Year of the Reign of his present Majesty, entitled, An Act for making and maintaining a navigable Cut or Canaifrom the city of Hereford to the city of Gloucester, with a collateral Cut from the same to the town of Newent, in the county of Gloucester.
This canal pursues a northerly direction from Byster's Gate in Hereford, near to the banks of the Wye, till it Comes to the River Lugg, near Sulton St. Michael and Sulton St. Nicholas; having crossed this river, it takes an easterly course to Munsley; thence crossing the River Leadon, it proceeds in a southerly direction, till it again crosses the Leadon, two miles below Ledbury; after pursuing its course to Denimoch easterly, it crosses the same river for a third and fourth time at four miles from the last-mentioned place; proceeding onwards to its termination, it passes by Pountley, Newent, Rudford and Lassington, crossing for the last time the Leadon, and also a branch of the Severn, in which river, after going through a cut across Alney Island, it terminates opposite to Gloucester.
By the first act the proprietors of this canal were authorized to demand the following
TONNAGE RATES.
| For Manure, Bricks, Rubble, Lime and Clay | 1d per Ton, per Mile. |
| For Coals | 2d ditto. ditto. |
| For Corn, Meal, Hewn-stone, Hops, Wool, and other Goods, Merchandize and Wares | 3d ditto. ditto. |
And so on in Proportion for different Distances.
The original sum granted by the act for completing this work was £25,000, with power to raise £30,000, more, if necessary; shares to be £100 each.
The advantages of the amended act are, the nearer approach to Hereford and the tunnel at Oxenhall, which saves the collateral cut to Newent, and avoids a great deal of circuitous navigation.
We have stated above that the length of canal, when finished, will be thirty-five miles and a half, which is on the following levels, - from Hereford to Withington March, six miles of level canal; from thence to Monkhide, (which is a summit level at an elevation of 195½ feet above low water of the Severn,) there is a rise of 30 feet in a distance of three miles: the canal continues on the summit level for eight miles and a half to Ledbury; from that
