ENGLAND. 



743 



Sauistitt. 6300 tons ; of which quantity, about 4000 tons were 

 *"^V*"" r sent from Surry. The price at the pit, in 1805, was 

 about 5s. or 6s. per ton, whereas, in 1744, the price 

 was 4d. per bushel, which is after the rate of 8s. per 

 ton ; a proof either that the supply had increased, or 

 that the demand had diminished. Fuller's earth was 

 deemed by the legislature of so much consequence to 

 our woollen manufactures, that a special act was passed 

 in the 28th year of the reign of his present Majesty, 

 prohibiting the exportation of fuller's earth and fuller- 

 ing clay, under a heavy penalty, and obliging the deal- 

 ers and buyers of it to enter into bonds, to prevent its 

 exportation ; and certainly, whatever may be the opi- 

 nion and practice now, the great and acknowledged 

 superiority of English cloth was formerly ascribed, 

 both at home and abroad, to the use of fuller's earth. 

 Profits from In estimating the amount of the national profit which 

 * nine *- is derived from our mines, &c. it is evident, that the 

 mere profit derived by the individuals to whom they 

 belong, even added to the net profit of those who lease 

 and work them, will give us a very imperfect and ina- 



dequate notion of the increase which they bring to the 

 stock of national wealth. In order to do this, we should 

 be able to trace the raw produce of our mines through 

 all its stages, till, by the wonderful effects of the unpa- 

 ralleled industry, skill, and capital of this nation, > p- 

 pears in the form of the most usel'ul or the raosi expen- 

 sive articles of life. This, however, in most cases, it 

 would be in vain to attempt, and, at any rate, where it 

 is practicable, it would here be irrelevant, in a great 

 measure, to our subject. We shall, therefore, conclude 

 our account of the mining products of this country, 

 with a tabular view of the profits from quarries, mines, 

 and iron-works, derived by the proprietors, as returned 

 to the House of Commons by the commissioners of 

 taxes. It may be proper to mention, that though the 

 report on the produce of the income-tax, accompa- 

 nied with a particular statement of the profits from 

 lands, &c. on which this tax was levied, was laid before 

 parliament in 1812, it does not bring the details which 

 we have extracted lower down than the 5th of April 

 1811. 



Matistus; 



TABLE III. Profits from Quarries, Mines, Iron-works, 



