Undated
City of Gloucester Petition
To the Honble the Commons of Great Britain in Parliament assembled
The humble Petition of the Mayor Alderman and Common Council of the City of Gloucester in Common Council Assembled
Sheweth
That a Bill is depending in this Honorable House to amend an Act passed in the Third year of his late Majesty's Reign for making making navigable the River Stroud-water in the County of Gloucester from the River Severn at or near Framilode to Wallbridge near the Town of Stroud in the same County and to give other Powers for the purposes of making a Navigation from Framiload to Wallbridge aforesaid
That your Petitioners are part Owners and proprietors of one Stack of the oldest and most considerable Corn and Cloth Mills upon the said River Stroud water at Ebley two Miles below Wallbridge and of a Farm and Lands thereto belonging situate upon and near to the Banks of the said River great part of the best of which Lands as well of the Lands of many other Proprietors will be cut asunder and thereby and by the Leakage from the Banks of said Canal rendered of much less Value and if the said Bill should pass into a Law your Petitioners humbly apprehend it will be very far from beneficial to the Public in general as not only the Mills of your Petitioners but also other valuable Mills will in a great measure be prevented from working by directing a great part of the Stroud water Stream by which only they are supplied and now frequently find a deficiency of water.
That the only Custom house upon the River Severn is at Gloucester several Miles above the Mouth of the intended Canal which is within one Tides reach of the Sea uncontrollable by any Custom house below it and the opening a communication with the River Severn from the Mouth of the said intended Canal will be an inlett to many illicit Practices and open a source of many Frauds and abuses in his Majesty's Revenue necessarily increase the number of Revenue Officers and its consequences be prejudicial to the fair Trader by its particular and convenient situation for smugling.
Your Petitioners therefore humbly hope and pray that they may be heard by Counsel against the said Bill and that the same may not pass into a Law.
