No. 216.] 205 



The superintendent of the New-York State salines has addressed 

 me a letter, of which the following is a copy: 



Superintendent's Office, 7 

 Syracuse, Dec. 24, 1847. ^ 



Dear Sir: The quantity of salt inspected the past year, to daie, in 

 the town of Salina, is 3,952,019 bushels. The amount for the cur- 

 rent year will fall but little below four millions of bushels. Our 

 salt has sold higher the past season than for some time previous. 

 The profits have been consequently more than for a number of years 

 before. Wood has been as high as $5 per cord for salt purposes: 

 average for hard wood, $3.50. 



Barrels have been sold as high as 50 cents, average 35 cents. 

 Notwithstanding these high prices, the manufacturers have realized 

 a handsome profit. 



Will you have the kindness to send me, soon, a statement of the 

 quantity of foreign salt imported into New-York the past year, its 

 price, &c. 



Respectfully yours, &c., 



E. MARKS, Suft, ) 



per D. C. Le Roy, Dep. SupH. \ 

 E Meriam, Esq. 



I have a letter from the Hon. Thomas Spencer, dated Onondaga 

 Salines, November 11, 1847, in which he says: "The quantity of 

 salt manufactured at our salines this year, will not vary much from 

 three and a half millions of bushels, which is about a quarter of a 

 million less than was made last year. This deficiency has been 

 chiefly caused by a scarcity and advanced price of wood for fuel, 

 and a consequent advance in the price of salt, which has deprived 

 the manufacturers of their ability to compete (as they have former- 

 ly done) with the foreign salt, in the markets upon the Hudson 

 River and in your city, very little having been shipped in that 

 direction the present season. The average price for wood the pre- 

 sent year has been about $3.50 per cord; but it has been gradually 

 advancing the latter part of the season, until it has reached $5, and 

 there has been a corresponding rise in the price of salt. The present 

 price is $1.50 for fine, and $2 per barrel for coarse solar salt. The 

 barrels contain five bushels, of 56 lbs. each. Fine was offered at 

 $1.12| when wood was $3.50 per cord. The time has now arrived 

 when mineral coal should be used: our forests cannot much longer 



