Page:Rivers, Canals, Railways of Great Britain.djvu/711



TONNAGE AND OTHER RATES.
For any Goods carried or conveyed any greater Distance than Twelve Miles upon the said Navigation, and not being subject to the payment of the said Gross Tonnage of Three Shillings per Ton, nor to the payment of any Toll or Duty upon either of the said Navigations from the River Withain to Horncastle and Sleaford, One Penny Half-penny per Ton per Mile; provided the aggregate Toll or Duty, after the Rate aforesaid, shall not exceed the said Gross Tonnage of Three Shillings per Ton.

Goods, Wares or Merchandise liable to pay Toll on the Horncastle and Sleaford Canals, are subject to a Toll of Nine-pence per Ton if carried upon any Part of the Witham Navigation; and an additional Toll of One-half the Amount of Toll payable for navigating the River.

The next act obtained, was passed in 1826, under title of 'An Act for enabling the Company of Proprietors of the Witham Navigation to complete the Drainage and Navigation by the River Witham, and to raise a further Sum of Money for that Purpose.'  By this act the proprietors are empowered to raise an additional sun of £60,000 for the completion of the works, in shares of £100 each, or by mortgage of the tolls and rates. Debentures, bearing interest at £5 per cent. are also to be given to the proprietors of old shares, as security for the payment of arrears due to them. Several other clauses, chiefly reserving the rights of various persons and public bodies, as in former acts, are inserted in this, but are not necessary to he quoted here.

The last act relating to this useful navigation received the royal assent on the 4th June, 1829, and is entitled, 'An Act to authorize the raising a further Sum of Money for completing the Drainage and Navigation by the River Witham, and for amending the Acts relating thereto;' which, after reciting the works which the act of 52nd George III. empowered them to do, and what had been already executed, it states that the company of proprietors had, under authority of that act, contributed amongst them selves, in shares of £100 each, the sum of £156,800, and had raised by mortgage of the tolls and duties the further sum of £23,200, and which sums had been expended; and that by the act of 7th George IV. the proprietors had raised amongst themselves, in shares of £100 each, the sum of £52,100, and by