742 



ENGLAND. 



Siid. produce was 2 100 tons ; rYom 1 740 to 1750, 2500 ; from 



~-V 175O to 1760, *658; from 1760 to 177<> 2728 : from 



1770 to 1780, 2750; from 17SO to 1790, S958 ; from 



179010 1800, 321-5 tons. From the last period the 



mine* seem to have been on the decline. 



Of lead. There is undoubted proof, that the lead-mines of this 



country, at least those in Derbyshire, were wrought in 

 the time of the Romans, this metal having been export- 

 ed A. D. 14; and at the time of the Conquest it was 

 used to "roof churches. In 1189, the exportation of it 

 was carried to a considerable extent. During all this 

 period, however, it would seem that no mines of this 

 metal were known, or at least wrought, except those 

 in Derbyshire. In the year 1289, lead-mines were dis- 

 covered and wrought in Wales ; and the circumstance 

 being ascertained, that the ore of these mines produ- 

 ced some silver, increased attention and alacrity were 

 given to the working of the mines of this metal. The 

 produce of the lead-mines at present wrought in Eng- 

 land cannot accurately be ascertained ; those of Derby- 

 shire are supposed to produce annually an average of 

 between 5000 and 6000 tons, but to be on the decline ; 

 those on the borders of Cumberland and Northumber- 

 land are calculated to produce 150,000 pigs of Kj cwt. 

 or 11,250 tons annually: The Cumberland employ 

 upwards of 1000 men. The other metals which are 

 found in England do not require any particular notice, 

 except the black lead of Cumberland ; the manganese 

 of the Mendip Hills, and the zinc of Derbyshire. The 

 first is of excellent quality, and in great demand for pen- 

 cils, crucibles, &c. No more is wrought than is abso- 

 lutely necessary to supply the demand, without lower- 

 ing the price. The manganese of the Mendip Hills is 

 become much more valuable than it formerly was, in 

 consequence of the mode of bleaching by the oxymu- 

 riatic acid, in which it is largely employed. The quan- 

 tity of ore of zinc produced in Derbyshire, is about 500 

 tons annually. It is inferior in value to the calnminc 

 of Mendip. Besides calamine, blend, or black jack, 

 another ore of zinc, but less valuable than calamine, is 

 got in Derbyshire. 



" Ji piis. The salt pits of Cheshire and Worcestershire appear 



to have been wrought at a very early period : those of 

 the former county are supposed by Mr Pennant to 

 have been known to the ancient Britons ; and the salt 

 pits in Worcestershire were certainly wrought before 

 the Conquest. In 1389, a license was given for ma- 

 king salt at Middlewich ; but nearly 150 years after 

 this, salt appears to have been so rare an article in 

 England, that it was stipulated, that a quantity of it 

 should be delivered annually by the king of France 

 to this country. It is rather a singular circumstance, 

 that though the brine pits were known so early, the 

 pits of rock salt were not discovered in Cheshire prior 

 to the year 1670. The quantity of rock salt made in 

 Cheshire, seem rather to have declined within these 

 few years. The annual delivery from the pits is be- 

 tween 50,000 or "iO.OOO tons, while the brine pits sup- 

 ply about 4-5,000 tons. At Droitwich, in Worcester- 

 -hire, the salt made and sold in one year averages up- 

 wards of 600,000 bushels ; of which, about one-sixth is 

 .eht abroad. The duty paid by the pits near this 

 place, into the ealt-office in London in the year 1771, 

 was L. 6l,457 ; at that time nearly one-third of the 

 whole revenue from salt in England. The revenue from 

 the salt made in Cheshire, however, is of so much 

 more consequence, that a particular board is appointed 

 Produccand ^ m *** c U ect ' on an ^ management, independent of the 

 onsurnp- boards of customs and excise. It is estimated, that the 

 bm. home consumption of Cheshire salt is 16,000 tons, and 



tho quantity exported about 14-0,000 tons. The follow- StatirtJcj. 

 ing particulars will still farther illustrate the nature and x T""**' 

 extent of the produce of the salt pits in Cheshire and 

 Worcestershire. In the year 1798, 816,731 bushels of 

 rock salt were exported ; of which, 651,880 were Bent 

 to Ireland, 54,80(1 to Germany, 49,800 to Russia, and 

 37,542 to Denmark. In the same year, 4,188,417 bu- Roc k ^,1 

 shels of white salt were exported ; of which, 910,278 white Ut 

 were sent to Prussia, 892,1-30 to the United States of exported. 

 America, 67<>,6vM- to Russia, 407,15'2 to Denmark, 

 -101,464- to Ireland, 866,103 to Germany, and '298,871 

 to British America. In 1799, the exportation of rock 

 salt had considerably increased, the quantity being 

 l,3:i(>ViL'5 buslu-ls ; of whijh, 894,975 were sent to Ire- 

 land, 167,600 to Denmark, and 163,317 to Prussia. 

 This year the exportation of white salt had rather de- 

 clined, the total exportation amounting to 4,132,188 

 bushels; of which, 1,^.")4,027 were sent to Prussia, 

 1,026,<)17 to the United .States, 549,360 to Russia, and 

 868,565 to Ireland. In the year 1800, the exportation 

 of rock salt had again rather increased, the total quan- 

 tity amounting to 1,397,571 bushels; of which 7^6,549 

 were exported to Ireland, 340,652 to Prussia, and 

 173,098 to Russia. The exportation of white salt in 

 1800, was greater than it had been in either of the two 

 former years, the total quantity being 4,538,5 W bu- 

 shels; of which, the United States took 1,4-36,085, 

 Prussia 980,250, British America 551,958, and Russia 

 481,501. About 70,000 bushels are usually sent to 

 Africa. It must be remarked, however, that the white 

 salt includes what is made at the salt-pans, the princi- 

 pal of which are at Lymington in Hampshire, Sand- 

 wich in Kent, and on the coasts of Essex, Durham, and 

 Northumberland. These we have mentioned here, 

 from their connection with the subject of the salt mines, 

 though not strictly in their place. The total num- 

 Ix-r of salt works in the kingdom is between 1 80 and 

 190; and there are upwards of twenty refineries ft* 

 rock salt. The salt sent coastwise during the year 

 above specified, was as follows : British white, 5,631,568 

 bushels; of which, 3,827,510 were sent from Liver- 

 pool, 953,664- from the port of Gloucester, 229,312 

 from Bristol, 149,839 from Lymington, 145,983 from 

 Hull, 1 1 6,948 from Sunderland, and 95,563 from New- 

 castle. During these years, 165,965 bushels of rock 

 salt were sent coastwise, all from Liverpool. During 

 the same years, 61,793 bushels of foreign white, and 

 3250 of foreign rock salt were sent coastwise. The to- 

 tal consumption of salt by the inhabitants of England 

 and Wales, is supposed to be 60,000 tons annually, be- 

 sides what is used in the fisheries, for curing meat, &C. 

 The statistical particuliirs connected with the quar- 

 ries of this country are comparatively so minute and 

 trifling, that we should not be disposed to enter upon 

 them here, even if we had access to the requisite infor- 

 mation ; but, before concluding this part of our subject, 

 it may be proper to add a few words respecting the 

 pits of fuller's earth, from the immediate and import- Puller'* 

 ant relation which this substance bears to our staple earth, 

 manufacture. We have already mentioned, that they 

 are found in Bedfordshire, Berkshire, and Surry ; a 

 pit also has lately been opened at Maidstone in Kent. 

 Although the demand for fuller's earth is not now nearly 

 so great as it was formerly, in consequence of many of 

 the clothiers using soap instead of it, yet there is still a. 

 considerable demand for it, especially for that which 

 is procured in Surry. Mr Malcolm, in his agricultu- 

 ral account of that county, says, that he endeavoured 

 to ascertain the annual consumption of the kingdom, 

 and that, as nearly as might be, he found it to be about 



