The sea-salt trade is far more prosperous on the Mediterranean than on the Atlantic sea-board, for not only is the salt far purer, but less rain falls in the former locality, and that part of the Mediterranean coast bordering on the Gulf of Lyons is very subject to a dry parching wind call, the mistral, which, though a great disadvantage to the other inhabitants of the country, blows much profit to tho salt-makers. Nobody can imagine more miserable creatures than the poor saulniers of the W. coast of France ; clothed in rags and more than half starved, pale and shivering with ague, they still struggle to maintain an industry whieh is gradually d)ing out. The pan-salt of the S.-W. works of Dax, Stifles, Briscous, and Villefranche is competing with them on the one hand ; while the more successful salins du midi are now able with improved means of communicatioe to bring their salt, which is both better and cheaper, into the markets ef their est' rn competitors at Bordeaux, Agen, Perigeux, aud Pau; and the salt of the N.-E. of France has driven them from Paris. Looking at the condition of the people, it is little to be desired that this industry should last iu tha W. of France, and it is much to be wished that they should turn to other employment.
The sea-salt industry of the coast of Portugal is very extensive, that relatively small country producing annually 250,000 tons, of which the salt-works of Sertuval alone yield 150,000 tons. In the districts of St. Ubes, Alcacer do Sal, there are over 400 sets of sea-salt works ; and at Aveiro, Figneras, and Oporto, aro others of very great importanee. In Istria, the sea-salt works of Pirano end Cape &Istria yield annually 60,000 tons,. while the " gardens " cover an area of 9 million sq. yd. In Sardinia, 50,000-60,000 tons of sea-salt aro annually produced near Cagliari ; while for the rest of Italy, Trappani, Lungro, Cervis, Margherita do Savoia, Comachio, etc., yield 105,000 120,000 tons. Spain, in the salt marshes of the Bay of Cadiz, Marbella Roquitas, Guandamar, and in the Baleario Islands, produces some 300,000 tons. In Russia, very large quantities of sea-salt aro made in the Limans of Odessa, on the shores of the Crimea, and on the N.-E. coast of the Caspian.
The production of sea-salt in France is shown in the table on p. 1737.
The manufacture of sea-salt would appear to be a profitable concern in the Eastern Archipelago. The following is an estimate of the cost of carrying on the manufacture at the salines of Baria. The space allowed for the tables is about 40 per cent., the beds 40, and the jas 20. To establish 200 acres of " tables," requires no less than 250 acres of land. The working of 1 acre of tables, or 21 acres of saline, involves the following expenditure :-1500 fr. for feeding the workmen during the
formation of the salines ; if the first collection of salt is good, the workpeople are paid a second sum of 1500 fr., and the collection of salt is given over to there for tlaeir own benefit. The capital thus advanced amounts to 3000 fr. The second year the proprietors work on their own account, and may collect salt to the value of 2000 fr. After deducting tax, etc., there remains about 1200 fr. of net revenue on the capital advanced at different stages (3000 fr.), or about 36 per cent.
In India, where the Government monopolizes the ss1e and manufacture of salt, the annual consumption during the years 1867-8 amounted to 22,700,000 maunds (of 82i lb.), in 1878-9, 24,200,000 maunds. The duty varies from ls. to 6s. 6d. a maund. The bulk of this salt is obtained from the evaporation of sea-water or from the Sambhur Lake, but the output of Punjab rock-salt was in 1878-9 estimated at over 600,000 maunds. The quantities of white salt sent to India from this country will be seen on p. 1736.
Extensive salt fields exist at Shimpaga, a short distance above Mandalay, on the W. bank of the Irrawady. It is also obtained at other places in Burma on a small scale. Large quantities could be manufactured at Shimpaga, but imported salt is fast taking its place in the market.
Table II. shows the compositions of some of the sea-salts known in the markets of Europe :— There is one other method of salt manufaeture employed in countries where extreme oold prevails, and which deserves passing mention. When sea-water is frozen, fresh water alone congeals, and the residue is a highly conoentrated solution of its saline contents. This solution, further concentrated by evaporation, yields crystals of common salt. In the Russian province of Okhotsk, this industry is carried on to some extent during the winter months, but to judge from the annexed analyses by Hess, the salt fd0 obtained is not of superior quality :— Salt is also mule In small quantities in Holland and some other countries of N. Europe by disaolving rock-salt to saturation in sea-water, and evaporating the solution by artificial heat, as will hereinafter be described under white salt. The salt so obtained is merely fer local consumption, and the business is not important enough to merit inore than passing allusion.
Po, (Fn., Sel Gernme; GER., Stein-Salz).—The geology of rock-salt has been already pretty fully coneldered in the eommeucement of this article. Io a paper read before the Literary and Philosophical Society of Liverpool, Thos. Ward gives a classifieation of the principal rock-salt deposits of Europe, which ie deserving of reproduction almost in Mew°.