774 ON THE COST OF CARRIAGE. 



that it was his business. The entries do not occur till late. 

 In 1663, Eton College pays 6s. for the carnage of .100, 

 and in 1670, ics. In 1674, 50 are sent from London to 

 Cambridge, and a charge of 2s. 6d. made for its transmission. 

 In 1676, Eton College pays 12s. for the carriage of 150, and 

 los. for that of .120, or about id. in the . In 1695, 130 

 are sent to Cambridge by the carrier, who is paid 6^. 8d. for 

 his trouble; and in 1696,^375 is sent from Sarum to Blandford, 

 at the rate of los. per cent. 



WATER CARRIAGE. The greater part of the goods pur- 

 chased in London by Eton College was conveyed to the 

 College by water. The rate was low, especially in places 

 where the navigation of the Thames was not liable to 

 interruption, and the city authorities were vigilant in vindi- 

 cating the highway of the Thames as a public right, and could 

 repress those encroachments and exactions which are com- 

 plained of and chastised by 6 & 7 William and Mary, cap. 16. 

 This statute asserts that the whole length of the Thames from 

 London to beyond Lechlade is a public highway, and creates 

 authorities who can punish encroachment and interference 

 with the public use of the river. 



The first entry which my reader will find of water carriage 

 is in 1586, when Eton College pays icd. for the carriage of 

 three cwt. of hops from London to Windsor by water. As I 

 have already stated, the goods were conveyed by barges, and 

 propelled by punt poles, or by sculling at the stem. In 1588 

 Magdalen College had 100 salsamenta from London to Burcot 

 for ;j. 



The next entry is on another river. In 1589 Lord North 

 has two tuns of wine conveyed to him at 2s. 6d. the tun. A 

 tun of wine, 252 gallons, must have weighed, with the cask, 

 considerably above a ton avoirdupois ; and these tuns were no 

 doubt brought from King's Lynn, the Lynn of the merchants 

 in medieval language. But it is by no means easy to say at 

 what point of the Ouse Lord North sent his waggons to carry 

 home his purchase to Kirtling, which lies south-east of 



