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<DATE>2014-04-07</DATE>
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<NAME>TCP Staff (Michigan)</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B140219.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B18711">
<STC T="W">C1160</STC>
<STC T="G">816.m.13[105]</STC>
<STC T="C">T81588</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99895017</BIBNO>
<VID>186305</VID>
</IDG><!-- alt.stc G816.m.13[105] --><!-- alt.stc Ct81588 -->
<TEXT LANG="eng">
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<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>The CASE of the ROCK SALT, AS It now &s;tands Burthen'd with a Higher Duty than the other &s;orts of <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> made SALT.</HEAD>
<P>'TIS Certain, That the <HI>Rock Salt</HI> ought to be lookt upon as a Trea&s;ure and a Ble&s;&s;ing to this Kingdom, in its being &s;o happily di&s;covered in a Time of War, (whereby the Price of that Commodity hath been moderated, which in former Wars was wont to be Exce&s;&s;ive) and in &s;uch Quantities, as that we have now no more need of buying Salt from Forreigners, but may in &s;ome time be in a Condition to Tran&s;port it to Forreign Parts. And 'tis evident, that the Per&s;ons concern'd in the other Salt works, do u&s;e their utmo&s;t Endeavours to bring this under all the Di&s;couragements and Difficulties they can, to no other Intent, but that either by quite ruining the <HI>Rock Salt,</HI> or at lea&s;t making it dearer, they may keep up their own to higher Prices upon the People; which is a De&s;ign that can never be intentionally Countenanc'd by an <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Parliament: Be&s;ides that, it's plain that the Revenue will be le&s;&s;en'd, and the Funds prejudic'd, by the Decrea&s;e of the Expence, which Nece&s;&s;arily follows the Dearne&s;s of Commodities, by every ones &s;pating the U&s;e, and &s;aving the Wa&s;te of what is neglected when they are cheaper.</P>
<P>There are two Rea&s;ons pretended by the Owners of the Brine-pits, why the <HI>Rock Salt</HI> &s;hould be di&s;couraged, or at lea&s;t made to pay a higher Duty than the other: The <HI>Fir&s;t</HI> is, Lea&s;t the Rock being workt out in time, the Brine pits &s;hould be &s;poyl'd, by their Water's loo&s;ing it's &s;trength. The <HI>Second</HI> is, That the <HI>Rock Salt</HI> may afford to pay a high|er Duty, becau&s;e they have their Coals much cheaper.</P>
<P>The&s;e are &s;ufficiently an&s;wered, if there were no more to be &s;aid, than that all Govern|ments permit their Subjects to enjoy the utmo&s;t benefit of what Nature gives them; and there was never any &s;uch thing heard, as that a Man &s;hould be hindered by a Law, from making his be&s;t Advantage of a Rich Lead Mine newly di&s;covered, for the &s;ake of his Neighbour, who had an ancienter one, which was much more Chargeable to Work, and yet yielded le&s;s Oar.</P>
<P>Yet there is no room for even the&s;e weak Objections; becau&s;e, <HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> There's more probability of working out the Coal-Mines at <HI>New Ca&s;tle,</HI> than of the&s;e Salt Mines; in &s;ome of which, the Veins of the Mineral Salt are twenty five yards thick: But then if it were po&s;&s;ible to work them out, the Brine-pits would not be prejudic't thereby, if as is generally believ'd, the Saline Petrefaction is cau&s;ed by a Salt Water, and not the Brine-Springs impregnated by the Mineral Salt. For the <HI>Second,</HI> 'Tis true, that the Workers of the <HI>Rock Salt</HI> have their Coals cheaper in &s;ome Places; but then the digg|ing, landing, and bringing the <HI>Rock Salt</HI> to the place where it mu&s;t be melted into Brine, co&s;ts manifold more than it doth the Brine-Workers, for they have no more to do than to pump it out of the Brine-Pit into the Pan for boyling, and they are there|by &s;ufficiently over recompenc't for the difference of the price of Coals.</P>
<P>If the Refining of <HI>Rock Salt</HI> &s;hall be wholly di&s;couraged, the Owners of the Salt Mines will be greatly injur'd in their Properties; divers Per&s;ons that have been engag'd in that Bu&s;ine&s;s will be wrong'd, not only in being hindered from making a rea&s;onable Improve|ment by, but even quite lo&s;ing great Summs of Money, which they have laid out upon an Undertaking, not only Lawful, but al&s;o of Publick Conveniency to the Kingdom; many hundreds of Work-men will be thrown out of their Work, and depriv'd of the means of maintaining their Families; Employment for many &s;ail of Ships will be lo&s;t, and the We&s;tern Countries will be much incommoded, who have been for many Ages well furni&s;ht with Salt from <HI>Bri&s;tol,</HI> and other Ports of the <HI>Seavern,</HI> where they formerly refin'd upon Forreign Salt, but that being now in Effect prohibited, they make all their Salt out of the <HI>Rock Salt,</HI> and their Trade hath been &s;o much encreas'd, &s;ince they have been able to &s;upply the Place of <HI>French</HI> Salt, that they have much encreas'd their Work|hou&s;es, and multitudes depend upon &s;o con&s;iderable a Bu&s;ine&s;s; on whom 'twould be un|rea&s;onable to put &s;o great a hard&s;hip, as to deprive them of their way of Living at once.</P>
<P><HI>'Tis therefore Humbly Hop'd, that when the Honourable Hou&s;e of</HI> Commons, <HI>&s;hall be rightly inform'd in this Matter, they will, according to their declared Intention in the fir&s;t Salt Act, a&s;certain that all kinds of Salt what&s;oever, made fit for u&s;e, &s;hall pay alike Duty; and that the whole Duty, fir&s;t &s;ecur'd at the Pits upon all the</HI> Rock Salt, <HI>&s;hall be return'd when it hath paid the full Duty for all the Refin'd Salt that hath been produc'd from it.</HI></P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="half title">
<PB REF="2">
<P>The CASE Of the ROCK SALT.</P>
<PB REF="2">
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