1802. 
manufa&ture fubftituted for it, there can 
be no doubt that much advantage would 
be found from it. . 
The A& further enacts, that no fith- 
curers fhall be allowed more than a cer- 
tain quantity of falt for each cwt. or each 
barrel of fifth, as is particularly fpecitied 
according to the different {pecies of fifh: 
and it goes on fay that, * if in taking an 
account of, and balancing tock of falt, 
any deficiency fhall be found, the fith- 
curer fhall forfeit twelve fhillings a 
bufhel.’ If then the fith-curer fhall have 
thought it advifeable to ufe, or fhall have 
accidentally uled, a greater quantity of 
falt than the A& allows for each barrel, 
he is to forfeit twelve fhillings per bufhel ; 
or, in other words, pay fomewhat more 
than the full duty on falt. That he may 
run no rifk of incurring this penalty, he 
adds even lefs falt than the Act permits, 
and which is probably about the medium 
quantity, if the falt is good, neceflary 
for the proper prefervation of the fith. 
By this, many barrels of fifth are {poiled 
and rendered ufelefs. This was very 
particularly the cafe the lait fifhing fea- 
fon. 
. 
We may next confider 2. The advan-_ 
tages which the repeal of the falc-duties 
would give us, by enabling us more rea- 
dily to apply its component parts to feveral 
of our aits and manufactures. 
Common falt, it is well known, is 
formed by the union of an acid with an 
alkali. The acid is the muriatic acid, or 
fpirit of falt: the alkali, the mineral al- 
kali, or foda. ‘The muriatic acid is not 
very extenfively employed in any of our 
manufactures, except in bleaching, when 
combined with an increaled proportion 
of oxygen. 
As there is a drawback of the whole 
duty on falt ufed im bleaching, fubject to 
certain regulations ; it might be fuppoled 
that the Aét impofing the duties on {alt 
did not here occafion any great inconve- 
nience to the artift, or lofs to the country. 
If we inguire more minutely, we fhal! find 
each of thefe the cafe in a high degree. 
As the A& ftands at prefent, the very 
numerous, body of fimall manufacturers 
and dyers is preciuded the benefit of the 
drawback, this being allowed only to fuch 
ioe as are **actually bleachers of 
inen or cotton ;”’ and even thefe, to claim 
thé drawback, muit ‘* make entry of every 
‘warehoufe, workhoufe, &c. ‘for bleach- 
ing.’ . 2 - 
But it is by preventing the manufac. 
ture, and diminifhing the ufe of the mine- 
Obfervations on the Salt-Dutics. 33) 
ral alkali, the other component part of 
fait, that the Act occafions the gieateft 
evil. What is the precife quantity of 
foda at prefent imported into this country, . 
may be known from the Cuftom-houie 
books. ‘There is reafon to believe that it - 
conititutes nearly =3, of the whole con- 
{umption of the country. From the ac- 
count of Dr. Walker, Profeffor of Natu-~ 
ral Philofophy at Edinburgh, it appears 
that, from 1764 to 1772, the annual 
average quantity of kelp made ih Scot- 
land, amounted only to 4892 tons. This 
average has fince, no doubt,, been in- 
creafed. But when it is confidered that 
the beft Scotch kelp does not contain 
more than five per cent. of pure foda, and 
that the remaining ninety-five parts are 
mere inert earthy matter, it will readily 
be conceived how inadequate the fupply 
of foda from this fource muft be to the 
wants of the country. Excepting th 
foda manufactured from kelp, in {mall 
quantities, in fome of the northerm’coun- 
ties, and that from common falt, at Long 
Benton, in Northumberland, we have, 
f{carcely any at prefent made in England. 
What is ufed is imported in the form of 
barilla, chiefly from Spain; and, of late, 
fome has been brought from the Eaft In- 
dies. The beit barilla generally contains 
from twenty to twenty-five per cent. of 
pure alkali. 
Inittead of having thus largely to import 
foda, there can be noydoubt but it would 
be manufactured from common falr, as 
well for our own confumption, as for ex- 
portation, did not the reftri€tions of the 
Salt Act prevent this. Excepting in the 
fingle inftance of Long Benton above- 
mentioned, no perfon can now legally ma- 
nufacture foda from common falt, with 
the benefit of the drawback, except a 
glafs-maker! Now it is well known that 
fcarcely a fingle slafs-maker in the king- 
dom avails himfelf of this privilege; and 
for this obvious reafon, that the pracei’s 
for exiradting the alkali from comimon falt 
isnot generally known, probably not to, 
more than half a dozen people in. the 
. kingdom; whole knowledge is rendered 
ufelefs by the reitrittions of the A. 
The glafs-makers confequently ule the 
_ imported barilia. 
It is, brides, tobe confidered that 
glafs.making is only one-of the numerous 
purpofes to which toda is extenfively ap-. 
plied. In foap-making it is eflential. In 
many of the Mancherter manufaGures, 
particularly in the dying of <ertain co- 
lours, it is effential ; and could it be pro- 
_eyred 
