Selected quad for the lemma: water_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
water_n	great_a	river_n	time_n	3,870	5	3.5818	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50266	Of the opening of rivers for navigation the benefit exemplified by the two Avons of Salisbury and Bristol : with a Mediterranean passage by water for billanders of thirty tun, between Bristol and London, with the results.	Mathew, Francis, Esquire.	1655 (1655)	Wing M1287D; ESTC R32418	7,390	15

Charta Cap. 2. See Henr. primi Cap. 12. Also Walsingham in Edw. 3 And see John Davis in his Irish Reports great or small which would willingly fall into our said Rivers designed for Navigation ought to be free and not to be bound up with Wears Sluces Pens for Mills and the like imprestures which keep up stop and divert the Waters from their natural Course and fall into those Navigable Rivers Those Mills either the State should buy of the Owners of them and erect for every Water-mill three Horse-mills for the necessity of the Country adjoyning or so agree with the Owners of them that they pulling up their Water-mills and such apparent purprestures for the free Course of Waters should themselves set up the said Horse-mills for the use of the Country in places more convenient then to go in some place a mile or two to a Water-mill which asketh a days imployment for a man and Horse And truly if the consumption of our Timber hold on but some few yeers more there will be none left to build either Water-mill or Wind-mill they requiring the best and strongest Timber we have so that of necessity we shall be driven to set up these Horse-mills which are built with our meanest Wood our Oak being little enough to maintain our Shipping were it never so well preserved hereafter The Avon of Bristol made Navigable as high as Malmsbury and Calne with the Profits for Transportation of Coals and other Commodities Which also may with facility produce a Mediterranean passage by water from Bristol to London The Coal-pits in Kings-wood neer Bristol and if they suffice not those Colliaries upon the Severn-side to furnish that Country so much destitute of Fuel up to Malmsbury and Calne in this manner may be looked upon This River made Navigable for Billanders flat-bottomed Boats of thirty tun which draw loaden but three foot and an half of water The work being feazable at a far less Charge than the yeerly Profit will come to these Collyers are to be dealt with to bring Coal either out of Kings-wood or from the Severn to a place assigned them for wharfage they affording the Newcastle Chaldron at the said Wharfage for 10 s. 2 d. Those Collyers in Wales the State may take it into their own hands giving the Owners yeerly more for them then they now make These Colliaries setled These of Kingswood are upon the States own soyl and the River of Bristol made Navigable the State to licence 300 of these Billanders each bearing thirty Chaldron only London measure and these to bring Coal from the Wharf up the said River as high as Malmsbury and Calne paying 10 s. 2 d. the London Chaldron at the Wharf and 5 s. for every such Chaldron for the passage up the River and sell them at Malmsbury and Calne for 18 s. 2 d. the London Chaldron The Owner or Merchant of the VVharf having for every such London Chaldron delivered These sold at 18 s. 2 d. London Chaldron 10 s. 2 d. The State for the passage of every such Chaldron 5 s. The Billander for his fraight for every such Chaldron 3 s. The difference of Newcastle and London measure in the Chaldron being a third Coal two Newcastle Chaldron making three of London The surplus of measure should be given to the State to be landed neer the said VVharfs upon a VVharf called the States Wharf The other VVharfs to be divided into six Surplus of measure to belong to the State every VVharf having his squadron of 50 Billanders belonging to the Owners and Merchants of the several VVharfs which VVharfs may have their Names from the Colours they shall bear These Wharfs to be kept by the Owners of the Coal which lieth upon them who are to receive as hath been said 10 s. 2 d. for every Chaldron given out London measure These Billanders are to sayl up the River every squadron by its self having each his Admiral and Rear-Admiral carrying their Flags of proper Colours none of the said squadron sayling before his Admiral nor any behinde his Rear-Admiral and this to prevent disorder as they pass through the Country They are so to discharge both the duties at the Wharf and the duties for the Passage as to make no stay at all Every Admiral at the discharge of the duties for his whole squadron for he is to undertake it is to receive a Ticket for his free passage through the River without which they are not to pass the Block-house or Fort for preserving the States revenue These Wharfs aforesaid are to have correspondent Wharfs at Malmsbury and Calne and to be regulated as the former one Squadron not unlading at anothers Wharf where each Billander is to receive for its fraight of 30 Chaldrons 4 l. 10 s. every voyage and two of these voyages may well be made in one month The Wharfs paying the Billanders their Salary and keeping the Coals for all such as fetch it there at 18 s. 2 d. the London Chaldron As concerning the Coal before should be laid upon the States Wharf being the third Coal gained in the Nowcastle measure that also is to have at Malmsbury and Calne a Wharf called the States Wharf corresponding to the former where that surplus of measure should be had and kept for the benefit of the State in thankfulness for that great charge in making the River thus Navigable for the benefit of the Country And thereby the benefit of the Coal and Passage cometh to the State the fraight of the Billander only excepted The ground-work being thus laid the Profits are these   l. s. d. Every Billanders fraight with 30 London Chaldron for the Passage only These from Bristol to Malmsbury and Calne making two voyages every 〈◊〉 monthe carry 126000 Chaldron Fruits to the State Every voyage 7 10 0 Every Squadron of 50 of these Billanders fruits to the State every voyage 375 0 0 Every voyage of 300 Billanders for Passage only fruits to the State 2250 0 0 Surplus of Measure to the State alone       Every such Billander fraight with the Surplus of Measure upon the third Coal fruits to the State both for Coal and Passage 22 10 0 Every Squadren of 50 Billanders every Carriage fraight as aforesaid fruits to the State 1125 0 0 Every voyage of those 300 Billanders fraight as aforesaid fruits to the State 6750 0 0 The Coal as they are first brought to the Wharfs should be so Ordered as the third Coal be duly carried to the Wharf of the State As to cleer what hath been said If 20 Chaldron Newcastle measure be brought from the Pits to the VVharfs they are to be divided into 30 Chaldron London measure of which the State is to have 10 Chaldron laid upon its VVharf and so proportionable to all that are brought from the Pits to any VVharf the third Coal being alwayes carried to the States Wharf The Staple of Coal being thus setled for all

that Country about Malmsbury and Calne and Coal being sold there constantly for 18 s. 2 d. the London Chaldron to all that will fetch them that is at the price of 6 d. the London Bushel No question is to be made but that a marvelous great quantity will be thus vented to the great blessing of the people who now pay about Calne and Malmsbury never under 12 d. the Bushel and commonly more being carried by horse from Bristol Should 50000 Chaldron only be thus yeerly vented it is a great Revenue and would in the very Profits to the State rise in this sole Commodity of Coal unto 20833 6 8 That is for Passage 12500 0 0 And for the third Coal gained 8333 6 8 And no doubt Bristol so great a place of Traffick would make use of this River as high as Calne towards the transportation of their Merchandize from Bristol to London it being the worst and most hilly part of the way and lieth full in the passage to London   l. s. d. A Billander of 30 Tun laden with Merchandize from Bristol to Calne taking but one Farthing per pound fruits to the State every voyage 62 10 0 It may well make two voyages every Month. This River being thus practiced as high as Malmsbury and Calne should our Seas be at any time infested with Enemy Fleets in such sort as with 〈◊〉 eminent danger London and other parts of this Common-wealth could not be served with Coal from Newcastle and Sunderland How facile a thing it were from Malmsbury lying upon the said River to open a passage for these Billanders of 30 Tun which draw water but three foot and half loaden into the River Isis by Creeklade and Latchlade and so into the Thames all that land-passage being not above 4 or 5 miles inviting the Vndertaker being very low and practicable ground most fit for the Designe By this means there would be a Mediterranean passage from Bristol to London by water Not only for the supply of much Coal in time of necessity but for all other Commodities brought into Bristol which in time of Hostility London could not otherwise enjoy but by excessive Rates for Land-carriages or conveyances by Sea but by this passage once opened all Commodities may be brought from Bristol to London even at one farthing per pound we now paying all the winter-time for carriage by Land between London and Bristol 4 s. per cent and so preserve our horses for the States Service The whole Charge of this Navigable Passage would be paid with the Profits of one only yeer And as for Coal for 2 s. more upon the London Chaldron for fraight they also this way would be brought to London at 20 s. 2 d. the Chaldron London Chaldron Howsoever great caution ought to be used that during times of Peace no Coal should be brought to London this way to the end our shipping which is much imployed in the transportation of that Commodity might still be kept up for the safety benefit and honor of this State It were good that the 2 d. upon every Chaldron were paid towards the defraying of the Salary of Officers upon the VVharf and towards the Passage yeerly at Cardiff the neerest Colliary to Bristol that is upon the Severn excellent Scotish-Coals which also would drive a great trade upon this passage being sold by the Tun. This passage in time of Peace should be used for transportation of Merchandize to London and from London to Bristol only from the first of October to the first of April partly not to obstruct our Navigation by Sea all the Summer-time when the doubling of the Cape of Cornwal is not dangerous nor our Coasts so subject to storms And partly by reason of the Avon and Isis and the Thames it self in those winter-months will not want water which in the Summer they do And for Coal our Seas being not infested none should pass higher then Malmsbury and Calne not to hinder as hath been said our Navigation for that Commodity by Sea which must still be endeavored to be kept up to the full Now who should be the Vndertaker of this great work but the State it self it being too great an expence for any private man or Corporation to lay out and of too great a Profit for them to receive being effected Some endeavors have been used by that noble Patriot Sir John Harrington to make this River Navigable between Bristol and the Bath which work I have seen This to be observed well by by the Cities of Bath and Bristol lest they labor in vain but the Design being too narrow for this our great Proposal it were in vain to be again set upon either by any private man or the said two Towns unless they intended to make the River and their Sasses so large as the River to carry Billanders of thirty Tun and their Sasses to hold half a dozen of these Billanders at once I went down to see Sir Joh. Harringtons intended Sass some two miles below the Bath I found the Engineer to have much abused the noble Knight in his work making his Sass upon the very Dam of the River which would have been a perpetual and forcible enemy to his work Besides I found by measuring his Sass that it would contain but one only Boat and that only of 8 Tun which narrow Design would no way have served to this our Mediterranean Passage But must have been again ript up and destroyed The Sass it self being to be otherwise placed and made far larger He who hath seen the Sass between Ipris and Vuerne in Flanders will confess it a noble work and capable of Publick Service which this I spoke of no way is 〈◊〉 much is the memory of that noble Knight to be honored in shewing himself to his ability a publick man laboring so much for the good of his Country Many Sasses are to be made upon this River of Avon it being so much a fayling-water insomuch it is now forced to be kept up with many Dams every one of which must have his Sass but not upon the Dam but upon the side of it as the Figure expresseth The Proposer of this Paper hath no other interest in this Design than a true Patriot ought to have a desire for the Publick good to see it effected and by it his Country served And if he shall perceive it imbraced it will encourage him to offer up to the Publick service of his Country other improvements of greater Consequence FINIS Aboue and below the Damme Thus the Sasse to goe The Auon The Damme Sir Iohn Harringtons Sasse The Auon