264 



if sum Part was Paide at one Time and sum at another, Time, Then it 

 ■would make Them more Content and me Boath, and Let us Get Sut with 

 This Damb Lawden as Soon as Posoble we can — 



Sir — -Whenever the Racking Coins please to Com to Coates and pay Thire, as 

 I am Dotermed never to go Into aney Publick house aney more at Sapperton 

 nor Haylcy Wood, never while This Tunnel His Doing, for a Reson as I 

 have Gott — ■ 



In September, 1784, I find George Jones (a son of Chakles 

 Jones) threatening to murder ttie Canal Company's Manager, 

 and using abusive language towards liim, in consequence of 

 which, the said Geoege Jones was obliged to leave the neigh- 

 bourhood ; and he and his father give a joint undertaking, that 

 he shall forthwith leave the works, and not come within 20 miles 

 of any part of the Canal for 5 years, or molest, directly or 

 indirectly the Manager, during his lifetime, or any of the 

 Canal Company's servants. 



In the end, the Canal Company discovered that low tenders 

 are not always the cheapest. They had to take some of the 

 work into their own hands to get rid of Charles Jones, and 

 engage other contractors in order to finish the Tunnel, which 

 ultimately cost a very large sum of money, the exact amount 

 of which cannot be ascertained from the Company's books ; and 

 it was not completed for the passage of boats until the month 

 of April, 1789. 



The exact date of the opening of the Canal is fixed by the 

 Annual Register, under date ISTovember 19th, 1789, Gloucester, 

 and is announced in the following terms : — 



"This day was effected the greatest object of internal navi- 

 gation in this kingdom, — The Severn was united to the Thames 

 by an intermediate canal ascending by Stroud through the vale 

 of Chalford, to the height of 343 feet, by 28 locks; there 

 entering a tunnel through the hill of Sapperton for the length 

 of two miles and three farlongs, and descending 134 feet by 14 

 locks, it joined the Thames near Lechlade. With respect to 

 the internal commerce of the kingdom, and the security of 

 communication in time of war, this junction of the Thames ana 

 Severn must be attended with the most beneficial consequences, 

 as even stores from the Baltic, and provisions from Ireland may 



