Tue 8 Apr 1800
General Half Yearly Meeting. Tonnage £1916 12s 2d. Balance £1628 0s 7d. Dividend of £7 10s declared.
Thanks to Mr Wathen for index of proceedings. Payment of 10 guineas and 1 guinea to his clerk. He is to incorporate digest of entries in Company's books in future, as Committee member.
From 1st June next bye law that at least 3 able and efficient persons belonging to and attending every barge. Owner and owners of every barge for every offence against regulation, to pay £5. Bye law to be added to Table of Rules and Orders for Navigating on the Canal.
Committee for next year: Rev William Ellis, Rev Joseph Colborne, Samuel Wathen, John Allaway, Benjamin Grazebrook, Joseph Grazebrook, Rowles Scudamore, Josiah Harford, William Battersby, J J Wathen, Nathaniel Wathen, Edward Wood, Nathaniel Jones.
At a General Half Yearly Meeting of the Proprietors of the Stroudwater Navigation held at the George Inn in Stroud on Tuesday the 8^th of April 1800
Samuel Wathen Esq^r in the Chair.
The Minutes of the last General Meeting were Read and Confirmed.
The Several Books and Accounts were produced respecting the Affairs of the Company as directed by the Act of Parliament and Examined and Confirmed.
It appears by the Accounts that the Sum of 1916^£..12^s..2^d has been received for Tonnage, etc, from the 8^th of October last to this day a part of which has been applied towards the Payment of Debts, Wages, Disburstments, etc, there remains in the Treasurers hands after paying the last Dividend, and the 200^£ in Addition to the Coal trade the Sum of 1628^£.. ^s..7^d.
Ordered that a Dividend of 7^£..10^s on each Share be paid by the Treasurer on the 2^nd day of May next and that our Clerk do transmit Circular Letters to all the Proprietors to inform them that they may draw upon the Treasurer or apply to him for payment of the same.
An Index of the recorded Proceedings of our Company and Committees having been presented by M^r J I Wathen in Pursuance of the Vote by the General Meeting of the 8^th of October 1799, Resolved that the Thanks of the Company be voted to M^r Wathen for his prompt and able Attention to the request of our last half Yearly Meeting, and that it be communicated to him as the Wish of this Meeting that he will from Time to Time in future (so long as he may be elected a Member of our Committee) continue to incorporate with the above mentioned Index a Digest of such Entries to be hereafter made in the Companys Books, as may be considered by him to be necessary. And it is further resolved that our Clerk do wait on M^r J I Wathen and present him, as his Fee, the Sum of Thirty Guineas and to his Clerk One Guinea.
Whereas the good and orderly using of the Navigation requires that there should be a sufficient number of Bargemen employed in, and attending upon each Barge navigating the Canal, It is hereby enacted and declared, that from and after the 1^st day of June next ensuing the Date hereof, no Barge shall be navigated in or upon the Canal, or any part thereof, unless there shall be at least able and sufficient Persons belonging to and attending upon every Barge so navigated during the time when such Barge shall be so navigated upon the Canal or any Part thereof. And it is hereby further enacted and declared that the Owner or Owners of every Barge which shall be navigated upon the Canal after the said 1^st day of June next ensuing the date hereof contrary to the true intent and meaning hereof for every Offence against the above Regulation shall forfeit and pay the Sum of £5 to be recovered as the Law directs. And it is further Ordered that a Duplicate of this Bye Law be made out and our Corporate Seal be thereto affixed and the same be recorded amongst our proceedings. And that this Bye Law be published by inscribing the purport thereof upon the Table of the Rules and Orders concerning the Navigating on th the Canal.
The following Gentlemen are appointed a Committee for the Ensuing Year, Viz:
Rev^d Will^m Ellis, Jos^h Harford, Rev^d Jos^h Colborne, Will^m Battersby, Sam^l Wathen, J I Wathen, John Allaway, Nath^l Wathen, Benj^n Grazebrook,Ew^d Wood, Jos^h Grazebrook, Nath^l Jones, Rowles Scudamore.
