Page:Ruffhead - The Statutes at Large - vol 7.djvu/699

 A. D. 1756. Anno vicefimo nonoGEoRGii XL C. 22. 679 they have hitherto had and enjoyed, and ftiil do enjoy, for running off the Waters of the faid Fen tiirough Grunty Fen Drain, towards the Outfall. . ' ' XXIX. And whereas by the faid Ad of ihe "fifteenth Year of King Charles the Second, it was, isCar.i.ci;. ' amongft other Things, enacted, I hat the Governor, Baililfs and Confeivators of the Great Level ' (hould have Power to lay Taxes upon the ninety-five thouland Acres of Land (allotted as a Recoinpence ' for the Drainhig of the faid Great Level) (or the Suppoit, Maintenance and Prefervation of the faid ' Great Level, and to levy the fame with PcnahitS tor Non-payment ; and that the faid Governor Bai- ' liffs and Confervators, Ihould have Power lo fell fo much, or fuch Parts and Proportions of the faid ' ninety-five thoufand Acres, upon which any Tax fliould be in Arrear, or Penalties, in fuchProportijns ' as the fa'.d Governor, Bailiffs and Confervators, (hould judge to be fufEcient to raife fuch Taxes and ' Penalties : And whereas feveral Parcels of the laid ninety-five thouiand Acres of Land, lying within the Sta»e cf thein- ' faid Diftric^, bounded and defcribed as aforefaid, were at djff"eicnt Times put up to Sale, m purfuance ^«""' L;"^^^ '" ' and accordmg to the D'^re^tions of the faid Act of the fifteenth of King Charles the'Second and of J^^l'Tf^"'^" ' another A6t made in the twentieth Year of the (aid Kmg, intituled, An Aa for the Taxing and AkclJins, to the Corpo.-l^ ' of the Lands of the Adt'entnrers within the Great Level of the Fens, in order to raife the Taxes an.i Pe- °"- ' nalties in Arrear, for and in refpedl of the faid Lands ; biit the lame not being thought wonli the Taxes ^^'^^''-^ '=-^' ' and Penalties due thereon, Aich Lands could not be fold fo as to raife furh Penalties and Taxes • and ' the faid Governor, Bailiffs and Confervators, having diretSted their Oi^iceis, from Time to Time, lo ' bid for fuch Lands as could not be fold for the Amount of the l~axes and Petialties refpedtiveiy'due ' thereon, they the faid Officers became the Purchafers of fuch Lands, and have either conveyed tiie fame ' to the faid Governor, Bailiffs and Commonalty, or declared fuch Purchafes to have been made in Tru'lc ' for the faid Corporation ; and the Lands fo purcliafed have ever fince fuch Purchafes refpeclively made ' thereof retnained vefted in the faid Corporation, and been called hvejhd Lands, and have been an- ' nually rated and afTefTed to the Taxes laid upon the faid ninety-five thoufand Acres, according to their ' refpecftive Proportions, in purfuance of the faid A6ls of the fifteenth and twentieth of King Charles ' the Second ; but fuch Taxes not having been railed or paid, the faid Corporation have, from lime to ' Tiine, lett fuch invefted Lands, or fuch Parts thereof as they could find 'i'enants for, at fuch Rents as ' could be procured for the fame ; but the Profits arifing from the Lands (o lett have been very (mall ' and inconliderable, and much lefs than the Taxes with winch fuch Lands have been aflefied : And ' whereas the faid Governor, Bailiffs and Confervators, apprehending it would be for the Benefit of the Recital of A- ' faid Corporation, that fuch invefted Lands fiiould be foldj difcharged of tl-.e Arrears of Taxes which E^^""^'^^^" ' had been affefled thereon, but fubjecfl and fable in like Manner as the refi of the faid ninety-five thou- Mo,ri°'^nd°M,e ' fand Acres, to the Taxes to be afieffed (or the future, by virtue of the faid Afts of the fitieen'h a'nd DL°kc'o!E"diV'i^d ' twentieth of King Charles the Second, did caufe five hundred and fixty-eight Acres of the faid in- ^""^ '"^''^'/""' ' vefled Lands, lying within the Difl;ri6t herein before defcribed, to be put up to pablick Sale; and veftedVand'"' ' Matthew Robinfon Morris Efquire, being the beft Bidder for the fame, at the Sum of one hundred ' Pounds, the faid Corporation thereupon agreed with the faid Matthnu Rcbinfon Idorrls for ti-.e Sale of ' the faid five hundred and fixty-cight Acres, for the faid Sum of one hundred "Pounds, difcharged c>f ihe ' hundred and fifty-four, and fubject to tuture Taxes_; and the moft Noble 'John Duke of Bedford ' ^x Thomas Drury Baronet, Matthew JVildbore zwd^lhomas fVcddington Efquires, having delivered Pro- ' pofajs to the faid Corporation for the Purcliale of one thoufand (even hundred Acres, and twentv Perches ' of the faid invefted Lands (being the Refidue of the faid invcfied Lands lying within the faid' L)ifirid) ' at the Price of one thoufand Pounds, and fuch Propolals having been publifired in the publick News ' Lands, and no Perfon having oftered fo much as the faid Sum of one thoufsnd Pounds tor the fame, ' the faid Corporation did agiec with the fa'.d John Duke of Bedford, Sir Thomas Drury, Matthevj Jf'ild- ' bore and Thomas Waddington, f^r the Sale of the faid one tlioufand feven hundred Acres, and tweniy ' which at any Time before the conveying of fuch Lands (hall have been charged thereon, and fubject to ' futu-e Taxes: And whereas it will be for the Benefit of the faid Corporation, that the faid Governor, Corpor3toniiT>- ' Baif" -^ ■ •'•'•• ' -■> .... ' rears Thati whereof the faid Governor or Bailiffs, or any of them, to be two, to grant or convey, under the Seal '^^^'^*' P"^"^"' of the faid Corporation, the faid five hundred and fixty-c-ight Acres of invefted Lands, to the faid Jf^.'-'j^eVts'^^'^''^ thew Rcbinfon Morris, and the faid one thoufand feven hundred Acres, and twenty Perches of invefied Lands, to the faid John Duke of Bedford, Sir Thomas Drury, Matthew fVildbere and Thomas TFaddington, freed and difcharged of and from tl;-=, Taxfs which hae been rated or afieffed upon the faid inverted Lands, by virtue of the faid Adf of the fifteenth of King Charles the Second, or of any other Ad; or Aits of Parliament now in Being, relating to the faid Great Level, according to the before reciied Agree- ments made by the faid Corpoiation with the {laA. Matthew Robinfon Morris^ and the ixA John ^^k.& o^ Bedford, Sir Thomas Drury, Matthew IVildhcre. -nwA Thoinai JVaddijigt on ; and fuch Grants and Con- veyances fo made ftiall be good and effccfua! in the Law, to all Intents and Puipofes whatfoever, as if the faid Lands had been fold at the Shire-houfe in hly, for Non-jiaytnent of 1 axes, purfuant to the faid Acts of the fifteenth and twentieth of King Charles the Second, before the laid Lands" became iavelfed. XXX. Provided
 * • Arrears of Taxes which had been charged thereon before tiie firft D^y of April one tlioufand ifstw
 * Papers, and Notice having been thereby given, that the faid Corporation were ready lo treat with any
 * Perfons who fliould be willing to give more than the faid Sum of one thoufand Pounds for the faid
 * Perches of invefted Lands, at the faid Price of one thoufand Pounds, difcharged of all Arrears of Taxes,