Tue 12 Mar 1805
A letter from Mr John Wheeler, clerk to the Gloucester & Berkley Canal Co. stating that in their intending Act of Parliament for which they were about to apply they had not the least intention to infringe upon any of the enactments made in favour of the Stroudwater Navigation Company, that the Bill they intended to lay before Parliament should be printed and that a copy should be sent for the inspection of our committee as early as possible . Resolved that a letter be forthwith written to the Chairman of the Committee of the Gloucester & Berkeley, to be signed by the Chairman of our Committee, acknowledging the receipt of the letter from their and requesting as speedily as possible an assurance from him on the part of the Gloucester & Berkeley agreeably to the tenor of the letter of Mr Haines of 31 January written in consequence of an order of our committee that no clause should be introduced into their new intended Act of Parliament that should in any manner be injurious to the interests and revenues of our Company and also that agreeably to Mr Wheeler’s promise a copy of the Bill when printed may be sent to the clerk of our company.
A letter was received of the 29 January last addressed to the Chairman of our Committee from Mr Samuel Galton, Chairman of the Birmingham Canal Company, stating that a demand for the payment of poor rates having been made of that Company which was quite unusual and as he conceived illegal a joint application was proposed to be made to Parliament by that Company in conjunction with others that should feel themselves interested in the question for an Act to explain and amend the poor laws on this point. As our Company is by an express clause of our Act of Parliament secured from a liability to the payment of such a charge, we are totally uninterested in the question that has been stated and consequently to decline to join in the intended application to the legislature. A letter to such effect was to be sent to Mr Galton, signed by the Chairman of our Committee.
At a Meeting of the Committee of the Stroudwater Navigation held at the Committee room at Walbridge on Tuesday the 12^th of March 1805
Present: Samuel Wathen, Benj^n Grazebrooke, Rev^d J Colborne, Jos^h Grazebrooke,
James Fyers, Rowles Scudamore, Natha^l Wathen, Jn^o Allaway.
Read the Minutes of the last Meeting
Continued the Orders of the last Meeting
A Letter was received from M^r Jn^o Wheeler Clerk to the Glocester and Berkley Canal Co stating that in their intended Act of Parliament, for which they were about to apply they had not the least intention of infringing upon any of the Enactments made in favour of the Stroud water Navigation Company, that the Bill they intended to lay before Parliament should be printed, and that a coppy should be sent for the inspection of our Committee as early as possible. Resolved that a Letter be forthwith written to the Chairman of the Glocester and Berkley Canal to be signed by the Chairman of our Committee acknowledging the receipt of the Letter from their Clerk of the 15^th Ult ^(?) and requesting as speedily as possible an assurance from him on the on the part of the Glocester and Berkley Canal Committee agreeably to the tenor of the Letter of our Clerk M^r Hains of the 31^st Jan^y written in consequence of an Order of our Committee that no Clause shold be introduced into their new intended Act of Parliament that should in any manner be injurious to the interests or revenues of our Company, and also that agreeably to M^r Wheelers promise a Coppy of the Bill when printed may be sent to the Clerk of our Company.
A Letter was received of the 29^th Jan^y last address'd to the Chairman of our Committee from M^r Sam^l Galton Chairman of the Birmingham Canal Company stating that a demand for the payment of Poor rates having been made of that Company which was quite unusual and as he conceived illegal a joint Application was proposed to be made to Parliamnt by that Company in conjunction with others that should feel themselves interested in the question for an Act to explain and amend the Poor Laws on this point . Resolved that as our Company is by an express Clause of our Act of Parliament is secures from a liability to the payment of such a charge, we are totaly uninterested in the question that has been stated, and consequently do decline to join in the intended application to the Legislation and that an Answer to such effect be forthwith transmitted to M^r Galton to be signed by the Chairman of our Committee.
Adjourned this Meeting to Monday the 8^th of April next at 3 o'Clock in the Afternoon at the Committee room at Walbridge.
