Reasons for the Taking off the Tax of 5s per cauldron on Coals.  
AS the Tax is laid, To carry on a War against France, and all in this Kingdom receive Protection thereby, it is but reasonable they should contribute thereto; but instead thereof about Nine Tenths of the People are Excused, they burning such Coals, Wood, &c. as are not by it affencted: Which layeth the burden upon so small a part of the Trading People, that one Tradesman payeth more to this Tax than an hundred Gentlemen of ten times his Estate, living in In-land Counties; which hath caused such continual Complaints: Some of which are as followeth.  
I. The Owners of Shipping, many of which are tradesman, being discouraged through the great Taxes that are laid on Coals, Ships, &c. with other Charges belonging thereto, Coals amounts to 1 l 14 s 5 d per London cauldron, before delivered in the Pool, as appears by a Printed Case, delivered the last Sessions of Parliament: And they finding by these Discouragements that People in the adjacent Counties to the River of Thames, and other Navigable Rivers, fall upon Burning Wood, turf, &c. in great Quantities, which formerly burnt Coals. And likewise there being in a great Storm about Two hundred Sail of their Ships lost, discourageth the Owners from Venturing to Sea. So that those Masters that lost their Ships, by Reason of the Discouragement aforesaid, want Employment, and many of the Coal-Ships are sent to other Places; which has been chiefly occasioned by this said Tax. All this will much lessen the Importation of Coals, and prevent the Breeding of Seamen, for want of Building Ships, to make the aforesaid great Loss, and other Losses, both before and since, Good.  
II. The poor Seamen, Watermen, Fishermen, &c. that burn Coals, though it should be but one cauldron each Family per Year; yet they being Impressed to Man the Navy Royal, there Wages being 23 s per Month, which is but 14 l, 19 s. per Year, out of which 40 s for Coals, and 3 l or 4 l per Year for House-Rent, the remainder cannot maintain their Families they leave behind them, but they must want; which proveth an Addition to their Hardship, and is a great Discouragement to some of the most Serviceable People of the Kingdom, who are so constantly exposed for its Defence at Sea.  
III. The Brewers; Some of them burn Four or Five hundred cauldron of Coals a Year: Which said Tax will lie hard upon them, together with the great Duty of Excise, and they paying to other Taxes their Quota, as well as others which pay nothing to this, seemeth exceeding hard, and, its feared, hath and will be, if not prevented, a means to cause them so little to boil their Drink, sold about this City and Suburbs, that it may cause Distempers among the People.  
IV. Likewise the Glassmen of London, who have by their Ingenuity arrived to such a degree of Perfection in their Art, that English Glass hath the pference: But by this Tax both upon Coals and Glass, it's feared, will prove not only a Discouraging their Market at home, but also to its Vent in Foreign Markets, and prove hurtful to the Endeavours of other of aur English mechanics hereafter, to out-vie other Nations in their respective Arts also.  
V. The Dyers, burn great Quantities of Coals, and cannot die the Woollen Manufacture of this Kingdom so cheap as they might if the Tax were off; which will be a means to hinder our Merchants from Selling at other Markets as cheap as other Merchants; and thereby will give the Dutch Opportunity to undersell us, they having their Coals from Newcastle, &c. and pay, if carried in our English Ships, but 3 s per cauldron for the same we pay 10 s, or thereabouts to this very Tax, besides other Charges: All which tendeth to the Discouragement of our English Woollen Manifacture, as well as to the Trades, &c. aforesaid.  
And therefore it is hoped this House will take the multitude of Complaints, of this Tax, into their serious Consideration, and ease the Traders and Poor of this great City and Suburbs from this Hardship.   

Reasons for Taking off the Tax of Five Shillings per cauldron on Coals.