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HISTORY OF

for executing it. But this scheme likewise, which did not promisemuch benefit to the country, in the end totally miscarried,, and the pro-jectors were nearly ruined.

In the year 1774, when many canal navigations had been success-fully planned and completed in different parts of the kingdom, the pro-ject was again revived of effecting the navigation of the Stroudwaterto the river Severn by a new canal. New surveys were in consequencetaken, plans drawn, and estimates made by Thomas Yeoman, engineer,F. R. S. and other surveyors, after the manner of the most improvedinland navigations, whereby the old river is as much as possible avoided,and the interference with the mills, which has always been an obstacle,very much prevented, as the canal communicates with the river only inthree places.

When an act had been obtained which granted sufficient powers tocomplete the work, a subscription was opened for twenty thousandpounds, divided into two hundred ssiares, which was very soon filled.Articles were executed stating the rights and powers of the proprietors ;calls were made upon the subscribers agreeably to the articles ; landswere purchased, and materials provided. Thus the navigation wenton smoothly and expeditioufly ; but certain land-holders, throughwhose lands the line of this navigation must pass, obstinately opposed it.They were joined by a few mill-holders upon the river. These personsadvertised meetings, at which they opened a subscription, and raised afund professedly to be spent in opposition to the navigation ; in conse-quence of which an action was laid by a mill-holder at Framiload, forcutting through a small piece of ground, which it was his interest toprevent. The court of Exchequer was moved to stop proceedings onthe canal, and the question was brought to an issue at the Gloucesterassizes, when it was determined, that a canal navigation as this wasdeemed (though falsely, as it communicates with the river in threeplaces) could not be made'under the powers of the act of 1730, not-2 withstanding