THE said Paper complains , That if the Clause shall pass for prohibiting the refining of Rock-Salt , at any Place but near the Rock-Pits , all the Refinerys of Rock Salt will be destroy'd .

To which it is answered , That if the Rock-Salt shall be permitted to go from the Pits , not only all the Makers of Salt from Brine , and the Makers of Salt from Sea-water will be ruined , but the Duty upon Salt , which is to pay the Interest of three Millions of Money lent to the Government , will be lost also ; and all the People of England must then pay and make good that deficiency : For the Weight and various Drawbacks allowed to the Rock-Salt , are such and so many that it is not possible to prevent the Frauds any other way than by the method prescribed in the Bill . For instance , 75 l. of Rock-Salt is reckon'd a Bushel , and pays 3 s . 4 d . at the Pit . 56 l. only is allow'd to a Bushel of Brine-Salt , and pays 3 s . 4 d . at the Works : and 56 l. of Rock-Salt melted in fresh Water , as hath been actually done at the Excise Office in London , will produce its own weight in white Salt ; so that the Rock-Refiner has in weight 19 l. more for 3 s . 4 d . than the Brine Salt-Maker hath ; and he accordingly sells it , and it is used in specie without refining , and by doing so he reimburses himself one third of the Duty paid at the Pits , and so much is lost to the Revenue : Then he sets to refine some part of the said Salt-Rock , and that he may appear like a very honest Man , he calls for the Officer , and as the Act directs , in his Presence weighs out 20 Bushels , more or less , at 75 l. to the Bushel , and puts it into large Cesterns of Water for melting the same ; and the Officer allows him a Drawback for it . But it requiring a very long time ( viz. ) 2 or 3 days to be dissolved when the Officer is in Bed , or otherwise absent , one half of the said Rock is taken out of the Cesterns , and conveyed back to the Warehouse ; and this practise is repeated till double the Duty paid at the Pits is drawn back upon the melting , which advantage the Brine Salt Maker hath no opportunity for , there not being any Drawback allowed to that Salt , but upon Exportation only ; and the Bill does sufficiently provide against the Cheats that have been too much practised therein , to the loss of the Revenue , and derriment to the fair Trader . But if what 's propos'd by the Author of the said Paper was allow'd of ( viz. ) That the Brine as well as the Rock should be charged with the Duty at the Pits , there must be a Drawback allow'd upon the boyling thereof ; and then indeed the Brine Salt-Makers will easily find ways and means to defeat the Duty as well as the Rock Refiners .

The said Paper astirms , that the Rock is not refined in any Creeks or secret Places , but in great Towns , and the Excise Officer there employ'd , may Collect the Duty without any additional Charge in Collecting thereof ; that this is not true the Margin of the Paper does sufficiently discover , where Helbre and Hyde in Cheshire , Peelstouder in Lancashire , and Grane in Kent are mentioned as Refinerys of Rock-Salt , and a Thousand such will be set up if it is not limited to be Refined only at the Pits ; for if it once goes from thence it is impossible to confine it to any bounds .

The said Paper suggests further , that if the Rock-Salt is limited only to the Pits it will be unprofitable to Refine it , which is also not true ; for the Rock is Refined by making a Brine from it , and by letting Water stay in the Pit , it will produce the stronger Brine , which will be brought up by a small labour of pumping , and save the Charge of digging the Rock and winding it up . And moreover , even according to the Assertion laid down in the said Paper , Salt refined from Rock Salt sells dearer by Six-pence per Bushel than Newcastle Salt , whereas Salt made from Brine is never sold for more than 5 d . per Bushel at the Works .

The Paper also alledges , That if the Rock-Salt is limited only to the Pits , the Brine Propietors will be the only Manufacturers of Salt , and will then have it in their Power to set what Rates they please thereon , which is totally impossible . For in the first place , the Rock-Pits will become Brine-Pits ( as some of them have done ) and even they will afford such plenty of Salt as would supply more then half the Kingdom . But in the next place , there are now so very many Brine-Pits in Cheshire , in Staffordshire , and in Worcestershire , besides the very many Salt-Works which are in the Bishoprick of Durham and Northumberland , and some also at Port-Sea and Limington , that the only contention is , and always will be , who shall gain most Customers by selling cheapest ; but besides that , the Justices of Peace have a Controuling Power over them to set what Prices they please upon Salt .

The Author of the Paper goes on in commendation of his Salt made from Rock Salt , above all other Salt whatsoever , but it will appear that the Swans in his own Eyes , are meer Geese in others .

For the Brine being impregnated with the most acute saline spiritual part of the Rock , partakes not of that noxious crassid part which always subsides and remains with the Rock , and is of a reddish Colour , and in which great quantity of Bittern is contained ; and therefore the Author is very much out in that part of his Philosophy , for the whole body of the Rock being taken up , and the Sand and Bittern contained therein being all mash'd together , the Salt made thereof must of necessity , and does abundantly partake of those hurtful qualitys , as several Merchants who have had their Fish and Provisions spoiled therewith do testify : but the Author of the said Paper shews himself to be very little skilled in the true nature of Salt , by his two last Paragraphs , for first he says the Dutch have by several Laws strictly injoyn'd the use of Resined Salt , ( which Refined Salt he may easily inform himself is always made of Salt from Sea-Water ) and yet in the very next Paragraph discommends all Salt ( and in particular Newcastle ) which is made of Sea-water ; but to give him a little better Instruction in the nature of Brine-Salt , Newcastle-Salt , Port-Sea , Limington and Dutch-Salt , he is referr'd to the Book writ by Mr. Collins , entituled , Salt and Fishery , and there he will find that the Salt discommended as the worst Salt , and as having the most noxious quality of Sand and Bittern , is that Salt which is made from the Sea-water , and granulated by the heat of the Sun , and so used without boyling it up with Fire ; and that 's the Salt which the Dutch must not use for their Herrings : but the Salt made from the Brine-Springs , and Salt made with Fire from Sea-water , are by that Author ( who was a good judge of that Matter ) recommended as the best for all uses .

The Author's Conclusion is a wild random Estimate of what the Refinerys have cost ; and hopes the Honourable House will not pass that Clause which destroys the use of them , without giving some satisfaction : By which 't is plain they are so hurtful to the Duty on Salt , that himself thinks they will not be longer allow'd of .

The Answer therefore to him is , That the Rock-Refiners having cheated the Nation of ten times more Money than all their Cost about their Refinerys amount to , they are too well paid if they are allow'd to go away unpunished .