd the approaching Parliament will take off this fatal Tax, and aboli&s;h it for ever, have upon this a&s;&s;ur|ance made the be&s;t &s;hifts they could with their Trades; but if once in full Hou&s;e, this Tax be confirmed and continu'd, then we &s;hall &s;ee our <HI>Manufactures</HI> and <HI>Manufactures</HI> &s;cam|per <HI>apace.</HI> In which &s;hameful Flight our Salters &s;hall go fir&s;t into the <HI>North,</HI> and our Gla&s;makers, part in|to the Rivers <HI>Wear, Tyne,</HI> and <HI>Severn,</HI> but mo&s;t into <HI>Hol|land</HI> and <HI>France.</HI> Tho&s;e that ply the <HI>Forge</HI> and the <HI>Furnace</HI> &s;hall follow fa&s;t after them, e&s;pecially our <HI>Anchor-Smiths</HI> and <HI>Dyers;</HI> And in a word, by Progre&s;&s;ion of time, all Manufactures what&s;oever made with <HI>Sea-coal,</HI> &s;hall run one and the &s;ame <HI>fatal Race.</HI></P>
<PB N="27" REF="14">
<P>On the other hand, when this Tax is taken off, we &s;hall Export from the <HI>North Coa&s;tways,</HI> above Four hun|dred thou&s;and Chaldron of Coals, <HI>Newca&s;tle</HI> mea&s;ure; which may be mode&s;tly computed and judged to twelve hundred thou&s;and Tun of Coals, and &s;hall have every day an <HI>Increa&s;ing Trade:</HI> For Wood decays every where, and the Town growes more Populous, having many New Streets built out of her void Spaces and Cum|ber&s;ome Palaces. This twelve hundred thou&s;and Tun of <HI>Coal</HI> is a Bulk of Cargo &s;ufficient to Employ two thou&s;and Sayl of Ships of the &s;ame Burthens with tho&s;e at pre|&s;ent in the <HI>Collier Trade,</HI> and will maintain twenty thou|&s;and <HI>Seamen,</HI> and a <HI>triple Number</HI> of <HI>River-men,</HI> at the <HI>Loading</HI> and <HI>&V;nloading Ports,</HI> and all living Jollily, and Comfortably in their Bu&s;ine&s;&s;es, mu&s;t rai&s;e the <HI>Proceed</HI> of His Maje&s;ties <HI>Revenue</HI> far above what is expected from this Five &s;hilling Tax.</P>
<P>This is a <HI>Va&s;t Crew</HI> of Seamen that the <HI>Collier Trade</HI> Em|ploys and Supports, and will be, with what can be &s;pared in time of War from <HI>This</HI> and our <HI>Over-&s;ea</HI> Trades, a &s;ufficient Number of Men to Equip the <HI>Fleet,</HI> and at the &s;ame time Carry on the <HI>Trade</HI> of <HI>England.</HI> This will be an un&s;peak|able Ble&s;&s;ing to the <HI>Nation,</HI> and at the &s;ame time the <HI>Envy,</HI> and <HI>Terrour</HI> of the <HI>&V;niver&s;e.</HI> Thus <HI>Ma&s;ters</HI> at <HI>Sea,</HI> with that handful of <HI>Troops</HI> the la&s;t Parliament allow'd of, and mo&s;t People are convinc'd to be &s;till nece&s;&s;ary to be <HI>kept up</HI> for a <HI>Check</HI> to the <HI>Various</HI> and <HI>Re&s;tle&s;s</HI> De&s;igns of our Bo&s;om Enemies, we &s;hall keep <HI>Peace</HI> at Home, and hereafter make that <HI>Figure Abroad</HI> under His Maje&s;ties Au|&s;picious Conduct, this <HI>Nation</HI> never attain'd to before.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
