Page:Rivers, Canals, Railways of Great Britain.djvu/489



TONNAGE RATES CONTINUED.
Greater or less Quantities in Proportion. Pleasure Boats are exempted from this Rate, as also are all Manures and Compost, Malt Dust, Pigeons' Dung and Oil Cake, excepting that made of Lineseed.

The commissioners may borrow £3,000 on credit of the rates, and mortgage them as security for the same. The tolls of the different sluices to be kept separate, and the proceeds employed on the distance between them. There are several other clauses in the act, besides those which we have quoted, but they are not of general interest. This navigation is very convenient for the export of corn, and for obtaining coal, timber and groceries in return.

NENE AND WISBECH RIVERS.
8 George IV. Cap. 85, Royal Assent 14th June, 1827.

10 George IV. Cap. 104, Royal Assent 1st June, 1829.

THE improvements which the acts, obtained as above, were intended to produce, are of a very important nature, as will appear from our map.

The cut which is to obviate the necessity of following the channel of the river from Kinderley's Cut to the Eye, begins at Gunthorpe Sluice, near the termination of Kinderley's Cut; intersecting in its course the Sutton Sluice, it passes by Sutton Wash to Crab Hole, in nearly a straight line. The depth from the low-water-level in the Eye to the surface of the water at Kinderley's Cut is 13 feet 8 inches; the bottom of the channel at Sutton Wash is 8 feet 6 inches. Mr. Rennie and Mr. Telford were both employed in forming the plan, and the estimate was £127,890. At Kinderley's Cut the high water is calculated to be 11 feet above low water. On one occasion, in 1810, the high water at Crab Hole was 25 feet.

The first act obtained for this improvement is entitled,'' 'An Act for improving the Outfall of the River Nene, and the Drainage of the Lands discharging their Waters into the Wisbech River, and the Navigation of the said Wisbech River, from the Upper End of Kinderley's Cut to the Sea, &amp;c. &amp;c.' '' It recites various acts for the general improvement of this district, and then goes on to state the powers given to the parties