Tue 6 Oct 1789
Meeting at the Bull Inn, Fairford
Committee elected.
Mr Perry reported to this meeting that he hath purchased six Trows viz Ironside, Severn, Radnor, Littleton, Hayes, Bright and Jones, three frigates from 30 to 40 tons, two trows on the stocks at Brimscombe nearly finished and one trow building at Stourport, three large Thames boats now in employ and one other nearly finished, a quantity of timber laid in for building one Thames boat and two Severn Trows.
Mr Perry had also bought about 4000 tons of Staffordshire Coal brought down by the above boats and stacked for use, some Forest Coal, some Bristol and some Tenby coal likewise imported for use and that a trade has been opened for the supplying of Bristol and Bath with stone which is likely to produce an advantageous back freight to Bristol.
£1700 drawn from Mr Stephenson for vessels and coal.
Mr Perry was authorised to obtain enough coal for the consumption of the country throughout the line of the canal. The general account to carry the cost until a private company might want to carry the trade.
Mr Smeaton’s report to Lord Eliot about work at Latton has been commented on by Mr Clowes as follows:
It was never intended to distress his tenants at the time of flooding their meadows, but to lay in a gauge trunk with a paddle in the end to raise or put down as the water might be spared from Down Ampney river until the gravel became watertight in the Eisey Pond .
If Lord Eliot would grant the company as Lease of Latton Mill the proprietors might abandon the feeder from Down Ampney river.
I would not advise the proprietors to go on Mr Smeaton’s plan at present at the tail of Latton Lock for in wet seasons there is a sufficiency of water. At the time I let out the canal from Latton to Kempsford, I found the Down Ampney river run in it’s ancient course through Eisey, which caused me to raise the canal aqueduct at Eisey to it’s present level, to give the Down Ampney river proper waterway understanding the floods of the River Thames and it’s backwatered up Down Ampney river much higher up the said river than where the canal passes over it at Eisey, and since I have cut the canal and put down the aqueduct at Eisey and Marston, Lord Eliot’s steward has deepened some new watercourses to turn the Down Ampney river out of it’s ancient course to flood some land and run under the Marston aqueduct.
I do not think the quantity of water to be taken from Down Ampney River into the canal through the feeder will ever be an injury to Lord Eliot’s tenants; the quantity will be small being only for the supply of the canal pond, which is rendered leaking by the gravel bottom which in my opinion will stop in the course of two winters.
Fairford 6th October 1789, Josiah Clowes.
Company letter to Lord Eliot with the report states that all the works carried out by the company were done so in accordance with the Act of Parliament for the convenience of the country and expected to be agreeable to Lord Eliot.
The ‘conduct of your Lordship’s agent ,however, it is presumed has not reached you under the representation of truth. I am therefore obliged to suggest that it may probably be found reprehensible, and particularly the late repeated act of cutting down a stank made to keep the water in the feeder leading from Down Ampney …’
All grain, or flour, malt beans and pease passing along the canal between Inglesham Lock and Brimscombe pay tonnage at three pence per ton per mile for any distance not exceeding twelve miles and that no more tonnage be taken for any distance exceeding twelve miles.
Tonnage on pig iron, pig and sheet lead, castings, bar iron, tin, tinplates, black glass bottles, clay, deals and deal baulks, copper, brass, in tile, pig or ingot, bricks, salt or salt rock, pottery ware, limestone, chalk, stone and spelter provided the same do pass the full distance be lowered to four shillings per ton.
That flint stones, passing the full length pay three shillings per ton and no more.
That all coal passing pay four shillings per ton and no more.
That nails, anvils, frying pans, iron hoops together with steel in the bar and faggot be lowered to four shillings per ton and no more.
Some persons that have worked on the building of the canal to be removed and clerks and officers to superintend conducting the use of the canal to be appointed.
