•j\o \ _ CO 
rot a particle of duft put into the grate with it: hence 
arifes the preference given to it for chamber ufe ; for, 
although the belt fplint Scotch coal is more volatile in 
quality than the Englilh, yet the latter, when laid on in 
large pieces, emits not any dull from the fire, but burns 
as clean and lively as the Scotch, is more durable, and 
maintains a ltronger heat. - 
The different foreign ports receive annually from Great 
Britain nearly the following quantities, in Newcaftle chal¬ 
drons, as calculated by Mr. Beaumont: 
Chaldrons. 
Dutch United Provinces ----- 50,000 
France and Flanders ------ 20,000 
Denmark - -- -- -- -- - 10,000 
Hamburgh - -- -- -- -- 10,003 
Sweden and Portugal ------ 5,000 
Rufiia, Norway, and ports not mentioned 5,000 
Newcaltle chaldrons - 100,000 
Coal is the fuel ufed in the Dutch provinces for every 
purpofe 5 and although the importation of them from Eng¬ 
land is attended with fo conliderable an expence, yet the 
Dutch government iinpofe a further duty on Britifh coal 
equal tofeven fhillings and fourpence per ton for domedic 
ufe, and fix fhillings and threebalrpence for thofe ufed in 
their manufactories, amounting nearly to twenty fhillings 
additional impoft for every Newcaltle chaldron. This 
fa ft lhews the great importance of the Britifh coal to the 
Dutch confumers, when they can afford, over and above 
the prime coft, to pay a revenue of nearly fifty thoufand 
pounds annually to the Hates! 
After eftabhfhing this faft, Mr. Beaumont afks, Why 
the Dutch revenue fliould be more advantaged than that 
of Great Britain, by an opportunity given to Holland to 
impofe higher duties than England does, on the very ar¬ 
ticle the latter fupplies to the former ; and for which the 
Dutch can find no other fubditute, nor be fupplied from 
any other country? Comparatively taken, the duties im- 
pofed by the United States on the Britifh coal, produce, 
as above obferved, a revenue of fifty thoufand pounds to 
them, while Great Britain does not receive forty thou¬ 
fand. And it is not more lingular than true, that even 
■with the Britifh duties included, the Englilh coal is deli¬ 
vered to the Dutch at twenty fhillings per chaldron lefs 
than to the London confumer. The fhip-mader delivers 
his cargo in Holland, on anjiverage, at fifteen guilders 
per hood, or one pound fix fhillings and threepence per 
London chaldron, (the Dutch hood being the fame mea- 
fure as the London chaldron ;) while the price to the 
London confumer cannot be fixed under thirty-feven 
fhillings the Dutch hood, or London chaldron, which 
makes a difference in favour of Holland, at leak of twenty 
fhillings the Newcaltle chaldron. The other nations who 
import coal from this country are in the lame fituation 
with the United States, and can as little do without them 
for their manufactures; for, although France conltantly 
raifes her own coal, yet that country annually requires 
twenty thoufand chaldrons from Great Britain. 
The principal manufactories carried on in the Dutch 
provinces with Englilh coal, are, the diftillery, fugar- 
baking, and l'miths’ work. For the two former, they 
prefer a ftrong hot coal, of a lading quality, and not too 
fmail, but with a good mixture of round ; for the finiths 
ufe m all countries the ttrongeft final), and for domeftic 
ufe, as in England. France requires Britifh coal for the 
ufe of finiths, and fugar-baking; and P'landers for didil- 
leries, &c. In Denmark they ufe our coal chiefly for the 
fugar-houfes, l'miths, and lime-works 1 for the latter a 
confiderable quantity, and tor that purpofe they prefer a 
hot brifk fire, flich coal being of great confequence in 
burning their lime. Hamburgh ufes Englilh coal for the 
fugar-baking and finiths’ work, as the former. Portu¬ 
gal for founderies, and finiths* ufe. Sweden for her dif- 
idleries; which, much increafmg, with their imiths work. 
A L. 
will make their confumption more confiderable. Ruffle 
has a few cargoes to work their engines; bur, from efla- 
blifhments at this time forming there, probably more of 
our coal will loon be required. Norway, and the ports 
not particularized, ufe the coal for their fmitheries, &c. 
Tne quantity of coal exported from Scotland into fo¬ 
reign countries, is not very confiderable. Holland, and 
the ports in the Baltic, are their marts, and fome to the 
light-houfes; and from thefe ports they return loaded; 
from the Baltic always with a full cargo, and from Hol¬ 
land in great part. They fend into England about twenty 
thoufand tons and chaldrons together. Their internal 
confumption is very confiderable, and will loon be as 
much more, by the iron-works eltablifhing in different 
parts of the country, and the fifheries in the Wedern, 
Highlands, which, if properly condufted, will prove a 
lource of wealth to Scotland, and change an unculti¬ 
vated and almod uninhabited country round the fifhing 
ftations, into a populous and lucrative didrift, formed for 
it by nature. 
From what has been premifed, Mr. Beaumont goes on 
to date the propriety, as well as equity, of putting the 
fame impod. on all other rivers where coal is navigated, 
as that originally put on the river Tyne. Soon after 
coal came into ufe in London, a tax of twopence on the 
Newcaftle chaldron was laid upon all coals fhipped from 
the river Tyne, at that time the only river in England 
from which any coal was fhipped ; the produce, however, 
was fo trifling, that government, at firft, did not think it 
worth collecting. But after fome years, a demand of 
arrears was made upon the parties, who in confideration 
of that claim being difpenfed with, agreed for the future 
to pay one dulling per chaldron ; an offer which govern¬ 
ment readily accepted, and which was afterwards made 
a perpetual grant to the duke of Richmond. It is evi¬ 
dent, that when the coal trade took place in other parts 
of the kingdom, this tax became a partial one ; becaufe 
coal is admitted to be fhipped from all other rivers free 
from this impod. The produce of one fhuling per chal¬ 
dron levied on the Tyne, amounted in 17&3, to feventeen 
thoufand nine hundred and ninety-nine pounds, thirteen 
drillings; and as, by calculation, the proportion of coal 
dripped from Newcaftle conditutes one-third of the quan¬ 
tity fhipped in the kingdom, this tax, if made general, 
would increafe the revenue at that time, to upwards of' 
thirty-fix thoufand pounds per annum ; but from the in- 
creafed demand for coal fince that period, it is edimated 
at fifty thoufand pounds per annum at the lead. And as 
the government have lately purchafed this grant from his 
grace the prefent duke of Richmond, it is probable that 
an equalization of the duty will fhortly take place. 
The reafon why coal, although the produce of our own 
country, cods the London confumer fo much more than 
the fame article cods the government in Holland, is that 
monopoly and combination too often take place in the 
pool, added to the duties of holiday fee, cocket, water- 
bailiff and return, trinity dues, lord mayor's dues, market 
dues, lights, king’s duty, orphan’s duty, mitage, ballad, 
labourers, See. &c. But Mr. Beaumont wifhes to fee many 
of thefe impods removed, and our own fubjefts benefited, 
by putting a much higher duty on the coals exported from 
this country. 
Our abundant fupply of coal may truly and emphati¬ 
cally be dyled, the goiden-mine and bulwark of Great 
Britain ; not only as it qffords an endlefs fupply of wealth, 
but becaufe it is an extenfive nurfery for excellent tea¬ 
men, from which lource our navy lias often been made 
effective on a diort notice, when other means have failed. 
It has been always aflerted, and generally believed, “ that 
the coals in this country are inexhauftible.” But Mr, 
Williams, in his Natural Hidory of the Mineral King¬ 
dom, is of a different opinion, and thinks it a matter of 
fuch importance as deferve the lerious attention of the 
legillature. Towards elucidating this point, it may be 
