Star.
London, England, 1817-03-15 00:00:00

SALT.

We are very happy to find that the attention of
Parliament will be again drawn to a commutation
ter the Salt Duties. When we consider that Salt is
a most essential ingredient in our food, and as neces-
sary to our health as to oar comiom and that the
Tas amounts to forty time: its first cat. we wonder
some substitute has not been alre dy found for it.—
A bushel of Salt, which foreigners may buy of us
fife
_limn duty, costs them only fourliente-halfpenng :
but we pay on that bushel a duty of Finset; atm,
ilea% and in most parts of England it is not to be
bought by the poor man for less than 6s. a stone.
But that It not tie worst of it. As foreign Mame-
facturers can have English Salt duty free, they can
-imisiey their awn mar, whilst our poor want epploy-
mem ; they can undersell us at foreign markets, and
even send us back articles made with our own Salt,
at twenty times the price they paid us for the Sall
they used for them.
Again, as their Gsl. amen can have our Salt duty-
free, and without difficulty, Or any limitation as to
pewit, to be used, the Theta can come and catch our
ash un our own coasts. mere it with our own Salt, and
then sell it us and our commis abroad, at five times
the pike at which we could have caught and cured
it, whilst we should have been thereby employing our
own sailors and fishermen. So in America, the sub-
jects of the United States have run away with more
than h.li our Newfoundland trade, and then supply
our West India colonies by anderselling us.
The allowance of Bth for our own fisheries is sub-
ject to such pains and penalties, and • fettered with
such restrictions and conditions, that a door fisherman
and sailer cannot possibly take the benefit of it: and
other fishermen prefer paying the duty. or more fre-
quently throwing away their fah, to the providing of
inne-houses and incurring the risk, trouble and vexa--
tioa of the Salt Laws. Yet with all this severity, the
temptation of a tat of FORTY TIMES TEM VALUE IS such,
that gangs of thieves and smugglers are to be loend'
in the neighticialihood of all Salt-works, and as much
:alt is stolen, plundered, or smuggled, as actually
pays duty:
A few years back many hundreds of loads of refuse
•lalt, not fit kir the market, were allowed to be used
for natsunz in Worcestershire, Cheshire, &c. and paid
to Governtnent a duty of fourpence a bushel, for
leave to use it ; but since the great increase of the
general tax on Salt for home consumption to fifteen
oilliogs a bushel, all this valuable manure is thrown
iota the River. and entirely last to the country.
At the same time we may observe, that as Salt is
perchased by retail in small quantities, the annual
expense of it is greater than most persons seem to be
swat, of. Few cottager: use much less, and many
s'se more, on an average, than a pound of Salt a
1441 little, however, as that seems, it amounts to
bushel a year; which, when bought by the pound, ,
hill hardly be got for less than at the rate of six shil-
imp a stone, or twenty-four shillings the bushel.
Other housekeepers use double that quantity ; some
four times a, much; and even, in great country-
„Lmesi above ten times as much ; particularly where
'kills a good deal.tif Salt-Meat. Farmers are taxed
at a still higher rate; for they want Salt for their
better, chene. pork. beef, 3tc. dm. and would hod it
°.f great use when getting in their hay in wet weather,
la Making damaged bay palateble and wholesome
for their cattle, mac:serving their sheep from the
rot, and in many jespects—ao that there can
be no doubt, but that the wisdom of Parliament may
be able to find a mode Of CtoMMUTAT3OI4 son TVs
°ALT DUTIVi, which whilst it does not cost us bait
of the extra price we now pay to the Emile for the
411tY on Salt, may provide AgesuptlAL IMIPLOYMNT
in
"mita, manufactures, trade, alid consnsercs, for
siarand poor mill mar Ibisaid saws
,aa aeon,
a.'d thereby materially relieve as is Oaf pOotAratlis
2"1 'flake us su richer. sad luippiai sad bend,

THE EVP:NING STAR.

I,ONDOV

SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 1817.
PRICE 41'00(A This DAY AI" r 1.1.VE n•CLOCx
'trifocal shut—Cons. money, G9H—far Ace. 69ii
4.per Cent shot--S per Cent. Navy; 993
Exchequer 88. 4% I Is. pc.—lndia Bonds 33 pr.

In the Home of Commons Several tarts were last
night voted for the expenses of the Navy and Trans-
port service, for six months, commencing with the
Ist of January, 1817. In the course of the discus•
sion Sir Monism WHITE RiDIXt intimated his into*.
von to take some opportunity to bring again before
the House the question of reducing the Lords of the
Admiralty—or at least of diminishing their salaries.
The situation of the Pursers of the Navy, thrown
upon the world penniless and unpitied, was also
alluded to. The income of some single extra oalcer
created by the war, and therefore now of no use,
would proviale for a great number of inch men.

A long debate followed nn the third reading of
the Seditious Assemblies Bill, which was carried
179 against 44,

FLANDERS AND FRENCH MAILS.

A Flanders Mail arrived last night.
The Journals state, on the authority of knots from
Paris, that a new Ltaw of Amnesty Is in contempla-
tion, which, with a very few exceptions, would again
open the bosom of France to all her children who
have sought refuge in foreign countries. The fact
may be so, but the French Journals, which we have
also received this morning, to the 12th inst. are quite
silent on the subject.
The Rhine and the Seine continue rising in a most
extraordinary degree, in consequence of the late rains.
At Strasburgh, Kehl, and other places on the Rhine,
the inundation has done great damage, and most se-
rious apprehensions are entertained for the safety
.of
the bridges. The Seine, at Paris, has risen higher
than it has been known to rise for a century past
The Quai de la Greve is almost entirely overflown,
and the usual roads to Versailles and Saint Germisio
en Jaye, are become quite impabsable.