An Answer to the Paper, entitled, The Case of the Proprietors and Refiners of Rock-Salt.  
THE said Paper complains, That if the Clause shall pass for prohibiting the refining of Rock-Salt, at any Place but near the Rock-Pits, all the Refinerys of Rock Salt will be destroyed.  
To which it is answered, That if the Rock-Salt shall be permitted to go from the Pits, not only all the Makers of Salt from Brine, and the Makers of Salt from Sea-water will be ruined, but the Duty upon Salt, which is to pay the Interest of three Millions of Money lent to the Government, will be lost also; and all the People of England must then pay and make good that deficiency: For the Weight and various Drawbacks allowed to the Rock-Salt, are such and so many that it is not possible to prevent the Frauds any other way than by the method prescribed in the Bill. For instance, 75 l. of Rock-Salt is reckoned a Bushel, and pays 3 s. 4 d. at the Pit. 56 l. only is allowed to a Bushel of Brine-Salt, and pays 3 s. 4 d. at the Works: and 56 l. of Rock-Salt melted in fresh Water, as hath been actually done at the Excise Office in London, will produce its own weight in white Salt; so that the Rock-Refiner has in weight 19 l. more for 3 s. 4 d. than the Brine Salt-Maker hath; and he accordingly sells it, and it is used in specie without refining, and by doing so he reimburses himself one third of the Duty paid at the Pits, and so much is lost to the Revenue: Then he sets to refine some part of the said Salt-Rock, and that he may appear like a very honest Man, he calls for the Officer, and as the Act directs, in his Presence weighs out 20 Bushels, more or less, at 75 l. to the Bushel, and puts it into large cisterns of Water for melting the same; and the Officer allows him a Drawback for it. But it requiring a very long time( viz.) 2 or 3 days to be dissolved when the Officer is in Bed, or otherwise absent, one half of the said Rock is taken out of the cisterns, and conveyed back to the Warehouse; and this practise is repeated till double the Duty paid at the Pits is drawn back upon the melting, which advantage the Brine Salt Maker hath no opportunity for, there not being any Drawback allowed to that Salt, but upon Exportation only; and the Bill does sufficiently provide against the Cheats that have been too much practised therein, to the loss of the Revenue, and derriment to the fair Trader. But if what's proposed by the Author of the said Paper was allowed of( viz.) That the Brine as well as the Rock should be charged with the Duty at the Pits, there must be a Drawback allowed upon the boiling thereof; and then indeed the Brine Salt-Makers will easily find ways and means to defeat the Duty as well as the Rock Refiners.  
The said Paper astirms, that the Rock is not refined in any Creeks or secret Places, but in great Towns, and the Excise Officer there employed, may Collect the Duty without any additional Charge in Collecting thereof; that this is not true the Margin of the Paper does sufficiently discover, where Helbre and hide in Cheshire, Peelstouder in Lancashire, and grain in Kent are mentioned as Refinerys of Rock-Salt, and a Thousand such will be set up if it is not limited to be Refined only at the Pits; for if it once goes from thence it is impossible to confine it to any bounds.  
The said Paper suggests further, that if the Rock-Salt is limited only to the Pits it will be unprofitable to Refine it, which is also not true; for the Rock is Refined by making a Brine from it, and by letting Water stay in the Pit, it will produce the stronger Brine, which will be brought up by a small labour of pumping, and save the Charge of digging the Rock and winding it up. And moreover, even according to the Assertion laid down in the said Paper, Salt refined from Rock Salt sells dearer by sixpence per Bushel than Newcastle Salt, whereas Salt made from Brine is never sold for more than 5 d. per Bushel at the Works.  
The Paper also alleges, That if the Rock-Salt is limited only to the Pits, the Brine Propietors will be the only Manufacturers of Salt, and will then have it in their Power to set what Rates they please thereon, which is totally impossible. For in the first place, the Rock-Pits will become Brine-Pits( as some of them have done) and even they will afford such plenty of Salt as would supply more then half the Kingdom. But in the next place, there are now so very many Brine-Pits in Cheshire, in Staffordshire, and in Worcestershire, besides the very many Salt-Works which are in the bishopric of Durham and Northumberland, and some also at Port-Sea and Limington, that the only contention is, and always will be, who shall gain most Customers by selling cheapest; but besides that, the Justices of Peace have a controlling Power over them to set what Prices they please upon Salt.  
The Author of the Paper goes on in commendation of his Salt made from Rock Salt, above all other Salt whatsoever, but it will appear that the Swans in his own Eyes, are mere goose in others.  
For the Brine being impregnated with the most acute saline spiritual part of the Rock, partakes not of that noxious crassid part which always subsides and remains with the Rock, and is of a reddish Colour, and in which great quantity of Bittern is contained; and therefore the Author is very much out in that part of his Philosophy, for the whole body of the Rock being taken up, and the Sand and Bittern contained therein being all mash'd together, the Salt made thereof must of necessity, and does abundantly partake of those hurtful qualitys, as several Merchants who have had their Fish and Provisions spoiled therewith do testify: but the Author of the said Paper shows himself to be very little skilled in the true nature of Salt, by his two last Paragraphs, for first he says the Dutch have by several Laws strictly enjoined the use of Resined Salt,( which Refined Salt he may easily inform himself is always made of Salt from Sea-Water) and yet in the very next Paragraph discommends all Salt( and in particular Newcastle) which is made of Sea-water; but to give him a little better Instruction in the nature of Brine-Salt, Newcastle-Salt, Port-Sea, Limington and Dutch-Salt, he is referred to the Book writ by Mr. Collins, entitled, Salt and Fishery, and there he will find that the Salt discommended as the worst Salt, and as having the most noxious quality of Sand and Bittern, is that Salt which is made from the Sea-water, and granulated by the heat of the Sun, and so used without boiling it up with Fire; and that's the Salt which the Dutch must not use for their Herrings: but the Salt made from the Brine-Springs, and Salt made with Fire from Sea-water, are by that Author( who was a good judge of that Matter) recommended as the best for all uses.  
The Author's Conclusion is a wild random Estimate of what the Refinerys have cost; and hopes the Honourable House will not pass that Clause which destroys the use of them, without giving some satisfaction: By which 'tis plain they are so hurtful to the Duty on Salt, that himself thinks they will not be longer allowed of.  
The Answer therefore to him is, That the Rock-Refiners having cheated the Nation of ten times more Money than all their Cost about their Refinerys amount to, they are too well paid if they are allowed to go away unpunished.   

An Answer to the Paper entitled, The Case of the Proprietors and Refiners of Rock-Salt.