1804.) 
“dreadful and ruinotis difappointments 
which too many of the perfons engaged in 
trade on this canal, in common with the 
proprietors and the public, have experi- 
enced, have arifen from want of water ; 
and it is right that the public fhould un- 
derftand that this moft formidable obfta- 
cle, increafing with every increafe of 
trade, remains yet in a confiderable de- 
gree to be overcome through a confider- 
able portion of this Jong canal. The 
three {ummits, or higheft levels, viz. 
through the tunnel at Braunftone, at 
Stoke Bruerne, (which is to go through 
the intended tunnel at Blifworth,) and 
through the deep cutting on’the Chalk 
Hills at Bulborne, near Tring, have all 
experienced the want of water, even for 
the limired tradathat has yet been carried 
on. The Company are now proceeding 
with the tunnel at Bhifworth. They are 
conftructing extenfive refervoirs in the 
neighbourhood of Daventry to increafe 
the fu,ply of the Braunftone fummit ; 
they are embanking acrofs the Wolverton 
valley to preferve water for the Blitworth 
fummit ; and haye lately erected a fteam- 
engine to raile water out o/ a rew refer- 
voir, for increafing the fupply of the Bul- 
borne fummit. But the main caufe of 
the evil, viz. the leaky ftate of the canal, 
has been little attended to, except that in 
the lof fummer and autumn, daring the 
fufpenlion of trade, fome parts of the 
bottom and fides of the canal, near 
Tring, were new puddled; this mott 
effential operation of puddling having it 
feems been omitted, or imperfectly per- 
formed, through many parts of the canal 
where it was abfolutely neceffary, parti- 
cularly where, in curting, a porous {trata 
of gravel, &c. was penetrated, and fur- 
nifhed a {pring, but on a level much be- 
low the prefent furface of the water in 
the canal ; fuch porous ftrata now form- 
ing extenfive under-ground drains to dif- 
charge the waier of the canal at other 
places. The yreat expence of this opera- 
tion tothe Company is not the only evil; 
but the traders and the public mutt fuffer 
a fufpenfion of trade in the canal while it 
is performing. It is hoped, however, 
that the Company will, by long and ex- 
plicit notices of their intentions of fhut- 
ting up the Canal, enable dealers and 
others on the line to Jay in ftocks of arti- 
cles which are brought to them by the 
canal, and thereby effentially leffen the 
evil to the public. 
It remains yet to mention a funda- 
mental error in the conftruétion of fome 
parts of this canal, particularly between 
State of the Grand Funétion Canal. 
229 
Great Berkhamftead and Uxbridge, in 
caufing the canal in fo many iniances to 
connect\with and pafs through the mill- 
dams, by which even that ftream of wa- 
ter which the Company had purchafed, or 
were in the undifputed pofleffion cf, oa 
the fummit at Bulborne, and which, by 
judicious arrangements and precautions 
to increafe it, might have anfwered even 
the increafing trade as you approach the 
metropolis, has been again furrendered | 
into the power of, the millers, many of 
whom, freling the increafed power they 
have acquired, are enlarging the breadth 
of their old wheels, and fome are ereét- 
ing entirely new ones ;-a forcible inftance 
of which may be feen at the Mines Royal 
Mills, near Harefield. The moft grievous 
loffes and difappointments have ail along 
been fuftained by the traders on this part 
of the canal, _by the. millers even 
through obftinacy, in many inftances, let- 
ting off the water, which is here fo plen- 
tiful, and rendering the locks impafiable. 
Numerous and expenfive difputes have 
alfo arifen betweev the Company and the 
millers, and farmers who atiempt irriga- 
tion in this fine but fhamefully-neglected 
vale. All the evils here mentioned muft 
increafe with the increafe of trade, and 
nothing fhoit of cutting a confiderable 
part of the canal in the Colne Varley 
anew, fo as entirely to avoid the mill- 
dams and theriver, colleciing as many as 
poflible of the fprings abave the canal’s 
level by furfs and drains conitructed for 
the purpofe, and avoiding, or puddling 
out, all fuch {prings as will not on trial 
rife above the furtace level of the canal, 
can render this effential part of the line 
productive to the Company, or lerviceable 
to the public. It is plain that thefe alte- 
rations, and the new focks, might be 
made before the prefent mill-dam line or 
the trade thereon is difurbed, which is 
no inconfiderable argument in favour of 
the alteration, 
I have been induced to make thefe ob- 
fervations from a defire to prevent the 
hopes and expectations of the public b:- 
ing, as heretofore, impropetly raifed re- 
{petting the final and fuccefsful comple- 
tion of this great undertaking ; which, 
neverthelefs, but for the culpable negle& 
or mifconduct of the committees entrufted 
with the management, or the agents they 
employ, mutt in afew years become moit 
productive to the preprietois, and highly 
beneficial to the public at large, 
Tam, Sir, your’s, &c. 
..» London, >. Tuo. RAFEY-. 
February 13; 1804 : ; 
Fox 
