Page:Rivers, Canals, Railways of Great Britain.djvu/66

44 But in the preamble of an act which the company obtained in 1806, entitled,  'An Act to alter and amend an Act passed in the Forty-third Year of his present Majesty, entitled, An Act for improving and rendering more commodious the Port and Harbour of Bristol, and for extending the Powers and Provisions of the said Act,'  it appears that of the £250,000 authorized to be raised among themselves, they only obtained £235,000, and were wholly unable to obtain any part of the £50,000 which they were authorized to borrow on mortgage. This act, therefore, gives power to the directors nominated for managing the affairs of the Bristol Dock Company, or any five of them, to make a call of £35 per cent. on original shares, (which would increase the capital to £317,250,) to enable them to carry into execution the works recited in the act of 43rd George III. with the alterations and improvements authorized to be made by the last recited act.

The works authorized to be done under the act of 46th George III. consist chiefly of a solid dam across the River Avon, at the Red Cliff, and another between the present course of the Avon, (now the floating-dock,) and the new intended course of the said river; also another dam over the Avon at Totterdown, and for making the westwardmost locks in the Rownham Mead Basin 33 feet wide, instead of 45 and 33 feet.

The power in the act of 43rd Geo. III. to borrow £50,000 on mortgage, is repealed by the above recited act. Persons holding ten shares in this undertaking, are qualified to serve as directors.

Two other acts have been obtained by the Bristol Dock Company, one in the 48th George III. entitled,  'An Act for completing the Improvements of the Port of Bristol;'  and another in the following year, entitled,  'An Act to enable the Bristol Dock Company to borrow a further Sum of Money for completing the Improvements of the Port and Harbour of Bristol;'  but as they refer to matters which are not strictly within the limits of this work, we refrain from quoting the provisions of the same.

The River Avon, by reason of the gradual contraction of the channel of the Severn, is subject to very high and rapid tides, and particularly so when the wind is from the west, or a point or two to time south. At the mouth of the Avon, where the Severn is six miles wide, the usual spring tide is 40 feet; but in November,