THE Case of the Brine-Pits TRULY STATED; In Relation to the Duty expected from them:  
Being an Answer to the Paper, entitled, The Case of the Rock-Salt: And also in Answer to the other Paper on that Subject.  
THE Additional Duty upon Salt, being by Parliament made the perpetual Fund of Interest of Eight Pound per Cent. per Annum, for Moneys to be raised to supply the Occasions of the Government, no body will deny; but it must become the Wisdom of that Parliament, to Encourage and Preserve the Trade and Making of that Salt, which will be perpetual to answer the Perpetuity of that Duty.  
The Question therefore is, Whether the Ancient and Durable Trade of Making Salt from Brine-Springs in the County of Chester, which never fail, shall be Encouraged and Preserved, or shall be Destroyed by encouraging a Deceitful Project of making Salt from Rock-Salt gotten there, which Experience, as well as Reason shows, does and will fail.  
The Author of the Paper, entitled, The Case of the Rock-Salt, begins his Discourse, That 'tis certain the Rock-Salt ought to be looked upon as a Treasure, and a Blessing to this Kingdom, in its being so happily discovered in a Time of War. Now seeing this Gentleman's Knowledge of the Rock-Salt is of no longer date than the Commencement of the War, he may be admittted to pled Ignorance in his own defence, and under that Plea I allow him to shelter all the rest of his Errors.  
If he reads Mr. John Collins his Book, entitled, Salt and Fishery, page. the 4th. he will there find, That the Rock-Salt was discovered in the Year 1670. in the Soil of William Marbury of Marbury, Esq; not far from Northwich in the County of Chester; But the Brine-Salt being then( as all things were in those Halcyon Days) exceeding cheap, it was not regarded nor made use of till the late War; to supply which, the Taxes that were raised causing all things to be dear, then and not till then Poverty set Projectors on work to ruin the Brine-Pits, and reap a Gain to themselves by making Salt from the Rock.  
As for what the said Author taxeth the Brine-salt makers with, viz. That either by quiter Ruining the Rock, or at least making it Dearer, they may keep up their own Salt to higher Prices upon the People. If this Author's Eye-sight was not through Self-Interest extremely dim, he might by reading the Act now in Force, and the Bill also now depending in the House, plainly see that effectual Care is taken to prevent those Abuses, by giving the Lord-Mayor of London, within the Bills of mortality, and the Justices in the Counties at their respective Quarter-Sessions of the Peace, full Power to set what Price they please upon Salt; and all Persons are under great Penalty, obliged to sell Salt at those Prices.  
And as to what the said Author concludes that Paragraph with, viz. That it's plain the Revenue will be lessened and the Funds prejudiced by the Decrease of the expense, which necessary follows the Dearness of Commodities by every ones sparing the Use, and saving the Waste of what is neglected when they are cheaper. This indeed is a very good Argument against the Additional Duty upon Salt; and if the said Author pleases to enlarge upon that topic, and lessen the Fund in the Opinions of those who are to lend their Money upon it, 'tis possible he may Reconcile the two contending Companies of Subscribers, and meet with a Reward from the Government suitable to his Merits.  
This Champion for the Rock-Salt, is pleased to raise two Reasons or Arguments on behalf of the Brine-Pits, and thinks that he has done his Work by answering them his own way, and so as to please himself; The First is, that The Rock being worked out in time, the Brine-Pits will be spoiled by their Water losing its strength: And the Second is, that the Rock-Salt may afford to pay a higher Duty because they have their Coals much cheaper: As to the First of these he finds it to stick so close upon him, that he is willing to get rid on't at any rate, and therefore by a pure shift of begging the Question, allowing the Rock will be worked out in time( which GOD knows how soon that may be) Yet, says he, the Brine-Pits would not be prejudiced thereby; If as is generally believed the Saline Petrefaction is caused by a Salt Water, and not Brine-Springs impregnated by the Mineral-Salt. This manner of refuting Arguments is so very Weak and Despicable that I might pass it over as not worth notice. But to inform him better, I shall desire him to look into the said Mr. Collins his Book, page. the 3d. where he will find that These Springs( speaking of Brine-springs) being remote from the Sea, are conceived to arise from Rocks or Mines of Salt under the Earth, the which are moistened by some Channels or secret Passages under ground: And thence he proceeds, and gives several Instances and Matters of Fact to Prove and Demonstrate that Assertion. But further, it is impossible that such a Profundity of Petrefaction as Twenty yards thick, which the Rock in one place( and but one) was found to be, could be produced by Salt-water; for if Salt-water had that occult Quality( which no Man ever affirmed it had) as to Tinge, Crust, or Petrifie, yet its operation can go nor reach no further than where the Water runs, and that's only the superficial Part: and besides, for a full and conclusive Answer to this Chimerical Fiction, If the Saline Petrefaction is caused by the Salt-water, then all the Brine-Pits would be turned to that saline Petrefaction, which to all Men's Eyes are apparently not so: It is therefore most certain, that the Brine-Springs are not the Efficient Cause of the Salt-Rock, but are impregnated by it; and that being taken away, the Springs must cease to be salt. And so this Argument for the Brine, still stands good against that Author. Let us now see if he will have any better Success, in the Answer he gave to the other Argument, about the Coals being cheap where the Rock is refined, and dear where the Brine-Salt is made. The Answer he gives to this, is, That though he allows the Refiners have Coals abundantly cheaper than the Brine-Salt-makers; yet, says he, the Charge of the Rock is great, whereas the Brine comes up with only a little pains of Pumping. Now if this Person were a fair Dealer, he would have descended to the Particulars of the Charge of each; and to let him and everybody else see,( which they may do, if not blinded with Prejudice or Interest) that if the Rock-Salt upon refining draws back the whole Duty at the Pits, it will be impossible for the Brine-Pits to carry on the Trade. I desire these Truths may be considered:  
First, The sinking of a Brine-Pit, by vast quantities of Timbrings and Plankings to support the Rammings out of the Freshes, costs never less than 1500, oftener 2000 l. But a Rock-Pit is sunk for a very small Charge, because they need not ram out the Freshes: So that the charge of the Brine is greater than the charge of the Rock; and that quantity of Brine which will make a Tun of Salt, is equally as valuable as that quantity of Rock which will produce the same: For what is the Brine or the Rock of value for, but for the Salt they produce? Then consider, that the County of Chester is surrounded( except a very little Part bordering to the Sea) with Lancashire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Denbyshire, and Flintshtre; in all which Counties, Coals are at 1 s. 9 d. per Tun; but at Northwich in Cheshire( where the Brine-Pits are) Coals are at 14 s. 6 d. or 15 s. per Tun. Now the Rock being carried to the Coal in all those Counties,( which the Brine cannot be) and there made to Salt, it will under-sell the Brine-Salt in all those and other Places, just so much as the Coals are cheaper in one Place than the other, viz. 12 s. 9 d. or 13 s. per Tun. The Brine-Pits therefore being confined to such a narrow Limit of Trade as their own County only( for the Trade to Ireland is destroyed by the importation of foreign Salt there) they will not be able, nor is it worth their Charge to maintain and keep up their Works, so must and will leave off: And this being of absolute necessity for 'em to do, let us consider seriously what must and will be the inevitable Consequence of it. The Brine-Pits, by not Working, will be neglected, and so will go to decay; and Fresh-water-Springs will break into them, so they will be for ever lost: And then let us see how the Rock will supply us.  
The Learned Author of the Paper, entitled, The Case of Refiners of Rock-Salt in Lancashire and Cheshire, fancies to himself, and would make us believe there's a mighty Tract of Ground provided with this Rock-Salt; and being twenty, or twenty five Yards thick, he reckons that a Foot square of Rock, will produce 240 Bushels; which at 20 s. per Bushel, comes to 20 l. Duty; and in proportion a Square Yard( which for fear no one should be as wise as himself, he tells us is 9 square Foot) will produce 180 l. Duty; and that doubled is 360 l. Duty. All which is as much as to say, that Three pence and Two pence is Five pence, and Five pence and Five pence is Two groats and Two pence, and Two groats and Two pence is Ten pence. But all this does not prove to us, that we are certain of this great Tract of Ground so provided with this Rock as he speaks of; and I can tell him of a Gentleman, Two, Three, or Four, that have good Estates adjoining to where this Rock-Salt is now gotten; but they cannot find this Rich Treasure; neither is it believed in those Parts that it lies any where but in one small Tract of Land only. But supposing it were there in a larger compass, yet still it is but Supposition, not a Certainty to be relied on, either to answer this Perpetual Duty to the Government, or to supply the Occasions of the Nation with Salt: Nay, even this Rock-Salt which is known already, is not to be relied on, for any Number of Years, to supply either the Duty or the Occasions of the Country; for no less than Four of these Rock-Pits have failed in a very short time; and the Mineral is of that diluting Temper, that the Pillars must and will fail, by the Springs and Waters with which the Pits are, and always will be infested: And then I desire it may be remembered, that this Rock is gotten near to a considerable River; so that Experience showing us these Pits and Hollows do and will break and fall, and by those Breaches, that River and other Freshes will be let in; and then we must fetch our Salt at excessive Rates from far, and bid farewell both to Rock and Springs. So that it were much to be wished the Wisdom of Parliament( it being a National Concern) would restrain the Proprietors of the Rock from digging and getting of it, and oblige them only to work the Brine thereof( which all of them have in great plenty) as the rest of the Brine-Pits do: For I can compare their digging and getting the Rock-Salt, which affords such a Rich and Perpetual Treasure of Brine to the Nation, to nothing better than that miserable Wretch, who had a Hen which laid him a golden Egg a-day; but he not being contented therewith, ripped up the Fowl, and so lost all.  
But if this shall not be approved of as yet, till the mischievous Consequence of getting the Rock do further appear; It is humbly hoped that the Brine-Pits shall not be forthwith destroyed, and the Rock-Salt wholly depended on for the Duty, by allowing the whole Duty at the Pit to be drawn back upon Refining, but that the Eight pence which keeps them at par shall be continued. That the Eight pence continued on the Rock will not hinder the Refiner, is evident, for that they have constantly worked as before; and that even notwithstanding the Honourable House of Commons did, early in this Session, declare they would not, nor indeed had they any Reason, to take it off; It is therefore humbly hoped They will be Constant to that Resolution, and continue the said Eight pence upon Rock-Salt, as it was the last Year.   

The CASE of the BRINE-PITS Truly Stated: In Relation to the Duty expected from them.  
Being an Answer to the Paper, entitled, The Case of the Rock-Salt; And also in Answer to the other Paper on that Subject.   


ROCR-SALT.    l. s. 2160 lib. of Rock, is 18 Bushel, at 120 lib. to to the Bushel, and lies in   5 Duty for the same to the King, at 3 s. 4. d. for each 120 lib. 3 ● A Tun of Coals will refine the same to White-Salt; and in all the Counties which border upon, and surround Cheshire, viz. Lancashire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Denbyshire, Flintshire, the cost is   2 Carriage of the said Rock to all those Counties   12 It is allowed, that 120 lib. of Rock, will, with Fresh-water, yield 112 lib. of Salt;( but with Sea-water will yield a considerable Increase) and in proportion to that, the said 2160 lib. of Rock, will produce 36 Bushel of Salt, at 56 lib. to the Bushel; the Duty of which to the King, if the whole 3 s. 4 d. aforesaid, for each 120 lib. be allowed to be drawn back upon Refining, is but 3   Total 6 19 But if 8 d. is continued, as it was the last Year, upon each Bushel of Rock, at 120 lib. to the Bushel, and not drawn back upon Refining; the Salt made from Rock, and the Salt made from Brine, will go to Market at Par. For the 8 d. upon the aforesaid 18 Bushel of Rock, comes but to   12 Total then of 36 Bushel of Salt made from the Rock 7 11 
BRINE-SALT.    l. s. The Charges of sinking a Brine-Pit is never less than 1500 l. oftener 2000 l. which, with the great and constant Charges of Repairs considered; that Quantity of Brine which makes 36 Bushels of Salt, is equally valuable with the like Quantity of Rock which will produce 36 Bushels of Salt; so reckoned as it is at   5 A Tun of Coals to boil the said Brine till it is granulated and made into Salt, will, at Northwich in Cheshire( where the Brine-Pits are) cost 15 s. and sometimes near 17 s. but reckon them at only   14 Carriage of the said Salt to all those Counties where the Rock is run before   12 Duty of the Salt being 36 Bushels, at 3 s. 4 d. per Bushel 6   Total of Brine-Salt 7 11 Rock-Salt 6 19 So that in 36 Bushels the difference is   12 Which being 4 d. per Bushel is the prime Cost of Brine-Salt delivered at the Works; so that if the whole Draw-back is allowed to the Rock, the Brine-Salt cannot Trade out of the County.     Total of 36 Bushels of Salt made from Brine 7 11