from salt water by fire, which is preferred for all domestic uses.
The African or American salt is made from salt water by the sun;
which is used for curing and preserving provisions. The first, made
by fire, is found, by long experience, in warm climates, to be too
weak; the provisions cured with it turn rusty, and in six or eight
months become unfit for use. The second kind, by the quantity of
alum, or some other vicious quality in it, is so corrosive, that in
less than twelve months, the meat cured with it is entirely
deprived of all the fat, and the lean hardened, or so much
consumed, as to be of little service. The same ill qualities are
found in these salts with regard to fish: wherefore the arguments
used, that they ought to have English salt only, are as much as to
say, they should be allowed to catch fish, or salt any provisions,
but let their cattle and hogs die without reaping the advantage
nature has given them.

In all countries where a benefit can arise by fish or provisions,
salt must be cheap; and as its value where made is from ten to
twenty shillings the ton, so the carriage of it to America is often
more than the real value: It is in order to save part of the
expense of carriage, this application is made; for although some
gentlemen do not seem to know it, yet we have liberty, by the
present laws in force, to carry any kind of European salt to
America, the ship first coming to an English port, in order to make
an entry.

We have also liberty to bring it from any salt island in Africa or
America; but by the Act of 15 Car. II. Chap. 7, salt is supposed to
be included under the word commodity; whereby it is, with all
European goods, prevented from being carried to America, unless
first landed in England: the consequence whereof is, that English
ships, which (I shall suppose) are hired to sail from London to
Lisbon with corn, and thence proceed to America, have not the
liberty to carry salt in place of ballast, and therefore under a
necessity to pay above L10 sterling at Lisbon for ballast (that is
to say, for sand), which they carry to America, or else return to
England in order to get a clearance for the salt, which would be
more expense than its value.

Now, had they liberty to carry salt directly to America, they would
not only save the money paid for t